Blood Pressure Changes After You Stop Drinking Alcohol

Blood pressure is the force created as blood moves through your arteries, and keeping it within a healthy range is essential for protecting your heart and overall health. When blood pressure runs high, it increases the risk for serious conditions like heart disease and stroke. Yet despite these risks, more than half of U.S. adults are living with elevated blood pressure. The good news is that blood pressure is highly responsive to lifestyle choices. Changes to what you eat and how you live can make a meaningful difference, not just for your numbers, but for your total body health. 

Alcohol intake, even at moderate levels, is one factor that can influence blood pressure. “Alcohol has both short- and long-term effects on blood pressure,” says Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, CSSD. “A single drink can cause a temporary rise, and drinking regularly, such as one or two drinks per day, can lead to increases in blood pressure over time.”

But what happens when you stop drinking? Ahead, we break down how quitting alcohol can have a profound effect on your blood pressure and overall health, along with additional benefits you may notice when you ditch the drink.

Blood Pressure Levels Improve—Both Short and Long Term

Research shows that when people stop drinking alcohol, regardless of their alcohol intake, they see blood pressure improvements., One study on men and women found a dose-response effect, so the greater the alcohol consumption people had, the greater the benefits they saw in blood pressure improvements when they stopped drinking. The flip side is also true. When women started drinking alcohol, even in as little as a half-serving to one serving per day, they experienced blood pressure increases.

Kunal Lal, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist, shares that this is due to the negative cause-and-effect relationship between alcohol and blood pressure. “The majority of this relationship is dose-dependent, which means the more alcohol you drink, the higher your blood pressure will get. This occurs due to the effect alcohol has on the sympathetic nervous system, which raises our heart rate and constricts blood vessels,” says Lal.

When someone stops drinking alcohol, blood vessels can relax and work better, ultimately lowering blood pressure. Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, shares, “People who cut out alcohol completely tend to see the biggest benefits. Newer recommendations suggest that cutting back as much as possible, or quitting altogether, is better for heart and blood pressure health than trying to simply drink in moderation.”

Decreased Risk of Cardiovascular Events

Improved blood pressure is just the start. Reducing or stopping alcohol may also help prevent serious cardiovascular events from occurring. “By not drinking, we are better able to prevent ourselves from having other serious cardiovascular events such as heart failure. Cessation or reduction of alcohol use will also prevent us from suffering from irregular heart rhythms or arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. These are two of the most unfortunate but common cardiovascular consequences often seen in individuals with long-term alcohol use,” shares Lal.

Plus, because the body’s sympathetic nervous system is better regulated when alcohol is removed from the equation, your blood vessels are allowed to relax, and your heart rate should improve. Lal points to the risk reduction in developing other cardiovascular events, like a stroke or heart attack.

May Reduce Need for Blood Pressure Medications

Depending on your blood pressure levels, cutting back on or eliminating alcohol may even influence your medication needs. Research shows that stopping alcohol can lower blood pressure, an improvement that, for some people, could make a meaningful difference in treatment decisions, shares Lal., “These benefits can be seen as early as days to weeks [after] stopping alcohol use,” Lal adds. As with any lifestyle change, it’s important to check in with your physician to understand how adjusting your drinking habits may affect your individual blood pressure readings and medication needs.

Other Health Benefits of Nixing Alcohol

Aside from beneficial effects on your blood pressure, you may also experience other health benefits. Consider these added bonuses that may come along with swapping that cocktail for a mocktail.

• Better Sleep (and More Energy): Drinking any amount of alcohol can have an impact on sleep. Ehsani shares, “Alcohol inhibits you from reaching REM [rapid eye movement] sleep, which is high-quality restorative sleep. Drinking heavily may leave you feeling fatigued and with poor energy the next day.” The good news? Not drinking alcohol can give you more energy, thanks to those extra zzz’s you’re logging.
• Improved Hydration: Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it has a dehydrating effect on the body, leaving you running for the bathroom more frequently. This not only affects your blood pressure—it can also make you feel much worse the next day (er, your hangover).
• Potential for Weight Loss: Alcohol, depending on the type you prefer, contains calories. Ehsani and Palinski-Wade point out that cutting out alcohol also comes with a reduction in calorie intake, meaning you may experience weight loss. “Not drinking alcohol can help you lower your calorie intake without having to change anything else in your diet. This may help you drop unwanted weight,” says Ehsani.
• Improved Insulin Sensitivity: Minimizing alcohol intake can enhance metabolic health by improving how your body uses insulin. Palinski-Wade says, “This can make it easier to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of future disease and helping to improve appetite regulation, mood and energy throughout the day.”
• Better Nutrient Absorption: Even if you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, alcohol can disrupt the way your body utilizes the nutrients from food. “Chronic drinking can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Not drinking can help you better absorb nutrients, including B vitamins like thiamine,” says Ehsani.
• Improved Mood: For some people, cutting out alcohol can ease anxiety, lift mood and support better mental health.

Our Expert Take

Alcohol can have a profound impact on your blood pressure. On the other hand, stopping alcohol consumption can have the reverse effect, reducing blood pressure and improving heart health. Skipping the drink may even reduce one’s need to take blood pressure medication. There are other health benefits, such as improved sleep, mood, hydration and insulin sensitivity, better nutrient absorption and even weight loss.