Researchers suggest restricting in-flight alcohol to prevent heart attacks

Last call for your airplane cocktail?

Researchers are calling for limits to in-flight alcoholic beverages after finding that plane passengers who drank before dozing off during long-haul flights risked their heart health.

The combination of alcohol consumption and cabin pressure at cruising altitude can have negative effects on napping passengers’ hearts, according to a new study published in the respiratory journal Thorax Monday.

The combo lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood and raises heart rate for an extended period — even in the young and healthy, the researchers from the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Germany.

“Higher doses of alcohol could amplify these observed effects, potentially escalating the risk of health complications and medical emergencies during flight, especially among older individuals and those
with pre-existing medical conditions,” the study authors wrote.

“Our findings strongly suggest that the inflight consumption of alcoholic beverages should be restricted,” they added.

The researchers tested a pool of 48 people between 18 and 40 years old to conduct their research.

Half of the pool, the control group, napped in a sleep lab under normal conditions while the other half slept in an altitude chamber that mimicked the cabin pressure of a plane at cruising altitude.

On one night both groups went to bed sober, and on the other, each drank alcohol before hitting the hay.

The researchers tested each person’s heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels, and sleep stages and efficiency.

They found that moderate alcohol consumption and the “in-flight” conditions each sped up the heart rate and lowered oxygen-blood levels in the sleeping test subjects.

When the two factors were combined, the individuals experienced the effects at increased levels.

“Together these results indicate that, even in young and healthy individuals, the combination of alcohol intake with sleeping under hypobaric conditions poses a considerable strain on the cardiac system and might lead to exacerbation of symptoms in patients with cardiac or pulmonary diseases,” the study authors wrote.

They added that air travelers with sleep apnea and respiratory issues should abstain from drinking for 12 hours preceding and during their flight.

But even those young and fit should skip the airport and flight booze, the researchers found.

Young and healthy adults tested in the study experienced prolonged and critical decreases in oxygen levels in the bloodstream accompanied by an increased heart rate and disturbed sleep while napping after drinking in airplane cabin conditions.

“We show that the on-board consumption of alcohol is an underestimated health risk that could be easily avoided,” the authors concluded.

“Practitioners, passengers and crew should be informed about the potential risks, and it may be beneficial to consider altering regulations to restrict the access to alcoholic beverages on board aeroplanes.”