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 drink into alcoholism.

Most people who drink alcohol have no idea what kind of alcohol can be drunk with high blood pressure and what not. Indeed, with alcohol it is able to influence the state and work of the cardiovascular system in different ways.

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

• a small dose of alcohol-containing beverages (men 50-70 milliliters, women 30-40) is able to briefly reduce blood pressure values. This is a relatively harmless way to lower blood pressure with alcohol;
• with frequent alcohol consumption with hypertension (more than once a week), a significant increase in blood pressure occurs, and the risk of complications increases;
• a dosage that exceeds 70 milliliters can increase blood pressure;
• the use of strong alcoholic beverages (from 25 to 40 degrees) has a great effect 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 quantity.

So, is it possible to drink alcohol with hypertension? If you have problems with blood 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 dosage alcohol are more than compatible. Is it so?

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

The low blood pressure after alcohol is attributed to 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 can be lowered or, in certain situations, completely normalize. There are times when after alcohol low blood pressure, which is already a problem.

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

The antihypertensive effect is observed a short time after the ingestion of alcohol into the body and cannot last more than 120 minutes. However, it also depends on the initial blood pressure values. 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, but how much it is permissible to drink it.

When alcohol is consumed in quantities that go beyond hangover (more than 1.3 milliliters of pure ethanol or 3.3 milliliters of 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 can increase, which can lead 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 alcohol consumption. 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 dependence, which can force any person to consume such drinks with a higher frequency;
• the rare use 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. This condition can cause not only a deterioration in general well-being, but also cause complications.

Which alcohol lowers blood pressure and which one increases it?

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

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

List of alcoholic drinks that lower blood pressure:

• cognac;
• white.

Contraindicated alcohol for 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 entering the body, ethanol enters the bloodstream for three to five minutes.

The circulation of ethyl alcohol can last for 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 are formed on the heart muscle and adipose tissue around it;
• the elasticity of the myocardium 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 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:

• with increased 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 a daily intake of 10-20 grams of ethyl alcohol);
• the positive aspects should also include an increase in oxygen consumption by the heart muscle during physical activity.

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

However, along with the antihypertensive effect, the development of a moderate one can occur, either. 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 recover from such a condition, you will need to refrain from drinking alcohol for several weeks.

Is it possible to take alcohol with hypertension?

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

Excessively drunk alcohol with pressure threatens 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. In almost half of them, the level increases to critical levels.

People over 35 years old, who often abuse alcohol, are most often affected by hypertension. But gradually, among the younger generation of drinking, cases of this diagnosis are becoming more frequent.

Balm for hypertension

If we talk about what kind of alcoholic drink lowers blood pressure, it should be noted the balm infused with herbs and wine. To prepare such alcohol that lowers pressure, you must strictly follow the recipe.

Equal quantities of herbs are collected: 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 in a dose of one tablespoon before meals three times a day.

Tinctures for hypotension

We have tentatively decided what kind of alcohol is possible with high blood pressure, but what about low blood pressure?

To increase blood pressure, hypotension is often used tincture, Rhodiola rosea, Manchurian aralia, etc.

These options have one similar property - the hypertensive effect, but besides this, they have other positive effects. For example, tincture of ginseng tones the vascular system, and lemongrass stimulates the nervous system.

Wine

If we talk about what kind of alcoholic drinks lower blood pressure, we cannot fail to mention natural wine. The abundant amount of vitamins and minerals in this drink improves the health of the cardiovascular system and normalizes blood pressure.

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

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

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

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.

Dry white 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 (if we are not talking about large quantities).

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So, can you drink alcohol with hypertension? Speaking about high blood pressure and alcohol, the thought rarely comes to mind that it may be useful for the body in some form.

After all, it is generally said around about its negative impact. However, in some cases, it can still be beneficial if consumed in small quantities and know which alcohol lowers blood pressure and which increases it.

According to the latest medical research, scientists have been able to confirm a direct effect on patients of different ages.

The disease begins to progress if a person regularly (daily) consumes more than 60 ml of strong alcoholic beverages.

How does alcohol affect the human body: increases blood pressure or lowers it?

The effect of alcohol-containing liquids on the state of the heart depends on the strength of the drinks, their concentration, frequency of intake and the time that has passed after drinking alcohol.

