Is it possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure. Age matters

06.09.2019 healthy eating

Almost every adult is familiar with changes in blood pressure (blood pressure). For some, this pathology can manifest itself episodically, while for others it can be systematic. Alcohol and pressure - at first glance, absolutely incompatible concepts.

However, in some cases, alcohol can help the patient cope with the symptoms of heart disease. But before you take a serving of alcohol for therapeutic purposes, you need to figure out how it works and in what cases it is indicated.

The effect of alcohol on blood pressure

Once in the digestive system, ethyl alcohol is absorbed into the blood. This substance has a vasodilating effect and can lower blood pressure. Vascular walls become more elastic, which leads to a decrease in their resistance. Alcohol improves blood circulation and causes a hypotensive effect (lowers performance).

Increasing the dose causes excitation of the nervous system (NS). This effect is associated with the release of a large amount of adrenaline into the blood. Spasm of the walls provokes an increase in pressure in the vessels.

In addition to the positive vasodilating effect that ethyl alcohol causes, the remedy has disadvantages:

short therapeutic effect. Ethanol provokes intoxication. Its decomposition products adversely affect the functioning of the heart muscle and the immune system.

Drinking alcohol not only lowers blood pressure, but it can also increase it. The reaction of the body depends on the dosage of the drink, the type of drink and the state of health of the person.

A large amount of drinking changes the density of the blood and can cause stroke, myocardial infarction, and other diseases.

When does BP increase?

When using more than 1.3 ml of ethanol per 1 kg of body weight, there will be a strong jump in blood pressure (by 20% of the baseline). Therefore, the more alcohol-containing drink is taken, the higher the indicators will rise.

Therefore, no matter what kind of alcohol you drink with high blood pressure, the effect can be both positive and negative. In the case of alcohol abuse, there is a risk of a hypertensive crisis and more serious pathologies.

In what cases does it lower blood pressure?

With a small amount of alcohol in the body, vasodilation will occur, as a result of which the indicators will decrease. Sometimes ethanol can not only normalize blood pressure, but also significantly reduce it, creating additional difficulties.

For women, the allowable volume is 30-40 ml, for men it is safe to use 50-70 ml.

The hypotensive effect can be felt fairly quickly. But its duration is usually no more than 2 hours. At normal initial pressure, the decrease in performance will be insignificant.

How does the frequency of use affect?

Whether alcohol raises or lowers blood pressure largely depends on the frequency of its use. When taken regularly, even small and acceptable dosages can affect the development of hypertension.

If a person drinks infrequently, then when drinking a large amount of strong drinks, the pressure can increase greatly. In this case, there is a possibility of not only worsening the general condition, but also more serious complications.

How does different alcohol affect blood pressure?

When using alcohol to treat cardiovascular pathologies, it is necessary to clearly understand which alcohol increases blood pressure and which drinks lower blood pressure.

Before starting therapy, you should make sure of the quality of the product, since synthetic-based booze can often be found on the shelves. Its use provokes vasospasm and negatively affects the electrolyte balance. This leads to persistent hypertension.

Types of alcohol that increase blood pressure

The use of such drinks can provoke a significant jump in pressure and cause serious consequences. This category of alcohol can cause severe headaches and irritability.

Amber drink is useful for its diuretic effect. Regarding whether it is possible to drink beer under reduced pressure, the situation is ambiguous. It all depends on the quality and quantity of the product. If you prepare it yourself and take it in small doses, the result of therapy will be positive. The abuse of cheap and low-quality drinks can lead to serious problems.

Types of alcohol that lower blood pressure

Red and white (dry) wines have a hypotensive effect. However, drinks must be on a natural basis. To enhance the healing effect of white wine, you can take it with walnuts and hazelnuts.

Using wine drinks for therapeutic purposes, it is recommended to exclude their simultaneous use with meat. This combination can deactivate the positive effects of wine and minimize its healing effect. In a small amount, cognac and whiskey also have a positive effect on the body at high rates.

Is it possible to drink with hypertension?

