One of the factors provoking the development of hypertension is alcohol. Therefore, refusal from alcohol, as well as refusal from salty foods, is a prerequisite for a successful fight against the disease. It is necessary to quit drinking not only for experienced alcoholics, but also for those who drink alcohol only “on holidays”. The best solution would be to completely eliminate alcohol from life, however, there are not so many strong-willed and decisive people, and not everyone is able to completely abandon drinking. In addition, many do not know for sure whether vodka raises pressure or lowers it. There is a popular belief that moderate doses of vodka, brandy or wine are not only harmless, but also useful.
Vodka and pressure: compatible or not? The opinion that vodka can lower blood pressure is not without common sense, but only partially. Alcohol enters the bloodstream. What happens next? The circulatory system reacts to this by relaxing the vascular walls and reducing their resistance, the vessels dilate, and the blood pressure drops.
However, only large vascular channels expand; in small vessels, the opposite effect is observed. Blood under the influence of ethanol, which is part of the vodka, thickens and clogs the lumens in the capillary network. Couperosis develops.
Couperosis is a congestion in the capillaries of the skin, which is accompanied by an increase in pressure in the peripheral vessels and a violation of their function and structure. Couperosis is accompanied by the appearance of redness, spider veins and nets on the face and other parts of the body.
Still, does vodka raise or lower blood pressure?
The effect of the first few glasses of vodka on the body causes a state of euphoria. A person feels great, there is a surge of strength, energy, the general condition improves, the activity of the brain increases. This effect stimulates an increase in the dose of alcohol. Drinking glass after glass, a person is no longer able to control the situation.
In the meantime, the reverse side of the coin begins to appear: the pressure that dropped at the beginning begins to grow steadily. Moreover, this often does not happen smoothly, but rather abruptly, in leaps and bounds. A sudden drop in pressure is fraught with the development of a hypertensive crisis, and this is already a life-threatening situation.
The effects of alcohol can be unpredictable and manifest in different ways in different people, especially in hypertensive patients. Sometimes vodka, drunk in large quantities, can provoke a sharp prolonged drop in pressure to dangerous levels. In this case, an alcoholic coma will develop.
Alcoholic coma is the most dangerous condition, which is manifested by impaired cerebral blood supply and oxygen starvation of the brain tissues. Hypoxia causes cerebral edema, body temperature drops sharply, pressure drops greatly, the myocardium contracts with maximum intensity and frequency, and loss of consciousness occurs. The person turns white, his limbs get cold, breathing and pulse slow down. There is a high risk of death.
There is also such a fact: the pressure of the drinker may increase not during the drinking of alcoholic beverages, but only during the period of the hangover syndrome. This is a very common phenomenon, accompanied by severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, heart pains.
It is important to remember that vodka, like other alcoholic beverages, is a very high-calorie product. In addition, when drinking, people usually have a snack, sometimes even very decently. In other words, excessive consumption of vodka threatens to gain weight, which also contributes to an increase in blood pressure.
Vodka and blood pressure: is a compromise possible?
Hypertensive patients consciously drink vodka in two cases:
- If they are unable to break traditions (at weddings, anniversaries, commemorations, etc.), i.e. "on holidays".
- When alcohol is used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
Avid alcoholics are a separate topic. In this situation, the motivating factor is rather not a consciously made decision, but weak-willed obedience 
necessity. This is alcohol dependence, which is a serious disease and needs special treatment, especially if it is combined with hypertension.
What drink can you recommend for hypertensive patients, if he still decided on it?
It is preferable to use dry red wine or good cognac, in extreme cases - high-quality vodka. Beer, fortified wine, tonic and champagne are bad options. It is clear that with hypertension, you need to drink not every day, but in special cases (and it is better to refuse altogether).
In addition, you need to know the permissible rate, which is capable of causing the least harm to health.
| Alcoholic beverage | Beer | Vodka | Wine | Cognac |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended dose | 500 ml | 50 ml | 200-300 ml | 50 ml |
Does vodka have a therapeutic effect? Treatment of hypertension with vodka is a common misconception. A one-time intake of one glass in rare cases is possible in a situation where it is urgently necessary to lower (or increase) the pressure. But drinking alcohol every day for the treatment and prevention of hypertension, even in small doses, is not worth it. Vodka increases blood pressure with prolonged use, and this is an indisputable fact.
It is preferable to drink cognac due to the presence of tannin and tannins in it. They lower blood pressure and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
Dry red wine
This drink can really be called healing. But you need to drink it within reasonable limits, not forgetting that this is a medicine, you can even dilute it with water. Fruit acid dilates blood vessels, polyphenols in wine have an anti-inflammatory effect, prevent cancer, stimulate the cardiovascular system, and have a beneficial effect on other organs and systems.
However, alcoholic "therapy" can end badly, namely:
- First, addiction will develop very quickly.
- Secondly, after a temporary decrease, the pressure will begin to rise again, especially in the case of a regular supply of ethanol to the body.
- Thirdly, there is a very fine line between the “medicinal” dose and alcoholic intoxication, and there is no guarantee that one day there will be no desire to cross it.
It is better not to tempt yourself, but to be treated with traditional methods.
Beer and blood pressure
Beer is classified as a low-alcohol drink. And in this regard, another misconception arises: as if there is no harm to pressure from such drinks, even with hypertension.
This popular drink is drunk by people of all ages, both women and men, and often in large quantities. Dependence on it, therefore, is developing rapidly. And this can already affect health, and at the level of pressure as well. Under the influence of beer, it steadily rises, especially among those who drink it regularly.
In addition, the heart of beer lovers undergoes pathological changes, it grows in size, the structure of its tissues changes, and coronary heart disease develops. Vessels become flabby, lose the ability to self-regulate.
Beer is a source of large amounts of carbohydrates, which means it leads to excess weight. Beer relies on chips, crackers, nuts, salted fish, and this is extra salt and calories. Among other things, this drink is extra fluid in the body, because it is drunk in large quantities. This creates the prerequisites for edema. Fluid stagnation plus extra pounds is an additional risk factor for hypertension.
Hypertension treatment and alcohol
If a person simultaneously uses drugs for the treatment of hypertension and drinks, this can lead to the most unpleasant consequences.Indeed, under the influence of ethanol, the drug can behave unpredictably: it enters the bloodstream faster and in a large dose, because of this, the side effects of the drug increase, blood circulation is disturbed, the heart can not stand it and stop.
The same can be said about the situation when a hypertensive crisis caught a person while drinking vodka or at the time of a hangover. You should not resort to medications to relieve symptoms of hypertension when there is alcohol in the blood. In this case, it is better to use traditional medicine methods. And if the case is critical, it is better to call an ambulance. The usual nitroglycerin tablets can even kill a person under the influence of alcohol.
The pressure can increase significantly even in the case of a sharp refusal to regularly drink alcohol. It is better for people who are being treated for alcohol addiction to be in a special institution under the supervision of a doctor who will provide assistance in time and correctly, select medications that are incapable of harming a patient in such a condition.
You should not combine vodka and hypertension, treatment in such a dubious way can lead to a dead end. A decrease in blood pressure after drinking alcohol, including low-alcohol drinks, is a temporary phenomenon; after episodes of a deceptive improvement in health, its deterioration will inevitably follow. The pressure will increase, especially when a person does not know the measure and loses control over the situation. Vodka is a serious risk factor that must be eliminated from the life of hypertensive patients, and preferably completely.
