Medical tourism - Relaxation or Risk: How Alcohol Affects Long-Haul Flights
For those who find it relaxing, the beginning of a vacation or business trip, for others it's the hope to overcome flight anxiety: Once their aircraft has reached the necessary cruising altitude, many passengers order a glass of Beer or wine or a Whiskey Cola.
What could happen, most of them probably think. On earth, the corresponding amount of alcohol is no problem.
But at an altitude of around 10,000 meters, many things are different for the human organism and not everything promotes health. The cabin pressure in an aircraft corresponds to that on a mountain at around 2500 meters in height.
Anyone who has ever hiked or skiied in the mountains knows that the first few days are quite strenuous. You quickly start to gasp, because the air is thinner and contains significantly less oxygen than usual.
Flight journey: as little oxygen as on a 2500 meter high mountain
In the aircraft, it's similar, only the passengers move very little and therefore don't notice the lower oxygen saturation that much. At most, they feel tired. But in the body itself, things happen that they hardly take note of. For example, heart rate increases significantly, the blood pump tries to bring more oxygen into the body.
The consumption of alcohol aggravates this reaction, especially in combination with sleep. This is the result of a study published in the journal "Thorax" by the DLR Institute for Aerospace Medicine under the leadership of Dr. Eva-Maria Elmenhorst. This study shows that the health of sleeping passengers is endangered by the combination of alcohol and the cabin pressure on board.
Forty-eight people between the ages of 18 and 40 took part in the study, who were randomly assigned to two groups. One half stayed in a sleep lab with normal atmospheric pressure (sea level), the other half in a high-altitude chamber, in which the cabin pressure was simulated to flight altitude.
"Heart rate increases in young and healthy individuals"
The half of each group slept for four hours without having drunk alcohol, while the other half slept for four hours after having drunk alcohol. The alcohol amount corresponded to approximately two cans of beer or two glasses of wine.
The result: "Even in young and healthy individuals, heart rate increases over a longer period," said Eva Elmenhorst. "Larger alcohol quantities than those used in the study could further aggravate these effects, especially in older passengers and those with pre-existing conditions."
Normally, the oxygen content in the blood of a healthy person is 95 percent. Through the combination of alcohol and simulated cabin pressure at flight altitude, it sank to just over 85 percent. To compensate for this, heart rate during sleep increased to about 88 beats/minute, compared to sober test subjects with 73 beats/minute.
The quality of sleep was also affected by alcohol. Sober participants took about 19 minutes to fall asleep, those who had consumed alcohol took 12.5 minutes. They slept less restfully and were more often awake. They had fewer deep sleep and REM sleep phases and were overall less rested.
Researchers call for more information on the effects of alcohol on board [
(Note: The last sentence in the original text was missing, so I couldn't translate it.)
As a result of their findings, the scientists involved in the study advocate that passengers, flight attendants, and doctors be informed about potential risks. In addition, it should be discussed whether passengers will be allowed to order alcohol on board long-haul flights in the future. Until then, each passenger must decide for themselves whether they are willing to take the risk when reaching for beer or wine in the air.
After learning about the increased heart rate and disrupted sleep patterns during flight journey at high altitudes due to alcohol consumption, some passengers might reconsider ordering a drink. The German Aerospace Center's study, led by Dr. Eva-Maria Elmenhorst, also highlights the potential risk for medical tourism patients who might be susceptible to these effects.