Regarding whether it is possible to drink beer and wine with hypertension, it should be understood that the combination of alcohol with high blood pressure can manifest itself in different ways. Predicting the outcome of this combination is quite difficult. Therefore, the best solution would be to comply with the allowable dosage or completely refuse to drink.

Hypertension and ethyl alcohol are not the best tandem. In most cases, indicators in alcoholics are elevated. In 50%, blood pressure rises to a critical level.

When thinking about whether it is possible to drink beer and other alcoholic beverages with high blood pressure, you should take into account your strong-willed qualities. Only with an iron will can a person stop at the right moment and achieve only a positive effect from drinking alcohol.

Tinctures

To increase the performance, hypotensive patients often use a remedy from lemongrass, Manchurian aralia, eleutherococcus, Rhodiola rosea and ginseng. The drug has a hypertensive effect on the body.

In addition to the fact that the tincture lowers blood pressure, it has a positive effect on the general condition of a person. For example, lemongrass remedy stimulates the nervous system, and ginseng medicine has a positive effect on heart function.

Balm

Balm on herbs with the addition of wine can lower blood pressure. To prepare this remedy, you must strictly follow the recommendations and recipes. You will need motherwort, hawthorn, valerian root, oregano, lemon balm, thyme, licorice root, as well as partitions from walnuts.

All components are mixed in equal quantities. Next, you need to take four tablespoons of the mixture and pour them with a liter of dry red wine. Putting in a water bath, the balm is languishing for half an hour. Take the remedy should be a tablespoon before eating three times a day.

Wine

In the question of which alcoholic beverages lower blood pressure, one cannot help but recall some wines. Due to the content of a large number of trace elements and vitamins, they strengthen the heart muscle and blood vessels, as a result of which blood pressure indicators are normalized. For therapeutic purposes, this remedy is recommended to take 50-100 ml every day.

Fortified red wine contains more ethanol than other varieties. When used, it dilates blood vessels and accelerates the heart rate. As a result, a significant jump in blood pressure can occur. Therefore, hypertensive patients are advised to give up the drink. And hypotensive patients need to use the minimum dose.

Dry white wine contains much more useful substances. It strengthens arterial walls, dilates blood vessels and protects a person from the negative effects of cholesterol. In small quantities, this drink does not have a negative effect.

Compatibility of alcohol with drugs for hypertension

Drinking and drugs is a rather dubious combination. Therefore, if after drinking a person’s condition worsened, even proven drugs should not be taken.

Ethanol can not only deactivate the effect of drugs, but also cause an effect completely opposite to the original one. With a jump in blood pressure after drinking, even drugs with a hypotonic effect can further increase the performance.

Due to the combination of alcohol with antihypertensive drugs:

  • CNS (central nervous system) suffers. Symptoms range from simple dizziness to hallucinations.
  • There are malfunctions in the digestive tract. Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may occur.
  • The state of the cardiovascular system is aggravated. Cardiac arrhythmias, blood pressure fluctuations, and even cardiac arrest can occur.

The safest remedy during alcohol intoxication is magnesia. If the symptoms of hypertension appear bright, it is recommended to seek medical help immediately.

Sometimes binge provokes hypertension. During the recovery period, it is allowed to take Kapoten, Kapozid, Alfan, Triampur and other mild antihypertensive drugs.

Contraindications

When making a choice in favor of the treatment of cardiovascular pathology with the help of alcoholic beverages, it is necessary to take into account contraindications to drinking alcohol. It is recommended to be careful with drinking for people with hepatic and renal pathologies and psycho-emotional disorders.

Do not experiment with alcoholic beverages during a significant decrease or increase in blood pressure. Alcohol is also contraindicated during childbearing and breastfeeding.

There is a lot of talk about the dangers of alcohol, but what about its benefits? Surprisingly, alcoholic beverages in certain quantities can have a positive effect on the human body.

The main thing is not to turn a healthy intake into alcoholism.

Most people who drink alcohol are not even aware of which alcohol can be drunk with high blood pressure and which is not. After all, alcohol can affect the state and functioning of the cardiovascular system in different ways.

