Most people think of alcohol only as a depressant and may actually think it is not harming their heart.
A person’s blood pressure is affected by hundreds of factors – not just alcohol. In spite of this, regular consumption of alcohol does raise blood pressure. The reasons for this are many. For example, alcohol causes the cells in the muscles to swell. If you’ve ever worked out after a night of drinking you may find it more difficult to do your regular exercises and that you are sore afterward. The soreness especially is a residual effect of alcohol being in your muscles. Working out may become more difficult and the soreness afterward may no longer be worth it.
Drinking alcohol and high blood pressure also partner in the area of nutrition. Drinking alcohol tends to fill its users with empty calories while giving the sense of being full. If you are drinking in a social setting, most foods that accompany a night of drinking tend to be high in calories and low in nutritional value. Even if you pair a salad with alcohol, you run the risk of consuming too many calories by eating too much or having too much dressing on the salad. Your blood pressure will rise not only because the higher than needed nutrient levels, but also to digest the surplus of food. It also blocks the absorption of the critical B vitamins, which supports the metabolic system.
Alcohol also releases insulin, which indirectly blocks the breakdown of fat and induces storage of that fat. More fat in your veins will lead to higher blood pressure. You have probably noticed we have not yet mentioned alcohol’s effects on the liver and kidneys. While important, the alcohol’s damage inflicted to the liver and kidneys have not yet been linked to high blood pressure.
Regularly drinking alcohol and high blood pressure together are a definite risk for your health. As with most things, when it is done in moderation you aren’t likely to inflict much damage. Regular amounts of alcohol, however small, add up over time. Sustained use of alcohol has been scientifically proven to raise blood pressure. The rise in blood pressure seems to be a response to alcohol’s effect on other parts of the body, but is linked to it nonetheless.
If you do choose to drink alcohol, do so responsibly. Having a few drinks on a Friday night will probably not cause long-term effects on your blood pressure, but awareness is key. You are already more knowledgeable than the people we mentioned at the beginning of this article!