Such changes in the regulation of vascular tone lead to sad consequences and can cause neurological disorders, which further lower the level of pressure.

Hypotonics should remember that alcohol intake is strictly contraindicated for them, especially when it comes to strong alcoholic beverages.

Despite the fact that an increase in pressure after alcohol temporarily improves the general condition, then it causes dysfunction of nervous regulation, fraught with sad consequences.

Why shouldn't hypertensive patients drink alcoholic beverages?

Like hypotonic people, people with high blood pressure are not advised to consume strong alcohol.

This can aggravate the course of cardiovascular ailments in the future and lead to deadly complications.

Despite the fact that at first alcohol helps to alleviate the condition, as it lowers blood pressure, over time it begins to irritate the parasympathetic part of the nervous system, potentiating vasodilation and an increase in pressure.

In addition, the constant influence of alcohol on the human body stimulates an increase in blood viscosity. Accordingly, thick blood begins to press with greater force on the vascular walls, which is a direct way to stabilize hypertension.

What alcohol raises and what lowers blood pressure?

There is a belief that alcohol always raises blood pressure, and therefore its. This is not entirely true.

Ethyl alcohol contributes to an increase in vascular tone and blood pressure, but sometimes its insignificant concentrations, on the contrary, can reduce these indicators:

Can alcohol and medicine be consumed together?

Any doctor will tell you that you cannot use alcohol and pills together.

The fact is that the joint use of medicine and alcohol can deactivate the effect of the former or increase the toxic effect of the latter on the body.

That is why in all instructions for the use of medicines there is a warning clause about the possible consequences of a combination of alcohol and medicines.

Compatibility with drugs for high blood pressure

Alcohol enhances the effects, more precisely, increases their toxic effect on the body and causes the development of side reactions.

Alcoholic beverages are affected in different ways:

• alcohol enhances the effect and may contribute;
• combined use and alcohol causes dry mouth, pronounced and lethargy;
• together with alcohol potentiates as well;
• and ethanol cause dizziness and increased heart rate.

Compatibility with drugs for low blood pressure

Alcoholic beverages can enhance the effect, which can cause the development of a hypotensive person. Moreover, this pathological condition often occurs with, among which are transient ischemic attacks and stroke.

When is it strictly forbidden to take alcoholic beverages?

The use of alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited for a number of diseases of the cardiac sphere and other organs of the human body.

Refuse alcohol should be patients suffering from frequent hypertension, as well as ulcers and people with pancreatitis.

In addition, it is forbidden to combine alcoholic beverages with most of the known medicines, in particular, antihypertensive drugs, diuretics, antibiotics and antidepressants. Alcohol is strongly not recommended for patients who have had myocardial infarction, as well as cerebral stroke.

The consequences of alcohol dependence in hypertension

The most dangerous consequences of alcohol dependence in hypertension are frequent complications of the disease, which are often fatal.

These life-threatening conditions include hemorrhage in brain tissue, ischemia of the heart muscle, and the development of severe heart failure.

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Alcohol products usually cause significant harm to the body only when a person has an excessive addiction to an addiction. But this applies to the body of a healthy person, but if the patient suffers from hypertension, he should be especially careful to drink alcohol, even occasionally and in small quantities.

The effect of alcohol on the state of the cardiovascular system

Most alcoholic beverages have the effect of a short-term increase in blood pressure. However, with regular use, alcohol can cause persistent hypertension. It is no coincidence that this diagnosis is made to most alcoholics.

An increased risk of developing a heart attack or stroke is posed by low-quality or surrogate alcoholic products, so that the poor are in a special risk zone.

Alcohol has a high calorie content. First of all, this concerns beer, which often leads to obesity, and arterial hypertension is often formed due to excess weight.

In large doses, ethyl alcohol causes excitement of the nervous system and the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. Hormones provoke spasms in the tissues of the vascular system, and this, in turn, also leads to hypertensive pathology.

On the other hand, ethanol has a vasodilating effect during digestion. Veins become more flexible, their elasticity increases. Due to the increased blood circulation, there is a steady decrease in the level of blood pressure.

Alcohol improves the intensity of blood flow, which has a beneficial effect on the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle. As a result, the patient's symptoms of hypertension subside.

Thus, alcohol under certain conditions can have both hypotensive and reverse effects.

