Alcohol intake combined with in-flight cabin hypoxia may adversely affect sleep quality and CV system: Study

A new research published in the BMJ Thorax unveiled significant health risks associated with alcohol consumption and sleep on long-haul flights. The study focused on the interplay between alcohol intake, reduced cabin oxygen levels and their effects on sleep, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate which has provided alarming insights.

This experiment involved two groups of healthy participants to investigate how alcohol and hypobaric hypoxia which is a condition that mimicks the low oxygen levels found in aircraft cabins, can affect sleep and physiological parameters. One group spent nights in a sleep laboratory at sea level, while the other was placed in an altitude chamber simulating an altitude of 2,438 meters (7,999 feet). The participants underwent both alcohol and non-alcohol conditions with a 4-hour sleep opportunity from midnight to 4 AM which was followed by two 8-hour recovery nights.

The study found that the combination of alcohol consumption and hypobaric hypoxia significantly decreased the SpO2 levels and increased heart rates during sleep. Also, SpO2 dropped to a median of 85.32% and heart rate increased to a median of 87.73 bpm under combined exposure when compared to 88.07% and 72.90 bpm in the non-alcohol hypobaric condition. The outcomes also observed a much higher SpO2 levels and lower heart rates in both conditions of the sleep laboratory group.

Under the combined exposure, the participants experienced an shocking 201.18 minutes below the clinical hypoxia threshold of 90% SpO2 when compared to 173.28 minutes in the hypobaric condition without alcohol and zero minutes in both sleep laboratory conditions.

Additionally, the quality of sleep was markedly reduced under the combined exposure. Deep sleep (N3 stage) was significantly shortened to 46.50 minutes when compared to 84.00 minutes in the alcohol condition and 67.50 minutes in the non-alcohol condition of the sleep laboratory.

These findings have significant effects for long-haul flight passengers. The study demonstrates that consuming alcohol before or during flights can exacerbate the already challenging conditions of reduced cabin oxygen levels that leads to lower blood oxygen saturation and increased strain on the cardiovascular system. The quality of sleep is severely compromised with a marked reduction in deep sleep which is crucial for physical and mental recovery.

Passengers are advised to limit or avoid alcohol consumption before and during long flights to minimize these adverse effects. Ensuring proper hydration and considering supplemental oxygen for the individuals with pre-existing conditions may also be beneficial. Overall, this study illuminates the importance of awareness and proactive measures to maintain health and well-being during air travel, specially on the long-haul flights where the risks are elevated.

Source:

Trammer, R. A., Rooney, D., Benderoth, S., Wittkowski, M., Wenzel, J., & Elmenhorst, E.-M. (2024). Effects of moderate alcohol consumption and hypobaric hypoxia: implications for passengers’ sleep, oxygen saturation and heart rate on long-haul flights. In Thorax (p. thorax-2023-220998). BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2023-220998