How does alcohol affect blood pressure - does it increase or decrease it?

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  • Alcohol and blood pressure
  • The effect of alcohol on blood pressure
  • Is it possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure?
  • What alcohol lowers blood pressure?
  • Alcohol to increase blood pressure
  • Anti-hypertension tablets compatible with alcohol

How does alcohol affect blood pressure?

People with hypertension are interested in whether alcohol increases or decreases blood pressure, how does drinking alcohol affect the state of the arterial system? It is worth understanding how certain drinks can affect blood pressure. Doctors do not advise drinking alcohol to test its effect on the body. It is better to first learn about the effect of alcohol on blood vessels in various diseases.

Alcohol and blood pressure

To determine how intoxication affects the condition of healthy people, doctors conducted an experiment. During the study, they asked 20 subjects (equally divided between men and women) to drink 50, 100 or 500 ml of vodka, wine or beer, respectively. Half an hour later they took a blood test and checked my blood pressure. The results of the study revealed the following:

  • blood pressure increased;
  • the level of ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) in the blood has increased;
  • Heart rate increased.

After the experiment, the subjects did not notice any changes. Continuing the study, doctors asked participants to drink the same dose of alcohol daily for 2 weeks in a row. After the specified time, 2/3 of the group reported general morning sickness and rapid heartbeat. The strength of the drinks did not affect these signs. The rest of the participants felt the same as before the experiment.

Alcohol consumption standards

Each person has his own alcohol intake limit . It is influenced by gender, body condition and the presence of diseases. Contraindications in any case apply to the following cases:

  • pregnancy;
  • lactation;
  • age under 18 years;
  • disorders of brain activity;
  • liver and kidney diseases;
  • allergy to alcohol.

Drinking drinks containing ethyl alcohol disrupts the functioning of the heart, pancreas and gall bladder. It has a negative effect on the optic nerve. for people who have any problems with these organs not to drink alcohol. The rest can drink daily - up to 75 ml of vodka, up to 200 ml of wine, up to half a liter of beer. However, even with daily intake of the specified amount of alcohol, a person develops a bad habit. Over time, the body requires large doses, which leads to binge drinking and the development of alcoholism.

A man suffers from alcoholism

The weekly dose of alcohol for a person without health problems is 300-400 ml of vodka (at a single dose). For wine this norm is about 1000 ml, for beer – 3 liters. When taking alcohol-containing drinks twice a week, you should reduce the dose by half.
Women are also advised to reduce their levels, as their bodies are sensitive to ethanol.

Hangover

Many drinkers struggle with morning hangovers. A hangover causes a significant increase in blood pressure and many people feel unwell after a history of heavy drinking. Everyone is interested in what to do in the morning and how to lower blood pressure to improve their well-being.

The main cause of a hangover is considered to be vascular spasm, which impairs blood circulation.

In order to at least relax the blood vessels and lower blood pressure, Papaverine or No-shpa is recommended. You can also take a hot bath with pine extract to activate the nerve endings.

To quickly get rid of a hangover and high blood pressure, you need to take care of blood thinning. To do this, take several tablets of aspirin or other drugs that have the same effect in the morning. By thinning the blood, it will be possible to reduce high blood pressure.

If everything is done correctly, the hangover will disappear and the pressure will stop rising.

How does alcohol affect blood pressure?

It is possible to determine exactly how alcohol affects blood pressure levels only experimentally. To do this, it is necessary to measure it with a tonometer after each intake of alcoholic drinks. Measurements should be taken after half an hour. If you take measurements regularly, it is easy to identify a pattern. However, even with small doses of alcohol, daily consumption of alcohol leads to changes in the condition of the vascular walls. Blood pressure after drinking alcohol frequently begins to increase, and sometimes changes unpredictably.

Alcohol at low blood pressure

In hypotensive patients, the walls of blood vessels are in a relaxed state. Drinking ethyl-containing drinks in small quantities leads to their even greater expansion. Accordingly, the pressure decreases . An increase in heart rate after drinking alcohol leads to worsening blood circulation in the extremities, so many hypotensive people feel as if their legs are going numb.

By regularly drinking alcohol, a person with low blood pressure provokes the release of the hormone hypertensin into the blood. As a result, blood counts increase. In addition, frequent consumption of alcohol-containing drinks causes renal dysfunction.

Depending on the dosage and age group, when drinking alcohol-containing drinks, blood pressure can either decrease or increase . Scientific studies that can give an accurate answer about the effect of alcohol on blood pressure have not yet been conducted.

Alcohol for high blood pressure

In hypertension, alcohol causes an even greater increase in blood pressure if a person drinks a lot or constantly. Alcohol provokes an increase in heart rate. Adrenaline and stress hormones are released into the blood. For those suffering from hypertension, it is better not to drink alcohol at all, as the risk of stroke increases significantly.