The effect directly depends on the dosage taken by the person:

  • a small dose of alcoholic beverages (men 50-70 milliliters, women 30-40) can briefly reduce blood pressure values. This is a relatively harmless way to lower your blood pressure with alcohol;
  • with frequent use of alcohol in hypertension (more than once a week), there is a significant increase in blood pressure, and the risk of complications increases;
  • a dosage that exceeds 70 milliliters can increase pressure;
  • the use of strong alcoholic beverages (from 25 to 40 degrees) has a great influence on blood pressure indicators, even at low dosages;
  • with a rare use of alcohol, a decrease or increase in blood pressure is possible, and this directly depends on its type and amount.

So, is it possible to drink alcohol with hypertension? If you have problems with pressure, it is not recommended to drink alcohol, as there is a high probability of aggravating the current condition.

Small doses lower blood pressure

There are rumors among many people that high blood pressure and low-dose alcohol are more than compatible. Is it so?

If a person takes a one-time allowable amount of alcohol, his pressure will really drop for a short time.

Reduced blood pressure after alcohol is explained by the vasodilating effect of ethanol. First of all, the volume of the vascular space increases, and then the blood tension in the arteries decreases.

In people who suffer from high blood pressure, the indicators may be lowered or, in certain situations, completely normalized. There are cases when, after alcohol, low blood pressure, which is already a problem.

The permissible value of alcohol for women is from 30 to 40 milliliters, and for men - 50-70.

The hypotensive effect is observed a short time after the ingestion of an alcoholic beverage in the body and cannot last more than 120 minutes. However, it also depends on the initial indicators of blood pressure. At normal values, such changes will appear less pronounced.

Large doses increase blood pressure

It is not so important to know what kind of alcohol you can drink with high blood pressure, as how much it is permissible to use it.

When drinking alcohol in quantities that go beyond hangover-free (more than 1.3 milliliters of pure ethanol or 3.3 vodka per kilogram of body weight), blood pressure indicators will increase significantly (by 20% of the initial values).

Thus, the more alcohol a person drinks, the more his blood pressure indicator can increase, which can bring to. In this case, there is a risk of complications (heart attack and stroke).

Frequency of use

An increase, like a decrease in blood pressure, depends not only on the dosage, but also on the frequency of drinking. Thus:

  • the use of even acceptable dosages of alcoholic beverages, but regularly, as a result, will significantly affect the progress of hypertension. In addition, none of the people is immune from the development of alcohol addiction, which can force any person to use such drinks with a higher frequency;
  • rare consumption of alcoholic beverages, the frequency of which does not exceed once a year, but with a high amount, can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure values. This condition can cause not only a deterioration in general well-being, but also cause complications.

Which alcohol lowers blood pressure, and which one raises it?

Often people do not think about the effect of alcohol-containing drinks on the body, so most do not know which alcohol can be drunk with high blood pressure and which cannot.

Alcoholic drinks that lower blood pressure, in the case of the use of acceptable doses, have a positive effect, which cannot be said about excessive amounts.

List of alcoholic drinks that lower blood pressure:

  • cognac;
  • white .

Contraindicated alcohol at high blood pressure:

  • dry red wine;
  • champagne.

In fact, there is no answer to the question of which alcohol does not increase blood pressure. Since, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverages and the percentage of ethanol in them, their high concentration in the blood can lead to an increase in pressure.

Cardiovascular system and ethyl alcohol

After ingestion, ethanol enters the bloodstream within three to five minutes.

The circulation of ethyl alcohol can last about seven hours, as a result of which the cardiovascular system undergoes changes:

  • there is a change in blood pressure under the influence of alcoholic toxins;
  • arrhythmia and palpitations appear;
  • some small vessels are destroyed;
  • scars form on the heart muscle and fatty tissue around it;
  • myocardial elasticity decreases;
  • the protective membrane of red blood cells is destroyed, which leads to the formation of blood clots.

Of course, not every use of ethyl alcohol is accompanied by such an outcome. With a healthy state of the cardiovascular system and the absence of drug therapy, small amounts of alcohol can be not only harmful, but also beneficial.

