Vegetative-vascular dystonia and alcohol - are these concepts compatible?

Many people are wondering whether it is possible to drink alcoholic beverages with vegetative-vascular dystonia. After drinking alcohol, a person may experience headaches and other unpleasant symptoms.

After all, alcoholic drinks have a bad effect on health. It is best not to combine alcohol and VSD together. This will not only make you feel worse, it will also lead to serious consequences.

The concept of VSD

This term usually refers not to a disease, but to a complex of symptoms, the appearance of which is associated with disturbances in the functioning of internal organs. The main cause of VSD, according to doctors, is the frantic pace of modern life, hence constant stress and overwork, which “hit” the nervous system.

Signs of dystonia can also result from:

1. gastrointestinal diseases;
2. problems with the central nervous system;
3. emotional instability;
4. genetic predisposition;
5. alcohol abuse, smoking and other bad habits;
6. depressive states, regular stress, other forms of psycho-emotional experiences.

Attention! Neuroses are the main “triggers” that contribute to the occurrence of symptoms of VSD. Any chronic diseases only aggravate the course of dystonia, which arose due to problems with the nervous system.

Description of the disease

Vegetative-vascular dystonia is a rather insidious disease that complicates the life of a sick person.
Sometimes he has to completely abandon his usual way of life. Even a moderate form of the disease can reduce a person’s performance by half. A severe stage of the disease can reduce the ability to work to zero.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia can develop very quickly and lead to various diseases:

• hearts;
• gastrointestinal tract;
• hypertension.

The occurrence of mental illness is likely. To avoid serious consequences, strictly follow your doctor's instructions.

In order to find out how alcohol affects the body of a patient with vegetative-vascular dystonia, you need to find out the consequences of the disease itself. Even if you experience a variety of symptoms of VSD, this does not mean that treatment for this disease will not have a positive effect.

If you follow all the recommendations, the disease should not cause serious consequences.

However, if you neglect your health, you will suffer from high blood pressure. Subsequently, this can lead to diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Doctors do not advise neglecting all kinds of prevention methods. It is imperative to normalize the rhythm of life and try to avoid negative emotions.

If negative aspects are still present in your life, do not dwell on them, just switch to any positive memories.

Smoking and VSD

It is a known fact that smoking speeds up blood circulation. Thanks to this, blood pressure rises slightly, vision improves and the brain begins to work more productively.

For patients diagnosed with vegetative-vascular dystonia, such moments bring a feeling of comfort.

Therefore, there are a lot of smokers among them. In addition, they smoke much more cigarettes than healthy people. They just need that feeling of euphoria. But this is only a short-term effect that lasts no longer than half an hour.

The harm from smoking cigarettes is much greater than the apparent positive aspects.

Due to accelerated blood circulation, the vessels also receive increased stress. Accordingly, your heart also suffers: it has to work several times harder, and it wears out much faster.

The harm from smoking is very great, because your life can be shortened by several years. Smoking during VSD is contraindicated.

Alcohol and vegetative-vascular dystonia

Alcohol is extremely undesirable for VSD. We can absolutely say that there is no need to combine alcohol and this disease. There may be the most dire consequences.

When drinking alcohol, the body begins to work in accelerated mode. The pressure may double.

• This can lead to a heart attack, as the heart cannot cope with such stress.
• The likelihood of blood clots increases significantly.

It’s also worth remembering about hangovers. A person with vegetative-vascular dystonia already does not feel very well in everyday life, and his body may simply not be able to withstand a hangover. This condition can be fatal.

It is very difficult for many people to give up alcohol, even if it is strictly prohibited for vegetative-vascular dystonia.

It is also undesirable to drink low-alcohol drinks, such as beer. After drinking alcohol, the body relaxes. It seems that there are no problems, and the person feels easy and good. But this is all an illusion. Drinking alcohol when you have VSD is harmful to your health.

Replacement for cigarettes and alcohol

Is it possible to drink or smoke cigarettes with VSD? The clear answer is no. The body needs to fight your disease, and not have negative consequences from these activities. But it is very difficult to give up your bad habits.

Weigh the pros and cons, and you will see that life without them will become much better and more colorful.

Bad habits can be replaced with other, but useful ones. For example, smoking stimulates your brain. Caffeine has the same effect. Start drinking coffee in moderation and you can quit smoking cigarettes forever.

