Top Health Risks of Drinking Alcohol on a Plane: Why You Should Avoid It

Cocktails at cruising altitude come with potential serious health risks.

When we have had a long day before the flight, we tend to want to relax during the flight. Some relax by drinking alcohol. While it might sound like a fun way to celebrate the start of a trip, there’s something important to consider: drinking alcohol on a plane could actually be risky. If you’re planning to catch some sleep on a long-haul flight, you might want to think twice about ordering that champagne.

What happens to your body when you are in the air?

Once you’re cruising at high altitude, the lower atmospheric pressure means your body gets less oxygen. Normally, your blood oxygen levels hover around 96% to 100%, but up in the sky, they can drop to about 90% or even lower.

To adjust, your body kicks into high gear: you start breathing faster to get more oxygen, and your heart pumps quicker to circulate blood throughout your system. This works for most people, but heart conditions can make it difficult.

Things get even more complicated when you throw alcohol into the mix. According to Dr. Matthew Mosquera, a medical expert from McLean Hospital, alcohol can mess with how your red blood cells pick up oxygen. It disrupts hemoglobin, the molecule responsible for carrying oxygen, making it harder for your body to stay oxygenated.

So, if you've got your boarding pass and a drink order in mind, here are some things you might want to think about. There are a few factors that can make your blood oxygen levels drop even more on a plane:

Aging: As we get older, our bodies become less efficient at adjusting to changes in oxygen levels.

Sleeping: Our breathing naturally slows down while we sleep, and this can be even more pronounced on a plane.

Underlying conditions: If you have lung disease, sleep apnea (where you briefly stop breathing while you sleep), or heart issues, less oxygen will reach your lungs.

So, what's the big deal? When you’re flying, the reduced oxygen in the cabin combined with other factors makes it harder for your body to stay balanced. A study published on June 3, 2024, in Thorax highlights this issue. Researchers looked into how alcohol and airplane cabin pressure affect blood oxygen levels while you sleep. They found that sleeping under typical airplane cabin pressure has already lowered your blood oxygen and increased your heart rate. Adding alcohol to the mix made things worse, with even lower oxygen levels and higher heart rates.

Dr. Matthew Mosquera warns that "drinking and sleeping on a plane puts a big strain on your body, especially your cardiovascular system," and it's even riskier if you have heart or lung disease. This combination could increase your chances of a heart attack or stroke. But that’s not all. Drinking alcohol on a flight can also:

- Increase your risk of falling

- Lead to dehydration, which strains your cardiovascular system

- Impair your judgment and focus, which isn’t ideal when it’s time to disembark

- Help you fall asleep but reduce the quality of your sleep

So, what should you do?

If you’re healthy and enjoy an occasional drink, moderate alcohol consumption might be okay. However, Dr. Mosquera suggests you:

- Be cautious with medications: Alcohol can enhance the drowsiness caused by sleep aids or other drugs.

- Stay hydrated: Drink extra water to counteract alcohol’s dehydrating effects.

- Watch your step: Take your time getting up from your seat to avoid falls.

- Skip the booze if you have health issues: If you have heart or lung conditions, sleep apnea, or a history of strokes, it’s best to avoid alcohol, especially if you’re planning to sleep on the flight.

Travel safe and consider your health before you take that next sip up in the skies!

Photo by serrnovik