Alcohol lowers blood pressure if:

• its strength does not exceed 20 °;
• a single dosage is no more than one glass;
• the regularity of use does not exceed 3 times a week;
• the person has no problems with the cardiovascular system and other diseases of the target organs.

If at least one of these conditions is violated, alcohol can significantly increase blood pressure. It is strictly forbidden to mix different alcohol-containing drinks - it is harmful even to a healthy person, and even more so for hypertensive patients.

What alcoholic drinks can I drink with high blood pressure?

There is a small list of alcoholic beverages that contribute to lowering the readings on the tonometer. These include:

• cognac (in small doses);
• whiskey;
• white wine, especially useful when combined with walnuts or hazelnuts;
• balms infused with natural ingredients.

However, you should not abuse these drinks, because in this case, the pressure can jump significantly. In addition, alcohol poisoning is a serious blow to the body. Against the background of intoxication, the patient will aggravate all existing pathologies, including chronic problems with blood pressure.

The following daily norms of alcohol consumed are considered safe.

• for a pensioner or a woman of any age, a glass of low-alcohol drink is a non-hazardous dose to health;
• a healthy man can drink no more than 400 ml of beer per day;
• one or two glasses of strong alcoholic drink is not dangerous;
• for dinner, 150 ml of dry wine can be useful even for hypertensive patients.

As for the use of fortified dessert red wine, most often there are contraindications for its use in hypertension. But this limitation is not strict, as it strongly depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. Red wine can even help with high blood pressure, as it aids digestion and gets rid of fat and waste. When a person's weight is normalized, the load on the heart decreases and the pressure stabilizes. The positive effect of red wine is achieved only with small amounts of consumption - you should not drink more than 1-2 glasses in one day.

Cognac is sometimes recommended to lower blood pressure. This drink can really help, but it should be understood that a useful dose does not exceed 70 ml, and it is best to add one tablespoon of cognac to a mug of coffee or strong tea.

If, after drinking alcohol, the pressure drops significantly below normal, the following measures should be taken.

• the patient goes to bed so that his legs are at head level (a pillow should be placed under them);
• the pressure level will recover faster in a well-ventilated area;
• the patient must be undressed, but at the same time covered with a warm blanket so that the weakened body is not exposed to a draft;
• to recuperate, it is suggested to drink tea with 10 drops of ginseng or aralia tincture.

In case of possible complications, pressure measurements are taken hourly. If it continues to fall before the affected person faints, call an ambulance.

Alcoholic drinks completely contraindicated in hypertension

Despite the fact that alcohol is not prohibited for all hypertensive patients, without exception, there are certain drinks that it is better to refrain from with high blood pressure.

The most dangerous option for hypertensive patients is champagne. Despite the seeming safety of a low-alcohol fizzy drink, it significantly and, what is most dangerous, abruptly increases the level of pressure.

Cognac also poses a serious threat to health, if you drink it much more than the permissible norm - starting from 150 ml and above. The drink speeds up the heartbeat, which increases the load on the blood vessels. And fusel cognac oils have a harmful effect on the kidneys and liver - the main target organs during hypertension.

If dangerous symptoms are found, the patient should be placed in a chair in a comfortable position. During a hypertensive crisis, the victim may feel panic attacks, so he should not be left alone. If the attack happened against the background of drinking alcohol, you can not reduce the pressure with medication.

Alcohol during drug treatment of arterial hypertension

As you know, alcohol and pills are a very dangerous mixture. Therefore, you should not even resort to proven medicines if you suddenly feel bad during a feast. Alcohol can affect the components of the drug so that its action is reversed and instead of the effect of lowering the pressure, it increases even more.

The main danger of taking medications along with alcohol is that due to the release of toxic trace elements, the body receives a serious blow:

• first of all, on the organs of the central nervous system, which is expressed in symptoms of various degrees of danger, ranging from dizziness and ending with hallucinations;
• on the digestive system, due to which a person may experience bouts of diarrhea and vomiting;
• directly on the heart muscle, leading to other pathologies up to the cardiac arrest.

The danger of taking medicine after drinking alcohol is that alcohol instantly dissolves the protective shell of the capsule. Medicinal components do not begin to act gradually, but immediately. This is how an overdose of medication occurs.

During drug treatment of hypertension, drinking alcohol is safe only a day after taking the medicine. Treatment, in turn, can also be started or continued no earlier than 24 hours after drinking alcohol.

