Does drinking alcohol affect blood pressure?Answer From Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D. Show Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily raises blood pressure. Repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases in blood pressure. To understand how much alcohol is too much, it may be helpful to know the definitions of excessive drinking.
Heavy alcohol users who cut back to moderate drinking can lower their top number in a blood pressure reading (systolic pressure) by about 5.5 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and their bottom number (diastolic pressure) by about 4 mm Hg. If you have high blood pressure, avoid alcohol or drink alcohol only in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. A drink is 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of beer, 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine or 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 80-proof distilled spirits. Keep in mind that alcohol contains calories and may cause weight gain. Weight gain is a risk factor for high blood pressure. Alcohol may interact with certain blood pressure medications. It may affect the level of the medication in the body or increase side effects. With Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D. Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this
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. Will my high blood pressure go away if I stop drinking?Conclusion: Hypertension is rapidly reversible in the majority of heavy drinkers after the withdrawal of alcohol consumption.
Why did my blood pressure go up after I quit drinking?Alcohol Withdrawal and Blood Pressure
“For some, their blood pressure will be elevated due to withdrawal and the stress it causes on the body to recover,” McGee says. “For others, blood pressure will be lowered due to sickness related to withdrawal symptoms.
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