Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Alcohol and sleep on planes, managing travel stress, and generational burnout

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Alcohol and sleep on planes, managing travel stress, and generational burnout · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

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  Good morning, and welcome to another episode of Morning Medical with Doctor Chow.
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  I am your host, Doctor Chi-Ming Ming Chow, and today, we have some intriguing topics lined up
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  for you.
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  Our first segment will delve into the potential dangers of drinking alcohol before sleeping on
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  a plane based on a new study.
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  Later we will discuss why studies show that burnout is getting worse amongst employees.
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  But first, let's dive into our initial topic.
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  Travelers may want to think twice before having a glass of wine on a flight and then grabbing
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  some shut eye.
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  A new study published in Thoracs, a monthly peer reviewed publication by the British
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  Medical Journal, found that consuming alcohol and then falling asleep on a plane could lead
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  to a drop in blood oxygen levels and a spike in heart rate.
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  The air in the cabin of a plane already has less oxygen than the air we typically breathe.
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  Drinking alcohol can reduce oxygen levels even further as does sleep according to experts.
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  In the study, which was led by the department of sleep and human factors research at the
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  German Aerospace Center, 1 group of healthy adults slept for 2 nights in a sleep
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  laboratory.
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  Another group slept for the same amount of time in a hypobaric or reduced oxygen altitude
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  chamber that mimicked an airplane before one of the nights the participants consumed alcohol.
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  The German researchers found that the people in the hypobaric chamber experienced a drop in
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  blood oxygen, higher heart rates, and a lower quality of sleep after drinking alcohol.
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  The researchers wrote that airplane passengers with cardiopulmonary diseases have an increased
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  risk of aggravation of symptoms due to the decreased cabin pressure at cruising altitude,
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  which is amplified during sleep.
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  Alcohol, which is often consumed on board, has similar effects, but hypo baric hypoxia induced
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  changes are usually more pronounced.
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  This was the first study to evaluate the combined impact of hypobaric hypoxia, which is
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  low oxygen concentration at high altitudes and alcohol during sleep.
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  Doctor E Mark Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at New York University Langoni Medical
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  Center, and a Fox News medical contributor was not involved in the study, but called it well
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  executed, although he noted that it was on the small side with fewer than fifty people.
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  The study showed that the ability to compensate for cabin oxygen pressure lowering in flight is
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  worsened both by sleep and by alcohol.
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  Segal told Fox News Digital.
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  Because of the alcohol and most likely your sleep position, you do not get restful sleep or
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  go through all the stages of sleep, which causes additional stress on your heart.
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  Those factors are synergistic with each other leading to increased heart rate and likely
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  increased heart pressure and risks, even in young, healthy individuals.
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  The findings highlight the need to stay well hydrated as alcohol is a diuretic, an air
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  flight is already somewhat dehydrating due to the dry cabin air.
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  Doctor Siegel warned that although rest of sleep on long flights make sense, It may
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  interfere with rem sleep and quality of sleep and may affect oxygen pressure to the point
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  where it is below 90%.
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  Doctor David Campbell, clinical and program director of recovery together in Bend, Oregon,
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  who was also not involved in the study, said it supports the findings that alcohol consumption
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  and sleep combined with the pressurized environments found on airplanes reduces oxygen
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  levels and increases heart rate.
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  Sleep deprivation has been closely associated with increases in irritability.
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  Agitation, and brain fog, as well as escalations of anxiety, depression, and
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  challenges with mood regulation and memory.
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  Things most people would typically like to avoid on their next family vacation or business
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  trip.
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  He told Fox News Digital.
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  I would caution those with obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
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  or obesity, from consuming alcohol pre flight or in flight.
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  While Campbell echoed Segal's comment that the study is small in scale, he said the findings
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  should be investigated further to gauge the physiological and psychological impact.
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  Despite the need for further research and a larger sample size, I would caution those with
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  obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or obesity against consuming
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  alcohol preflight, or in flight, to avoid co consumption of alcohol and other sleep aids or
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  medicines, and to limit blue light to improve sleep quality and mood when traveling.
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  He advised.
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  Doctor Adam Cioli, chief medical officer at Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, noted
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  that most people drink alcohol when flying to fall asleep or to manage their stress, which
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  itself increases the risk of a cardiovascular event.