If a small attack of hypertension is found at the most inopportune time, the safest medicine against the background of alcohol consumption is magnesia. In the case of a serious increase in pressure, when the symptoms of hypertension are especially severe, you should seek medical help. A person needs to be taken out of this state as quickly as possible, but it is not possible to do this with home remedies.

A frequent reason for an increase in pressure is a person's stay in a drunken state. During the recovery of the body, you can take the following drugs:

• Kapoten;
• Adelfan;
• Triampur;
• Caposide and other mild antihypertensive drugs.

You can also take a diuretic: Furosemide or Clopamide.

Alcoholic beverages can have unpredictable effects on each individual. You need to know about the reaction of your own body to one or another type of alcohol and remember how the state of health changes after drinking different types of alcohol. In any case, hypertensive patients are not recommended to drink in large quantities and often, as well as to mix alcoholic beverages in order to avoid a hypertensive crisis.

After drinking alcohol in the morning, a person experiences nausea, vomiting and migraine. With a hangover, the head may hurt due to high or low blood pressure. Why does the pressure jump after alcohol, and what indicators are considered the norm?

Many people are interested in the question: "How does alcohol affect blood pressure"? With regular drinking of intoxicating drinks, the body wastes hidden reserves and tries to adapt to the constant influence of toxic and toxic substances. First of all, the central nervous system suffers, which is responsible for vascular tone. As a result, the elasticity of the vascular walls decreases and the peripheral vessels of the internal organs and the body expand.

At the 2-3 stage of alcohol dependence, the vessels lose their elasticity and become brittle. Against this background, their oxygen supply is disrupted, and they narrow. With an increase in the tone in the artery, it provokes a prolonged spasm.

The toxic effect of ethyl alcohol on the heart can lead to a decrease in diabetes. With the development of hypotonic disease, the patient experiences dizziness, vomiting and weakness.

According to the data obtained as a result of studies, a decrease in blood pressure is observed in alcoholics only in a number of cases. Often, after taking alcohol in the morning, a lot of unpleasant symptoms appear, and one of them is high blood pressure. Ethyl alcohol dilates blood vessels and accelerates blood flow. Due to the spasm, the blood flow is disturbed and therefore the pressure rises. In this regard, in the morning, a person experiences a painful headache. Sometimes she can bother a person in the midst of a binge.

This problem is most often seen in people aged 45 and older. Young people tolerate stress more easily and their body recovers faster after drinking alcohol. In the presence of diseases, even a small portion of alcohol can worsen a person's well-being. The effect of ethanol on the human body is individual. Pressure after binge can rise or fall due to:

• hereditary tendency;
• age;
• food;
• lifestyle;
• the duration of the abuse;
• trauma;
• health potential.

What to do with hypotension?

Alcoholic drinks speed up the heart rate, and as a result, the pressure rises. When taking intoxicating drinks, a decrease is observed only at the beginning of the feast. If the tonometer readings are low, then the person experiences weakness, loss of balance and pain in the heart. These symptoms are caused by:

• decreased vascular tone;
• accelerated blood flow in the ventricles;
• addiction to toxic and poisonous compounds.

With dilated vessels, blood flow through the ventricles passes quickly, as a result, oxygen stops flowing to distant parts of the body and the tonometer readings fall by 10-30 units. If blood pressure from a hangover is regularly low, then you should see a doctor, since cardiovascular diseases or chronic hypotension can serve as the reason for this.

If the pressure is low after alcohol, then it can be increased with the help of alcohol. Blood pressure can rise if you drink beer or champagne. The tonometer indicators will also increase if you exceed the permissible norm and drink 80 g of brandy. This method can lead to impaired functioning of the kidneys, liver, heart and nervous system.

Low blood pressure with a hangover what to do? If after drinking strong drinks the next day the blood pressure has dropped sharply, then emergency assistance should be provided. To do this, put him in bed and place a roller or pillow under his feet. Legs should be above head level.

Then provide oxygen to the patient: open a window and remove tight clothing. With low blood pressure monitor readings, a low body temperature is also observed, so wrap the patient with a blanket and give him strong tea with sugar to drink. The tonometer readings will begin to rise if the patient is given tea with ginseng to drink. If all the measures taken remain unsuccessful, the person's well-being worsens and blood pressure decreases, then a doctor should be called.