Of the positive effects on the body of ethanol, the following can be distinguished:

  • at elevated blood pressure, alcohol causes a slight hypotensive effect. Such a positive effect of ethyl alcohol is observed as a result of vasodilation and a decrease in myocardial contractility;
  • the risk of death due to cardiovascular diseases decreases (with daily intake of 10-20 grams of ethyl alcohol);
  • positive aspects should also include an increase in oxygen consumption by the heart muscle during physical activity.

In the absence of cardiovascular disease, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to ventricular or atrial arrhythmias.

However, along with the antihypertensive effect, the development of moderate or. This is possible in the case of long-term daily intake of more than 30 grams of ethanol, which leads to a dose-dependent increase in blood pressure. To return to normal after such a state, it will be necessary to refrain from drinking alcohol for several weeks.

Can you take alcohol with hypertension?

It is difficult to talk about such a tandem as alcohol and high blood pressure. This can lead to a variety of outcomes. But the best option for every hypertensive patient would be a complete rejection of ethanol, or taking it no more than in acceptable doses.

Excessively drunk alcohol at pressure threatens with complications of the disease with a probability of 60-70%.

Hypertension and alcohol compatibility is not the best. They are so interconnected that most drinkers have consistently elevated blood pressure readings. In almost half of them, the level increases to critical numbers.

Hypertension most often affects people over 35 years of age who often abuse alcohol. But gradually, among the young drinking generation, cases of establishing this diagnosis are becoming more frequent.

Balm for hypertension

If we talk about which alcoholic drink lowers blood pressure, we should note the balm infused with herbs and wine. To prepare such an alcohol that lowers blood pressure, you must strictly follow the recipe.

Herbs are collected in equal quantities: chamomile, lemon balm, thyme, and licorice, walnut partitions and oregano.

The resulting mass is sent to a water bath to languish for 30 minutes. This balm is recommended to be taken at a dose of one tablespoon before meals three times a day.

Tinctures for hypotension

With what kind of alcohol is possible with high blood pressure, we have conditionally decided, but what about the low one?

To increase blood pressure hypotension, tincture, Rhodiola rosea, Manchurian aralia, and are often used.

These variants have one similar property - a hypertensive effect, but in addition they have other positive effects. For example, ginseng tincture tones up the vascular system, and lemongrass stimulates the nervous system.

Wine

If we talk about which alcoholic drinks lower blood pressure, we can not help but mention natural wine. The abundant amount of vitamins and minerals in such a drink improve the health of the cardiovascular system and normalize blood pressure.

Natural (without dyes and preservatives) dry red wine is good for health, provided you regularly take 50-100 milliliters per day.

Natural dry wine - the answer to the question of which alcohol lowers blood pressure

Table red wine usually contains ethyl alcohol. After entering the body, it briefly dilates the vessels, followed by an acceleration of the heartbeat, and the volume of blood that passes through the vessels increases.

The result is a significant increase in blood pressure. Therefore, it is better for hypertensive patients to exclude the use of such a drink, and for hypotensive patients - to reduce it.

White dry wine contains a lot of useful components. In the right amounts, it can strengthen the walls of arteries, dilate blood vessels and reduce the negative effects of cholesterol. However, it does not affect the pressure in any way (unless we are talking about large quantities).

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What alcoholic drink lowers blood pressure? Is it possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure? Answers in the video:

So, can you drink alcohol with hypertension? Speaking about high blood pressure and alcohol, it is rare to think that it can be useful for the body in some way.

After all, mostly people around say about its negative impact. However, in some cases, it can still be beneficial if you use it in small quantities and know which alcohol lowers blood pressure and which one increases it.

Patients suffering from hypertension and hypotension are interested in how alcohol intake affects arterial parameters, does alcohol increase or decrease blood pressure? Doctors do not recommend testing this assumption on your own experience by using large and small doses. It is better to first consult and find out for which diseases you can drink alcoholic beverages, and for which you should refrain.