Possible consequences

Among the heart pathologies caused by systematic abuse, the most common are:

Possible consequences - Verimed

  • chronic heart failure;
  • alcoholic cardiomyopathy;
  • organic and functional myocardial lesions, ischemic heart disease;
  • arrhythmias.

The danger is posed by changes caused by prolonged binge drinking or a state of abstinence, during which severe complications develop.

  1. Ischemic strokes, accompanied by impaired cerebral circulation, leading to partial paralysis and disability.
  2. Arrhythmias, manifested either by a rapid heartbeat or a slowdown.
  3. Hypertensive or hypotensive crises are cases of sustained decrease or increase, tolerant to the action of drugs.
  4. Myocardial infarction, causing partial impairment or loss of pumping function.
  5. Transient ischemic attacks are cerebral circulatory disorders that cause neurological abnormalities: speech disorders, loss of memory or motor functions, paresis.

Alcohol increases and sometimes decreases blood pressure. In addition, it neutralizes the effects of drugs to normalize blood pressure. Because of this, during horse racing, the attack cannot be controlled with medication.

Is it possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure?

For hypertensive patients there is no complete ban on drinking alcohol. However, it is better to decide how much to drink after visiting a doctor. It is important to maintain long intervals between doses. With constant or excessive consumption of alcohol, blood pressure (blood pressure) begins to increase.

There are a number of factors under which it is better not to drink alcohol:

  • obesity or excess weight;
  • tendency to form blood clots in blood vessels;
  • reduced elasticity of vascular walls;
  • increased intracranial pressure;
  • tendency to swelling;
  • elevated blood sugar or cholesterol levels;

These factors increase the risk of developing hypertension, even if the drinks are low in alcohol. Drinking beer has a negative impact on kidney function. If you have hypertension, it is better not to drink alcohol more than once a week. It is important to follow the individual dosage.

Traditional methods

Traditional recipes will help normalize your tonometer readings and improve your condition. Lemon juice and honey will help lower your blood pressure monitor. Add a little lemon juice and honey to 200 ml of water. Drink this drink in small sips before meals. Carry out the procedure for 10 days, then take a 5-7 day break.

Beetroot is a reducing agent. Grate the beets or pass through a meat grinder. Add 1 tsp to the resulting mass. honey The medicine should be taken before meals, 1 tbsp. l. Instead of beets, you can use grated carrots.

Blood pressure will increase if you drink ginseng tincture. It should be taken 10-15 drops per day. To avoid the body getting used to the tincture, you should take a 5-7 day break. Blood pressure increases from the herbal mixture of rose hips, hawthorn, and pink radiola root. Mix the herbs in equal proportions and pour 1 tbsp. l. collecting 200 ml of boiling water. Cool the finished broth and strain through a sieve. Drink the drink twice a day, 100 ml.

Many factors influence the tonometer readings, so it is impossible to say with certainty how alcohol will affect it. You can normalize your health from a hangover using proven methods and means, but if the patient’s condition worsens, you should immediately call a doctor. Do not use alcohol as a medication as it has a destructive effect.

What alcohol lowers blood pressure

Finding an alcoholic drink that lowers blood pressure is problematic. Everything is very individual. Alcohol that lowers blood pressure includes balsam, cognac or whiskey. However, they should be consumed only in the permitted dosage. The pressure decreases temporarily - for 1-2 hours. After this, it increases, often even more than previous indicators. In addition, repeated doses may not only fail to have the desired effect, but may also increase vascular tone. At the same time, the pressure increases.

Cognac for hypertension

Cognac is distinguished by its ability to reduce blood pressure if consumed in a volume of 30-40 ml 1-2 times every 7 days. It dilates blood vessels, which causes changes in blood pressure. The drink should not be consumed if you plan to take pills for hypertension.

Doctors deny the effect of lowering blood pressure when taking cognac. Since hypertension is a complex disease, it should be treated only after a comprehensive evaluation. It is not safe for patients with hypotension to resort to drinking cognac, since the consequences are difficult to predict.

Man pours alcohol into a glass

White wine for high blood pressure

The effect of white wine on blood pressure is ambiguous. It is made from natural ingredients, unlike most strong drinks. Ethyl alcohol is not used in its production

White wine is consumed in European countries that are famous for their longevity. However, even among them this drink is not used for medicinal purposes. People with hypertension are allowed to drink white wine on rare occasions, preferably only on holidays. The difference between this drink is that it causes fewer complications . Since high blood pressure after alcohol occurs with frequent use, moderate consumption may not have any effect on health.

conclusions

A decrease in blood pressure after binge drinking is more typical for the initial stages of abuse. If symptoms appear, you need to use a tonometer, assess your condition and, if the changes are moderate, carry out therapy at home. If restorative measures are ineffective or your health is progressively deteriorating, you should seek medical help. Do not forget about the root cause of hypotension - problems with alcohol. After recovery, it is recommended to make an appointment with a narcologist to choose the optimal treatment option for addiction.