What to do with hypertension?

Alcoholic drinks in large doses lose their useful qualities. A four-day binge can increase the tonometer readings by 10-30 points. Why high blood pressure with a hangover? This is due to several reasons:

• ethyl alcohol has a toxic effect on the central nervous system;
• ethanol destroys red blood cells and makes the blood thick;
• alcohol intake leads to dehydration.

When drinking hard, the adrenal glands are disrupted, and the level of adrenaline increases. Such changes are observed with alcohol abuse. Ethanol also affects the kidneys, which are actively involved in maintaining blood pressure. Against the background of these causative factors, short-term or long-term high blood pressure can be observed. Long-term binge can cause the development of hypertension.

How does high blood pressure manifest with a hangover? The patient experiences headache, thirst, fatigue, loss of performance, dizziness. With a strong jump, neurological disorders can be observed. The person may also experience chest pain, ringing in the ears, and shortness of breath.

How to lower the pressure? It has been proven that alcoholic products, when used correctly, reduce the tonometer readings no worse than antihypertensive tablets (sulfonamides, thiazides, carvedilol). What kind of alcohol should you drink? Wine or cognac can lower the pressure. Alcoholic drinks will have a therapeutic effect only in a small amount, otherwise the therapeutic effect is reduced to zero.

Cognac and wine have a positive effect on the body's metabolism, reduce the risk of heart disease and increase appetite. Useful properties are preserved if the dose of cognac does not exceed 70 ml, and that of wine - 150 ml. in a day. However, drinking alcohol for medicinal purposes is contraindicated in atherosclerosis and heart disease.

If, with a hangover syndrome, there is a sharp jump up, then a doctor should be called, and before the ambulance arrives, the patient can be provided with emergency therapy. Sit the patient in a chair, as lying down there is a risk of suffocation. If a person's blood pressure regularly rises, then he can be given Metoprolol, Coriol, Acebutolol, Tenoric or Bisoprolol. If such a condition is not typical for a person, then pressure pills cannot be given until the doctor arrives. With severe chest pain, you can give the patient nitroglycerin. The tablet should be placed under the tongue.

Then provide oxygen: open a window and remove tight clothing. A hot bath helps with high blood pressure. Hot water drains some of the blood to the periphery. As a rule, a hypertensive crisis causes anxiety and anxiety in a person, so try to calm the patient down.

Folk ways

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

The lowering agent is beets. Grate the beets or mince them. Add 1 tsp to the resulting mass. honey. The medicine should be taken before meals for 1 tbsp. l. You can use grated carrots instead of beets.

Blood pressure will rise if you drink a tincture of ginseng. It should be taken 10-15 drops a day. In order to avoid the body's getting used to the tincture, you should take a 5-7 day break. The pressure from the herbal collection from rose hips, hawthorns, and the root of a pink radiola rises. Mix the herbs in equal proportions and pour over 1 tbsp. l. collecting 200 ml of boiling water. Cool the finished broth and strain through a sieve. Drink 100 ml twice a day.

Many factors affect the tonometer readings, so it is impossible to say how alcohol will affect with accuracy. It is possible to normalize the state of health with a hangover using proven methods and means, but if the patient's condition worsens, then you should immediately call a doctor. Do not use alcohol as a medicine as it is destructive.

We can talk about the dangers of alcohol indefinitely, because myths about the benefits of alcohol-containing drinks appear constantly, and their debunking requires scientific experiments with the subsequent popularization of the data obtained. This is much more difficult than simply communicating that drinking alcohol will not do much harm.

Almost any somatic pathology is a reason to completely abandon alcohol. Whatever conditional positive qualities an alcoholic drink may have, it contains ethanol. Ethanol is a carcinogen, neurotoxin and, from a pharmacological point of view, a depressant. But in order to consider the local impact of alcohol-containing beverages, for example, on the cardiovascular system, it is possible to analyze the question of whether alcohol lowers or increases blood pressure.

The increase or decrease in blood pressure from alcohol is dose dependent

The question of how alcohol affects blood pressure can be correctly considered taking into account the dose in which it is consumed. Given that different drinks have different degrees of strength, it would be more correct to consider the dosage of ethanol and its effect on pressure. For example, in a liter of vodka there is approximately 40% ethanol, that is, about 400 ml.