Alcohol and pressure

Doctors recommend paying attention to the effect that intoxication has on a healthy person. During the experiment, which involved 10 women and men, it was proposed to drink 500 ml of beer, 100 ml of wine or 50 ml of vodka. Half an hour later, they measured the readings on the tonometer and took a blood test. The results confirmed that:

  • pressure after alcohol slightly increased;
  • the level of ESR in the blood increased;
  • heartbeat quickened.

According to the subjects, after the first time they did not feel a change in their state. Continuing the experiment, people were asked to drink the same dose daily for 2 weeks. After this time, 2/3 of the group complained of feeling unwell in the morning and a slight tachycardia, regardless of the type of drink they drink. The rest did not feel any discomfort.

Norms of alcohol consumption

For each person, there is a safe norm that allows you to drink alcohol without harm to health. It depends on the presence of chronic diseases, physical condition, height, weight, sex and age. Absolute contraindications are:

  • pregnancy in the 1-2 trimester;
  • feeding period;
  • disorders in the liver;
  • kidney disease;
  • allergic reaction to alcohol;
  • age up to 18 years;
  • brain diseases.

The pancreas, optic nerve, gallbladder, lungs and heart suffer from the effects of ethyl alcohol, therefore, people with a genetic predisposition to diseases of these organs are better off limiting themselves to half the dose or not drinking at all. The rest are allowed to drink every day on average:

  • 50-75 ml of ethanol or vodka diluted by half;
  • 130-200 ml of wine not stronger than 15 degrees;
  • 350-500 ml of beer with a strength of 3.5-4 degrees.

However, when drinking such an amount of alcohol daily without interruption, a bad habit is formed in which the body requires an increase in dosage. Often this leads to binge drinking and alcoholism. It is better to drink 1 time per week 300-400 ml of vodka, 950-1200 ml of wine, 2.5-3 liters of beer, or divide this amount by 2 times. Women are advised to reduce the dose, because their body is more sensitive to alcohol.

How alcohol affects blood pressure

It is possible to determine the effect of alcohol on a person's pressure only with a constant measurement on a tonometer. If you carry out the procedure daily, it is easy to find out the performance indicators at which a person feels good. In order to find out whether alcohol raises or lowers blood pressure, you need to take measurements 25-30 minutes after drinking.

Alcohol at low pressure

In a hypotonic person, blood stops pressing on the vessels after alcohol is ingested, due to the effects of ethanol. At a small dose, it can stimulate the relaxation of the walls of arteries and blood vessels, expand them, relieve tone. The contractions of the heart increase, blood begins to pass through the ventricles faster, which leads to a temporary decrease in pressure.

The effect is not always achieved, it depends on the age of the patient, the frequency of taking alcoholic beverages, so doctors recommend not to joke with such concepts as hypotension and alcohol. It is difficult to predict what such treatment will lead to, whether it will cause other complications. It is better to choose a different method of therapy, using proven means that raise performance without causing side effects.

Alcohol at high pressure

If libations occur regularly and in large doses, then the pressure will rise, so alcohol and hypertension are associated. Alcohol contributes to an increased release of stress hormones and adrenaline into the blood, causing tachycardia. Older people with hypertension who are aware of their illness should refrain from feasts with alcoholic beverages, because this can cause a stroke or heart attack.

Is it possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure

For hypertensive patients, there is no complete ban on alcohol. If you do not drink every day, in small quantities that do not exceed safe limits, then there will be no harm to health. In cases where the patient drinks regularly, alcohol and blood pressure have a relationship, which is expressed in the fact that blood pressure will begin to rise. Doctors advise paying attention to the side effects that alcohol leads to, increasing the likelihood of hypertension:

  • overweight and obesity;
  • impaired absorption of drugs;
  • thickening of the blood, the formation of blood clots;
  • increase in cholesterol and sugar levels;
  • the formation of edema;
  • deterioration of the cardiovascular, nervous system;
  • increased intracranial pressure;
  • decrease in vascular elasticity.

These factors apply not only to strong drinks. Beer, which has a small percentage of strength, is also dangerous. It acts imperceptibly, a person drinks more, increasing the load on the kidneys. Patients suffering from hypertension should draw a conclusion and try to drink alcohol at elevated pressure no more than 1 time per week, taking into account the individual dosage, in order to eliminate the risk of complications in the form of an attack.