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  Chow you have got a situation where because of the alcohol and most likely your sleep
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  position, you do not get restful sleep.
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  Or go through all the stages of sleep, which causes additional stress on your heart and
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  cardiovascular system, who was not involved in the study told Fox News Digital.
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  This can be exacerbated by the fact that many people do not drink enough water before they
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  fly.
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  Which causes dehydration, again, increasing the likelihood of negative impact on their heart.
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  There are other more effective ways to manage stress and reduce anxiety than drinking
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  according to doctor Sheoly.
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  Some of those include breathing techniques, mindfulness, and reading a book.
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  Finally, to avoid cardiovascular events due to hypo baric hypoxia, drink plenty of water, eat
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  a healthy meal, and plan to manage stress during takeoff and landing, scioli advised,
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  know your heart health, and take necessary precautions.
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  Avoid alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs that can add stress to your cardiovascular system.
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  Chow let us turn our attention to another critical issue affecting many workers today.
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  Burn out.
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  A new survey conducted HR consulting firm Robert Half reveals that burnout is
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  increasingly becoming a significant problem for employees across various industries.
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  According to the survey, more than 4 in 10 Canadian professionals reported feeling burnt
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  out.
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  The issue seems to be more prevalent among millennials and generation z who reported
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  burnout rates of 55% 51%, respectively.
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  This is in stark contrast to generation x and baby boomers who reported lower rates of 32%
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  24%.
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  Duaneil Chatria, a twenty six year old senior business analyst, shared his personal
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  experience with burnout.
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  After losing sleep and developing an eye twitch from work related anxiety, he approached his
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  employer to express his concerns.
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  Unfortunately, instead of receiving support, he was advised to find a way to handle his
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  workload.
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  Ultimately, he was laid off, which he described as a mishandling of his situation by his
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  employer.
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  Chatrina's experience is not unique as the survey suggests that many workers are facing
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  similar challenges.
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  The survey by Robert Half identified several major contributors to burnout.
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  The most frequently reported factor was heavy workloads due to understaffed teams cited by 52
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  percent of respondents.
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  A lack of communication and managerial support was mentioned by 42% while 39% pointed to
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  missing tools and resources needed to perform their jobs effectively.
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  These findings align with previous year's surveys, which also showed high levels of
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  burnout among employees, particularly millennials and generation z.
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  Catherine Coons, the National Associate Director of Workplace Mental Health, with the
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  Canadian Mental Health Association, stated that the findings are not surprising.
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  She noted that employees are increasingly feeling exhausted and detached from their jobs.
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  Exacerbated by the always on culture facilitated by modern technology.
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  This culture blurs the lines between work and personal life.
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  Leading to increased stress and burnout.
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  Statistics Canada data from last year supports these findings revealing that more than
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  4,100,000 Canadians or 21.2 percent of all employed people in the country reported high or
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  very high levels of work related stress.
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  The most common causes were heavy workloads, and the struggle to balance work and personal
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  life.
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  Coons emphasize that organizations have a responsibility to address these systemic and
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  cultural issues rather than relying on blanket solutions.
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  Judith Anderson, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, Mississauga,
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  highlighted the harmful effects of burnout on both physical and mental health.
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  She pointed out that burnout can lead to physiological issues, mental health problems,
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  and decreased job satisfaction, and performance.
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  Anderson also noted that the generational differences and work expectations contribute to
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  varying levels of burnout.
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  Younger generations accustomed to remote work and flexible hours often find themselves at
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  odds with older generations who are more used to the traditional daily grind.
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  Anderson suggested that finding a supportive community outside of work can help mitigate the
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  effects of job burnout.
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  However, She also advised that if a workplace is toxic and causing significant harm, it might
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  be worth considering a job change.
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  This sentiment underscores the importance of a healthy work environment for overall
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  well-being.
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  As we conclude today's episode, it is clear that both air travel and workplace environments
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  pose unique challenges to our health, whether it is the impact of alcohol consumption on
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  planes, or the increasing rates of burnout among employees being informed and taking
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  proactive steps to make a significant difference.
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  Thank you for joining us on Morning Medical with Doctor Chow.
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  Stay well, and we will see you next time.