There is evidence that an alcoholic drink in a small dose can have a beneficial effect on the body:

• dilate blood vessels;
• provoke the production of dopamine (the hormone of pleasure, anticipation, motivation).

That is, after taking alcohol in such a dosage, the pressure is quite capable of decreasing, and the mood, on the contrary, increases. The question of what kind of alcohol lowers blood pressure is not relevant: any, if the amount of alcohol consumed is not more than the permissible dose.

This statement is true, although it does not in any way argue that ethanol is still a dangerous carcinogen, which is the cause of the destructive effect on almost all organs and systems. How alcohol affects blood pressure is not the same as how alcohol affects the entire body.

But back to the question of the dosage of ethanol, which lowers blood pressure and improves mood. According to scientists, this dose is about 20 grams of ethyl alcohol.

If you convert this dosage into specific drinks, you get the following conditionally safe dose, the consequences of which are least likely to be harmful:

• vodka, cognac and whiskey - about 50 grams;
• beer - about 0.5 liters;
• red wine - about 150 ml (standard glass);
• dry wine and champagne - 200 ml.

But then what will be the effect of alcohol on a person's blood pressure if the indicated dose is exceeded? The effect will be just the opposite. And how this mechanism works, that is, how vodka affects blood pressure, that in one dose alcohol reduces blood pressure, and in another it is able to increase the tonometer readings, every person who is not indifferent to their health needs to know.

• there will be a spasm of blood vessels and arteries;
• under the influence of adrenaline, the nervous system is excited;
• due to dehydration, the blood thickens.

As a result of the combination of these three conditions (and sometimes one is enough, depending on the individual sensitivity of a person and his state of health), high blood pressure occurs. This is fraught with hypertensive crisis, internal bleeding (heart attack, stroke).

Duration dependence

If there is a safe dose of ethyl alcohol, is it possible to use it every day without fear of harm to your own body? Of course, the answer to this question is negative. A verified dose of 20 grams of ethanol can only be relatively safe in relation to the human vascular system. That is, a dose of up to 50 ml of vodka is able to expand blood vessels, which reduces blood pressure, and higher - to raise pressure and provoke dangerous complications.

For other organs and systems, such a dose may be unacceptable - in case of liver or kidney disease. But even if we consider how exactly alcohol affects the vascular system: it lowers or increases blood pressure, then we can distinguish 3 basic rules:

1. If a person drinks alcohol in small doses, but often, sooner or later this will quickly lead to the attending physician diagnosing hypertension. When exactly this happens depends on his state of health, the ability of the body to fight external negative factors.
2. If the amount of alcohol given as a permissible maximum per person drinks daily, this will lead to a slow but continuous process of progression of alcoholism and hypertension.
3. If a person does not drink alcohol for a long time, and then takes a dose that exceeds the permissible "safe maximum" - this can lead to a sharp jump in pressure, which will either worsen the state of health or lead to complications. According to what scenario the events will develop depends both on the amount of alcohol that he took and on his state of health.

It is a well-known fact that some people are unable to assimilate and neutralize alcohol due to the lack of special enzymes in the body (alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase). If such a person has never abused alcoholic products before, a one-time intake of an alcohol-containing drink can lead to sad consequences. Therefore, you need to think about whether it is possible to drink alcohol, in principle, to a specific person with his physiological characteristics.

Does each alcoholic drink work differently?

Which alcohol lowers and which increases blood pressure are common questions from people who stubbornly want to see drugs in alcoholic beverages, and not a source of serious cardiovascular pathologies.

Before figuring out which alcohol increases or decreases blood pressure, you need to know the main rules for the interaction of ethanol with the vascular system:

• small doses of alcohol have a temporary hypotensive effect;
• large doses of ethanol (above the recommended limit) increase blood pressure.

There is an opinion that a certain alcoholic drink affects blood pressure in a special way: under the influence of one drink, blood pressure decreases, under the influence of another, it can increase.

This theory suggests the following:

• increase pressure: cognac, whiskey, vodka, white wine;
• pressure with a high degree of probability will decrease from such drinks as red wine, champagne, beer.

But there is not a single scientific study that could confirm such information. Vodka raises or lowers blood pressure only from the amount in which it was consumed - from the amount of ethanol drunk. And this happens with absolutely any drink that contains ethanol.

