Doctors warn that it is forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages with high blood pressure, threatening a heart attack or stroke. Only a little wine or cognac is allowed.
Many people suffer from hypertension, they complain of high blood pressure. If it was once a disease of the elderly, now the young also suffer from it. It is almost impossible to cure it, but if you take medication regularly, it can bring the pressure back to normal. Many patients facing this disease are concerned with the question: "Is it possible to drink alcohol with hypertension? " How will alcohol affect the well-being of a sick person? Let's see what the doctors have to say about it.
A little about hypertension
Hypertension is called the "silent killer" for a reason. Often times, a person does not even suspect that they are sick until the doctor measures their blood pressure. For many people, a pressure of 120/80 is considered normal and increasing it to 140/90 is a slight deviation from the norm, the pressure of 160/95 is high and requires constant treatment. But it should be remembered that these numbers are not suitable for some people, they may have slightly low or slightly high blood pressure, which does not affect their well-being.
How else can you understand that a person suffers from hypertension? It may have the following symptoms:
- Headache, in the back of the head.
- My head is spinning.
- Heart pains appear.
- He has insomnia.
- A person has mood swings.
If the patient is not in a hurry for treatment, then everything can end up very sad for him. Complications of hypertension: heart failure, stroke, heart attack. Can I drink alcohol with hypertension? We will talk about this.
Hypertension and alcohol
Scientists and doctors talk about the relationship between alcohol and high blood pressure. If you constantly drink alcoholic beverages, the chance of getting sick with hypertension increases 2-4 times. Can I drink alcohol if I have high blood pressure? To understand this issue, you need to understand how alcoholic beverages affect the human body.
Effects of alcohol in humans
Alcohol enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body. Contains ethanol, which causes blood vessels to dilate. Therefore, at first, a person's blood pressure drops. The blood begins to move very quickly, the load on the heart increases. However, the vessels do not remain dilated for a long time, after a while they shrink, which causes the pressure of the person to increase. The answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure has been found. A person suffering from hypertension should not drink alcoholic beverages. Although alcohol lowers the pressure a bit at first, then it becomes high, which can lead to stroke or heart attack.
Research by South Korean scientists
Scientists in South Korea have also confirmed this. They were also concerned about the question of whether it is possible to drink alcoholic beverages with high blood pressure or hypertension. Staff from the School of Medicine were able to show that people who drink alcohol with high blood pressure are at risk of dying prematurely from a heart attack. This study took place for almost 21 years. Scientists looked at the lives of 6, 100 people who were over 50 years old. Among them were those who like to drink alcohol: 15% - drinkers and 3% - heavy drinkers.
The scientists monitored the condition of drinkers and nondrinkers with hypertension. If at a pressure of at least 168/100 a person consumed more than sixty grams of alcohol contained in beverages, then their probability of dying prematurely increased 4 times. If he drank more, that is, about 120 g of alcohol, the figures were more terrifying: he was 12 times more likely to die. These figures already clearly show whether it is possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure. And it is easy to explain. With hypertension, constant high pressure, the cardiovascular system suffers a lot, alcohol also has a negative effect on it, and together, this explosive mixture increases the probability of premature death of a person.
Alcohol and drugs for hypertension
We have established that alcoholic beverages should not be consumed with hypertension. Those who have encountered this disease know that with constant high blood pressure, it is necessary to take pills. What and in what quantity, the doctor decides. It is no secret that many drugs and alcohol are incompatible, they can improve their effect or reduce it. Also, if you take pills and alcohol at the same time, they become toxic, which cannot help but affect a person's well-being.
At best it will be dizziness, at worst - arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, hallucinations. Therefore, if you take alcohol and medications that contain nitroglycerin at the same time, you can die. If you drink alcoholic beverages with high blood pressure, the vessels first dilate. When a person takes a pill, they also dilate the blood vessels. Because of this, the pressure in the aorta will drop dramatically, the amount of blood it needs will stop flowing to the heart, and heart failure will develop. A person can be saved by getting medical attention right away. Therefore, you cannot drink alcohol and take medicine at the same time, any doctor will tell you about this.
Exception to rule
You don't have to be an alcoholic to drink alcohol. Sometimes there is a reason to have a drink, like a birthday or New Years. What alcohol can be drunk with high blood pressure, what drinks are allowed and in what quantity? Before the party, you need to measure the pressure. If it is very high, then it is better not to drink alcohol on this day, but limit yourself to mineral water or soft drinks. If all goes well, you can afford to drink a little.
What beverages should not be consumed and which should be drunk? Better to put down the champagne, vodka, and beer. Red wine and good cognac are allowed. You can drink up to 200 ml of red wine and 50 g of brandy. Some people are sure that if they have been drinking and their health has not deteriorated, then there is nothing to worry about, they can continue drinking. It is a hoax. The reaction to alcohol may not appear immediately, but after a while, so a person may get sick the next day. It is up to a person to decide whether or not to drink with high blood pressure, but if they are not ready to follow the advice of doctors, they will have to accept the consequences of addiction.