What alcohol lowers blood pressure

It is very difficult to predict what kind of alcohol you can drink with high blood pressure. It all depends on how the body reacts to the action. Among the drinks that cause a decrease in blood pressure readings in many people are white wine, balm, whiskey and cognac, when they are consumed no more than the permissible norm. This phenomenon is temporary, after 1-2 hours the effect disappears and the pressure may rise even more.

Cognac for hypertension

The peculiarity of cognac is that in a small amount of 30-40 ml 1-2 times a week, it helps to expand blood vessels, if not combined with taking medications for pressure. However, doctors deny the treatment of hypertension with cognac. A complex illness requires a serious examination, establishing the exact cause and proper medical care. This method of therapy is unsafe for the patient, it is addictive and addictive.

White wine with high blood pressure

The effect of white wine on blood pressure is very conditional. Compared to strong drinks, it is made from natural ingredients, without the use of ethyl alcohol. It is drunk in many countries of Europe, where a large number of centenarians live, but even there white wine is not considered a cure for hypertension. It is allowed to drink the drink on rare occasions during the holidays, because it causes fewer complications and does not lower blood pressure much for a short period.

Article publication date: 12/31/2016

Article last updated: 12/18/2018

From this article you will learn: alcohol increases or lowers blood pressure, features of the influence of different drinks on the cardiovascular system. Can alcohol be a cure for hypotension and hypertension?

Alcohol can either increase blood pressure or decrease it. Its effect depends on several factors described in the table:

What is the effect of alcohol on blood pressure? In which direction does the indicator change most often?
Dose of alcohol Small and acceptable (up to 50–60 ml of vodka, cognac) short-term downgrade
Big Raise
The frequency of drinking Frequent, systematic (once a week or more) Increasing numbers, high risk of complications
Rare, occasional May increase or decrease depending on dose
What alcoholic drink Strong (25-40 degrees) Influence stronger
Medium and weak Rarely change indicators
Individual characteristics of the body Having pressure problems High chance of exacerbating hypertension and hypotension
Age The older the age, the higher the probability of fluctuations in indicators

The most frequent and dangerous effect of alcohol on blood pressure is an increase in indicators to high numbers (more than 140–160 / 90–100 mm Hg), which mainly occurs in people over 40 years of age when drinking large doses of strong alcoholic beverages.

Dose issue

It has been scientifically proven that the effect of absolutely all types of alcohol on blood pressure levels is directly dependent on the dose.

Permissible and small doses lower blood pressure

It is believed that if a person drinks the allowable amount of alcoholic beverages at a time, the pressure may drop for a short time. The explanation for this is the vasodilating effect of ethanol. This increases the volume of the vascular space, which reduces blood pressure in the arteries. In hypertensive patients (people with high blood pressure), the numbers may decrease or even completely normalize, but this effect lasts no more than 1-2 hours. In people with normal parameters, such changes are less pronounced.

Permissible doses of strong alcohol (vodka, cognac) are considered to be about 50-70 ml for men, and about 30-40 ml for women. After their reception, a short-term decrease in numbers occurs.

Large doses increase blood pressure

When a person consumes such an amount of alcoholic beverages that exceeds the hangover-free dose (more than 1.3 ml / kg of pure ethanol or 3.3 ml / kg of vodka), the pressure rises significantly in 4-5 hours (more than 20% of the original). This is due to the fact that after the relaxing effect of ethanol comes the tonic:

  1. Spasms (narrowing) of the vessels.
  2. The nervous system is excited.
  3. Increases the effect of adrenaline.
  4. The blood becomes thicker.

The more you drink, the more pressure can rise up to a hypertensive crisis. Against this background, complications arise - heart attack and stroke.

The more often the worse

How much the pressure will rise or fall after drinking alcohol depends on how often you drink alcohol. A relationship has been established between regular (systematic, frequent), prolonged use of even permissible doses of any alcoholic beverages and arterial hypertension. In this case, the dose of ethanol you drink acquires an equal value compared to the duration of the intake:

  • The use of acceptable doses daily or even once a week ends sooner or later with gradually progressive hypertension. In addition, no one is immune from the development of alcohol addiction, which will make you drink more often.
  • Rare use (even once a year) of a large dose of alcohol can cause a sudden jump in numbers on the tonometer up. This is enough to not only make you feel worse, but also provoke life-threatening complications.

