No-drinking January" (Dry January) is gradually becoming a choice for many people after the year-end holidays with many parties. Many people participate in this challenge with the desire to "clean up" their bodies and adjust their lifestyles. Besides familiar benefits such as sleeping deeper, being more alert, experts believe that temporarily stopping alcohol also brings a silent but very important benefit: improving blood pressure.
How does alcohol affect blood pressure?
According to Dr. Sohaib Imtiaz, Medical Director of Verywell Health (USA), alcohol affects blood pressure both in the short and long term. In the first few hours after drinking more than three glasses of alcoholic beverages, blood pressure can decrease slightly for about 12 hours. However, then blood pressure will increase again, averaging about 3.7 millimeters of mercury within the next 12 to 24 hours.
In the long term, drinking more than one glass of alcohol a day significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure. “The more you drink, the higher the risk,” Dr. Imtiaz emphasized. Studies show that each glass of alcoholic beverages a day is associated with an increase of about 1.25 millimeters of mercury in systolic blood pressure within 5 years.
Abstinence, even for just one month like Dry January, can help lower blood pressure. However, according to this expert, to see clear and sustainable changes, the time without alcohol usually takes from six months to a year.
Is alcohol reduction good enough or must it be completely abolished?
Not everyone can or is willing to quit alcohol completely. In that case, reducing the amount of alcohol still brings certain benefits, depending on the initial consumption level. A person drinking six glasses a day, if reduced to three glasses, is likely to see blood pressure improve.
However, Dr. Sohaib Imtiaz warns that maintaining the habit of drinking one to two standard glasses of alcohol a day for a long time still contributes to increasing blood pressure compared to not drinking alcohol. This also increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, sudden death and possibly heart failure.
By medical definition, a standard drink includes: 355 ml of 5% alcoholic beer, 240 ml of 7% alcoholic malt, 150 ml of 12% alcoholic wine or 45 ml of 80-degree spirits.
To change the relationship with alcohol, Dr. Imtiaz recommends not to quit suddenly, because changes that are too fast are often difficult to maintain. Gradually reducing helps the body and habits adapt better. In addition, using a wearable health tracking device can help users clearly see the impact of alcohol on sleep, heart rate and recovery, thereby creating more motivation to change.
He also encourages finding non-alcoholic options during social interactions and proactively seeking support if alcohol reduction becomes difficult. Behavioral psychotherapy and support groups are seen as important resources to make this process more sustainable.
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