Alcohol to increase blood pressure

Regular drinking is one of the factors that increases blood pressure. The dosage should be higher than normal. If you drink small amounts of champagne, beer or vodka, you can increase your blood pressure. However, in some cases the body reacts to such effects unpredictably , so the use of ethyl drinks as a medicine is not recommended. This attitude towards one’s health can lead to a hypertensive crisis – a sharp increase in blood pressure to 180/110 mmHg. Art. and higher.

Drug therapy

Infusions of colloidal and saline solutions - Verimed
It is better to use medications as prescribed by a doctor. Self-administration can lead to unpredictable consequences - only a specialist knows how to stabilize blood pressure after heavy drinking, taking into account all the factors affecting the functioning of the body. If you experience fainting, prolonged weakness, severe shortness of breath and palpitations, you should seek medical help.

Treatment includes infusions of colloidal and saline solutions, the use of caffeine, tranquilizers, nootropics, glucocorticoids, and vitamin complexes. Timely initiation of therapy helps to quickly improve the condition and avoid the development of severe complications - cardiogenic shock, cerebral ischemia.

Which hypertension pills are compatible with alcohol?

People who regularly take medications for hypertension should know whether they are compatible with alcohol. By reading the instructions for various medications, you can accurately determine whether it is acceptable to drink during treatment. In most cases alcohol is contraindicated , since the reaction of blood vessels to the simultaneous use of drugs and alcohol can be unpredictable.

You can connect alcohol intake and blood pressure only after monitoring your body. However, it is not recommended to experiment regularly. People with blood pressure disorders are advised to keep alcohol intake to a minimum.

If you take alcohol every day, your blood pressure does not have time to normalize, which causes jumps in blood levels. In the case of moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages once a week, the total volume of alcohol increases more slowly.

Since hypertension is a dangerous disease, patients with this diagnosis require mandatory medical supervision. If there is no treatment, hypertensive patients should limit or stop drinking alcoholic beverages.

Literature:

  1. Risk factors for arterial hypertension / V. R. Weber, B. B. Fishman; Feder. education agency, Novgorod. state University named after Yaroslav the Wise, Novgorod. scientific Center of the Northwestern Branch of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. — St. Petersburg: Novgor. state univ., 2005 (St. Petersburg: Printing house “Science”). — 207 p.
  2. Hypertension. High blood pressure disease [Electronic resource]: blood pressure control, non-drug methods for treating hypertension, lowering blood pressure with the DASH diet: 12+ / P. A. Fadeev. - Moscow: Eksmo, 2014. - 430 p.
  3. Alcohol and arterial hypertension / Ostroumova Olga Dmitrievna, Saperova Ekaterina Vladimirovna / 2014 / Rational pharmacotherapy in cardiology.
  4. Changes in the daily blood pressure profile under the influence of systematic alcohol consumption / Zhirov I.V., Ogurtsov P.P., Shelepin A.A. / 2000 / Bulletin of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia. Series: Medicine.

Prevention

healthy lifestyle

Prevention should begin with giving up alcohol. If you can’t do this right away, you need to reduce the dose of alcohol you drink at a time and drink it as rarely as possible.

But only a complete abstinence from alcohol will make it possible to avoid pressure surges. And if hypertension has already developed due to alcohol, then it definitely needs to be completely excluded. Otherwise, tragic consequences cannot be avoided .

But you should also follow general prevention recommendations:

  • Spend time in the fresh air as often as possible (in a park, or best of all, in nature, outside the city limits).
  • Form a correct, complete diet, with a predominance of fresh vegetables, fruits, and natural juices. The consumption of fatty, fried, spicy and salty foods should be minimized.
  • Drink enough plain still water every day.
  • Reduce the consumption of coffee and tea, replacing them with natural compotes, fruit drinks, herbal teas (you need to pay close attention to the composition of herbal tea, as there are plants that increase blood pressure).
  • Include light physical activity in your daily routine, such as walking, cycling, swimming. But you can’t overload, the loads should be moderate and enjoyable.
  • Quit smoking if you have such a habit.
  • See a cardiologist on an ongoing basis, and also periodically check your blood pressure levels yourself.

If you follow all the recommendations, you can prevent the development of hypertension. If it already exists, then you can stop its progression, maintain good health, and reduce the risks of complications.

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