The more often you drink alcoholic beverages, the more the numbers on the tonometer increase, the risk of dangerous complications of a hypertensive crisis increases.

Different alcohol affects differently

Each alcoholic drink affects in its own way. But this feature applies only to small and acceptable doses in terms of pure ethanol.

Most of all reduce pressure:

  • from strong drinks - cognac;
  • from alcohol with an average ethanol content - white wine.

Most increase in pressure:

  • red wine;
  • champagne;
  • beer.

Unpredictable hypertension most often occurs after drinking the drinks from the list above - these are weak alcoholic drinks with an average ethanol content.


The standard dose of alcohol is the amount of an alcoholic beverage that contains alcohol in an amount equivalent to 10 g of pure alcohol.

Regardless of the type and percentage of ethanol in specific alcoholic beverages, when its concentration in the blood exceeds the permissible level, there is a risk of increasing blood pressure.

Each person is individual

Not only the features associated with alcohol (dose, frequency of intake, type) affect what will happen to blood pressure after drinking it. Everything can be unpredictable due to the individual characteristics of the organism and the reaction to ethanol.

Age matters

People under the age of 40, even when taking large doses of alcohol, are much less likely to react with changes in blood pressure compared to people older than this age (20% to 80% ratio). The older the person, the more often there is an increase in pressure against the background of alcohol intake in doses slightly exceeding the permissible ones. This is due to the fact that with age, the mechanisms of adaptation of the body to the effects of alcohol on the cardiovascular system are violated.

Therefore, in response to vasodilation after taking an acceptable dose, short-term hypotension first occurs, which the body automatically tries to overcome. But due to the excessive hypertensive effect of hormones and nerve impulses, not only normalization of pressure occurs, but also its increase. If, against this background, ethanol continues to flow into the blood, hypertension increases even more.

If you are hypertensive

Alcohol and blood pressure in hypertensive patients is an unpredictable combination. It is better for people with any form of arterial hypertension to give up alcohol altogether or to minimize the amount of alcohol consumed only in doses that do not exceed the permissible ones. Otherwise, the risk of complications of hypertension is extremely high (60-70%).

Even an allergic reaction is possible.

Allergy to alcohol can manifest itself not only with skin rashes and itching. Its extreme degree - anaphylaxis - is accompanied by a drop in blood pressure even to critical numbers (less than 60/40 mm Hg). Therefore, people with any allergic manifestations that appear after taking alcoholic beverages should be alert in this regard.

findings

Features of the effect of alcohol on blood pressure are as follows:

  1. A slight short-term decrease in the indicator (by 10–20 units) most often occurs after taking a small dose of cognac (30–60 ml) or white wine (100–150 ml).
  2. A pronounced decrease (less than 100/60) may be caused by allergic reactions to ethanol.
  3. Whatever alcohol you drink, large doses of it always increase the pressure. Its numbers can rise to a critical level (200/120) mainly in hypertensive patients and people over 40 years old.
  4. People suffering from chronic alcoholism for many years often develop hypertension, which is complicated by heart attack and stroke.
  5. People who rarely drink alcohol are able to respond with a sharp hypertensive crisis to high doses.
  6. Pressure pills and any alcohol are incompatible things.

Although alcohol can both raise and lower blood pressure, it should not be used as a medicine to treat hypotension and hypertension.

Persistent high blood pressure is determined by the diagnosis of arterial hypertension and is a fairly common disease.

According to statistics, more than 45% of the adult population of the planet suffer from hypertensive crises. Drinking alcohol in diseases of the cardiovascular system can provoke a number of side effects.

Therefore, it is important to understand what kind of alcohol you can drink with high blood pressure and whether there are acceptable norms for drinking strong drinks at the risk of a hypertensive crisis.