Which alcoholic drinks to choose depends entirely on the preferences of the person, but not on his pressure. Someday science may prove the opposite, but for now we can rely on information that vodka lowers or increases blood pressure in the same way as another drink, given equal doses of ethanol.

Age factor

Age also plays a significant role in what consequences a person will have after drinking alcohol. At a young age (up to 40 years) with relatively good health, people are less likely to face the dangerous consequences of libation. Their body has powerful adaptation mechanisms that neutralize the negative effects of alcohol, subject to reasonable dosages and a predominantly healthy lifestyle.

After 40 years, it is difficult for the body to adapt to negative external conditions, which include alcohol consumption:

• In their anamnesis there may already be chronic pathologies known to them, or unknown due to the fact that the disease is at the debut stage and has not yet manifested itself in any way.
• They can take a variety of drugs, and many drugs and alcohol have very little, if not negative, compatibility.

If a person has already been diagnosed with hypertension, and he wonders whether it is possible to drink alcohol with high blood pressure, it is better to immediately give yourself a negative answer, having made a choice in favor of a longer and healthier life. After all, the risk of complications in people with hypertension who continue to take alcoholic beverages approaches 70%, which is objectively a very high indicator.

You should be aware of the following mechanism for the occurrence of a hypertensive crisis due to alcohol:

• a person drinks alcohol, his blood pressure is slightly reduced;
• the body seeks to compensate for hypertension that has suddenly arisen under the influence of external causes, and is engaged in eliminating the fall in blood pressure with the help of hormones and impulses of the nervous system;
• blood pressure rises, at the same time the hypotensive effect of alcohol ends;
• there is a sharp and significant increase in pressure - a hypertensive crisis.

Touching upon the topic of complications that can arise when two components are combined: alcohol and pressure, it is necessary to note the likelihood of an allergic reaction. If, against the background of alcohol intake, there is a very low pressure (up to 60/40), has fallen sharply and falls rapidly with a number of measurements of indicators with a tonometer, you should not rejoice at the healing properties of intoxicating drinks, but check for other allergy symptoms:

• an increase in heart rate against the background of a decrease in pressure;
• rash and redness on the body;
• runny nose and cough, shortness of breath;
• vomiting and diarrhea;
• dizziness and headache.

Undoubtedly, all these signs can accompany alcohol poisoning, but if the person has a risk of an allergic reaction, it is better to play it safe and take more care of your health.

Myths about the benefits of alcohol

The myths about the benefits of alcohol were born out of several rumors. The first of them is the property of alcoholic beverages in small doses to expand blood vessels. In this case, small doses mean the volume, measured in drops or teaspoons. The maximum amount of alcohol taken during the day should not exceed 50-70 ml, depending on its type. The destructive effect that accumulating toxins and ethanol metabolic products have on the internal organs can play an important role in worsening the patient's condition and aggravating the course of the disease.

The second myth is the effect of cleansing blood vessels from cholesterol plaques. There is some truth in this - ethanol is an amphiphilic compound. This means that it dissolves equally well in fats and in water. Being in the blood (liquid), ethyl alcohol is able to dissolve plaques attached to the vascular wall, which are a complex of protein and fat.

There is one small "but" - if you drink alcohol intensively, the intensity of the deposition of fatty complexes in sober intervals will increase. Only fats will be deposited not on the vascular wall, but in the internal organs. What is it fraught with? Cardiomyopathy, fatty degeneration of the liver, and subsequently cirrhotic changes. And the doses for cleansing blood vessels from cholesterol deposits are measured in impressive volumes, taking which you can turn into a chronic alcoholic in a short time. And there is nothing to say about how the blood pressure will change in this case.

Conclusion

Alcohol at high pressure is indeed capable of reducing it, in the same way that ethanol at low pressure can raise blood pressure readings to the required level. The only question is the dosage, the frequency with which to take alcohol, the quality of the drink.

Still, ethanol is not a medicine, and alcohol treatment is not only useless, but also dangerous. In addition to the destructive effect on the body, a person condemns himself to addiction, and it is very difficult to get out of chemical addiction.

Even if alcoholic beverages lower blood pressure, this should not become a reason to choose just such a method of correcting health, because modern medicine offers safe, proven and effective methods of therapy. High pressure today is well controlled by special drugs, with reduced pressure there is a set of recommendations - from advice on a healthy lifestyle to diagnosis by an endocrinologist.