Key Takeaways
- Alcohol can raise blood pressure in both the short and long term.
- Quitting alcohol can improve blood pressure management and overall health. Benefits include better sleep, healthier weight management, and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Reducing alcohol is important, but combining this with a healthy eating plan, regular exercise, and medical guidance is recommended.
Alcohol use is one of the risk factors for high blood pressure. Abstaining from drinking alcohol, along with other lifestyle practices such as nutritious eating and regular exercise, may help manage blood pressure and can have other health benefits as well.
How Alcohol Affects Blood Pressure
Quitting alcohol can help you better manage your blood pressure. This is because alcohol consumption can:
- Increase blood pressure temporarily: Alcohol can interfere with the brain receptors that help regulate blood pressure. Binge drinking (e.g., four to five drinks within two hours) can cause blood pressure to rise temporarily by stimulating the nervous system, increasing heart rate, and narrowing blood vessels. The increase is temporary, typically resolving within a few hours.
- Increase the risk of chronic (long-term) hypertension (high blood pressure): Regularly drinking alcohol can prevent receptors in the brain from functioning properly, which stops the body from responding to changes in blood pressure. This can lead to long-term high blood pressure.
- Cause weight gain: Alcohol is high in calories, and some types of alcohol are high in sugar. If consumed in excess, this can contribute to weight gain and obesity, which are additional risk factors for high blood pressure.
High blood pressure rarely has symptoms, but if left untreated, high blood pressure can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Some alcoholic drinks, such as red wine, are sometimes touted as heart-healthy, but too much of any alcohol can raise blood pressure.
Other Health Benefits of Quitting Alcohol
Stopping alcohol consumption can help you better manage your blood pressure. It also has a number of other short-term and long-term health benefits.
In the short term, after stopping alcohol, you may experience:
- Better sleep
- Lack of hangover symptoms
- More energy
- Improved skin appearance
- Improved hydration
- Improved mood
- Reduced inflammation
Long-term effects of quitting alcohol may include:
- Lower blood pressure
- Better weight management
- Reduced risk of hypertension, stroke, liver disease, and some types of cancer
- Improvement in mood and memory
- Improved liver function
- Improved immune health
- Reduced risk of complications from diabetes
- Reduced risk of heart complications
- Decreased inflammation of gastrointestinal organs, and possible reversal of some damage
Other Ways to Help Manage Blood Pressure
Reducing or eliminating alcohol is an important measure for helping manage blood pressure, but blood pressure management and supporting heart health take a broader lifestyle approach.
Other ways to help manage blood pressure and support heart health include:
- Avoid smoking.
- Achieve and maintain a weight that is healthy for you and your needs.
- Eat a balanced, nutritious diet that includes a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, lean and plant-based proteins, whole grains, legumes (like beans and lentils), nuts and seeds, unsaturated (“good”) fats, and low-fat dairy.
- Be mindful of portion control (aim for larger portions of foods such as non-starchy vegetables, moderate portions of foods such as whole grains and lean proteins, and limit foods that are high in sugar and saturated fats).
- Reduce sodium intake, and eat foods that are rich in potassium.
- Get plenty of physical activity (aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise).
- Get plenty of good quality sleep, and make it a priority.
- Reduce stress triggers where you can and practice stress-management techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, and engaging in activities you enjoy.
- Have regular check-ins with your healthcare provider to discuss your health, your lifestyle practices, and suggestions for steps you can take to protect your heart.
- If your healthcare provider recommends taking medications, make sure to take them as directed and consistently.
- Talk to your healthcare provider if you experience side effects from medications.
- Look into heart-healthy eating plans, like the DASH diet or the Mediterranean Diet.
- Make specific, achievable goals, such as “walk for 20 minutes a day.”
A Caution Before Stopping Alcohol
If you consume alcohol regularly, particularly if you have alcohol use disorder, it is important to talk to your healthcare provider before quitting alcohol. Abruptly stopping alcohol if your body has a physiological dependence on it can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking, sweating, and anxiety.
Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous or even life-threatening. A supervised medical detox can help manage discomfort and ensure safety.
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