Effect of alcohol on blood vessels


Often, from lovers of a drunken lifestyle, you can hear that drinking alcohol with pressure in some way is even good for the body. However, this opinion is rather erroneous and is not an excuse for a drinking person.

In fact, alcohol can, for several hours, cause an expansion of the vascular network and a drop in blood pressure. But, such a drop is not the norm, since the opposite reaction will be vasoconstriction and an increase in blood pressure by several points higher than it was before.

Such fluctuations are hazardous to health.

So a person who drinks with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension expects that alcohol will reduce pressure, drinks a couple of shots, and begins to feel unpleasant symptoms of the effects of alcohol:

  • relaxation;
  • inhibition of the reaction;
  • red spots on the face;
  • violation of the heart rhythm.

After the reverse vasoconstriction occurs, blood pressure rises and the patient begins to develop an acute headache, the heart rate increases, the temperature rises, nausea and sweating occur.

For those who often abuse alcohol, this feeling is quite familiar and passes for a hangover.

Side effects


In addition to a severe hangover, alcohol at high blood pressure also has a long-term negative effect on the cardiovascular system. So, constant drops in blood pressure provoke a number of pathologies, such as varicose veins, heart failure and hypertension of the kidneys.

The most dangerous complication that alcohol causes at high blood pressure is a stroke. In fact, all hypertensive patients sooner or later face the risk of hemorrhage, however, in people whose blood vessels have not been negatively affected by alcohol, stroke complications are not so obvious and the recovery period takes much less time.

Alcoholic beverages are essentially a mixture of ethanol, tannins and flavorings. If you figure it out, this is a poison in its pure form, which, when it enters the body, does not lower or increase pressure, but also destroys the liver, kidneys and digestive system.

If a person's blood pressure is already higher than normal, these organs constantly experience a negative hypertensive effect and are in hypertonicity.

Hypertensive patients more often than others suffer from kidney failure, and in combination with the destructive effect of alcohol, there is a risk of kidney failure.

Is it possible to drink alcohol at all with arterial hypertension


With any systemic disease, which is hypertension, the use of products containing ethanol or its derivatives is not desirable. One type of alcohol reduces pressure, but some types immediately after ingestion provoke its rapid increase.

For example, people suffering from hypotension often choose to drink Irish coffee or tea to increase their blood pressure. Caffeine and tannin accelerate the effects of alcohol and provoke an early vasoconstriction. The same effect will be if you mix a strong drink with an energy drink or immediately smoke a cigarette.

It is also known that strong and sweet alcohol or carbonated alcohol increases blood pressure much faster than, for example, dry wine or cognac, tequila. To know which alcohol lowers blood pressure, it is enough to pay attention to the sugar content, the lower it is, the better for hypertensive patients.

However, not everything is so critical, if you know what drinks you can drink and the allowed dosages, you can avoid both low and high blood pressure.

Dry white wine is considered the most loyal to the cardiovascular system, and you can drink a glass or two of it without harm to health, you need to stop drinking tequila after the second glass, that is, stop at 100 grams, the maximum dose of cognac is 80 grams.

Vodka, champagne and beer are generally not desirable guests at the table of a person who does not want his blood pressure to rise critically.

Drug treatment of hypertension and alcohol


Most hypertensive patients constantly take drugs to lower blood pressure. These include not only ACE inhibitors, directly aimed at lowering blood pressure, but also diuretics and calcium antagonists.

Alcohol increases the hypotensive effect of ACE inhibitors, which can lead to loss of consciousness, and in large doses to death.

When interacting with diuretics and calcium antagonists, alcohol leads to renal insufficient and excessive loss of electrolytes, which then requires raising the pressure with medications, which is very dangerous for health.

Doctors, of course, do not recommend mixing drugs that increase or lower blood pressure with strong drinks, but if drinking is inevitable 18 hours before drinking alcohol, you should stop taking any medications in order to quickly remove alcohol from the body a couple of hours before the intended fun, take 10-12 activated charcoal tablets.

If, after drinking alcohol, the pressure has dropped significantly, you should not try to increase it with medications on your own or take analgesics for headaches.