When drinking alcoholic beverages, you seem to want to calm your nervous system.

You need to escape from reality and forget about all your problems. But in the modern world there are a great many medications that can bring your nervous system to a normal state.

You will become a balanced person and will not be nervous about every little thing. Such drugs, when used correctly, have virtually no side effects, unlike alcohol.

Don't forget about the terrible hangover that will definitely be present the next day.

Another component in the fight against cigarette smoking and alcohol should be sport. Choose the type that suits your liking. When playing sports, endorphins are produced, which are also called the hormone of happiness.

You will always be in a good mood. Plus, you will become stronger and more confident. Dedicate at least 4 days a week to your studies. In addition, physical activity is very useful for vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Watch your health. Avoid bad habits. If you feel unwell, you should immediately consult a doctor. https://gipergidroz.net

How does VSD manifest and why is it dangerous?

“Victims” of dystonia regularly experience attacks of lightheadedness. These are accompanied by: pale skin, changes in heart , chest pain, painful urination. Dystonics feel cold in their extremities, become irritable, and suffer from sexual dysfunction. Patients with VSD are “haunted” by mood swings, apathy, and their body temperature may rise (low-grade fever).

Important: the “identifying” sign of dystonia is a feeling of lack of air (the cause is hyperventilation of the lungs). There are no organic prerequisites for such pathological conditions; they are a manifestation of functional (vegetative) disorders.

Attacks of VSD are always accompanied by “signals” from the blood vessels and the heart. A syndrome that is harmless at first glance, if not in a timely manner , can lead to serious disruptions in the functioning of the body:

• the appearance of regular panic attacks with a consistently reduced emotional background;
• hypoxia (oxygen starvation) and deterioration of cerebral circulation;
• atherosclerosis, hypertension, varicose veins, angina, heart attack, stroke and other pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

Harm of alcohol in dystonia

Getting rid of bad habits is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, so many people try to put it off until later. “Going over” your habits is not easy, which is why it is useful to find an alternative that will be the first step on the path to recovery:

• High-quality coffee drinks - they can be considered as stimulants that improve the processes occurring in the walls of blood vessels.
• Sedatives are medications previously agreed upon with the doctor. They allow you to eliminate symptoms such as psycho-emotional instability. The consumption of coffee drinks and sedatives should be within normal limits.

• Physical activity – regular exercise will eliminate all possible symptoms of VSD.
• Contacting a psychologist is a method of dealing with stress, which is an integral part of every person’s life and one of the generally accepted causes of VSD.

These methods of influence will serve as an excellent replacement for alcohol and smoking.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia significantly worsens the patient’s quality of life. Life loses its former colors, and alcohol and smoking often seem to be the last joys in life. Another reason is that both alcohol and cigarettes help temporarily cope with nervous tension.

But you shouldn't do this. Bad habits can cause this disease. Doctors have long noticed that among people prone to bad habits, there are many more patients with VSD. One of the serious factors in preventing this disease is giving up bad habits, that is, a person should reduce alcohol consumption and quit smoking.

VSD and alcohol

People with this disease cannot drink significant amounts of alcohol without consequences for their condition. Even after a small amount of alcohol (for example, beer), unpleasant symptoms appear: tachycardia, shortness of breath, facial flushing, anxiety.

The blood vessels and heart are most affected. Within a short time, blood pressure and pulse rate increase significantly; for this, the patient does not need to drink a lot; it is enough to drink beer or one glass of vodka.

A hangover with VSD is especially difficult.

It is strictly contraindicated to drink alcohol for those who suffer from high blood pressure due to VSD (hypertensive type disease). After drinking alcohol, the blood vessels receive even more stress, but if this is followed by physical activity, then the ending can be completely sad.

If your blood pressure is low, you can take a little alcohol: beer or dry wine will increase your blood pressure and give you energy, but after this you may experience heart pain and tachycardia.

Beer is a very insidious drink; many do not take it seriously, so they drink it in large quantities and end up with unpleasant symptoms of VSD. Alcohol leads to intoxication of the body, which is why alcohol attacks are often followed by VSD attacks. In addition, ethyl alcohol has an extremely negative effect on the nervous system; it depletes and weakens it.

Many people believe that alcohol in moderation is not harmful and is even beneficial for VSD. They say that this disease is a consequence of stress and anxiety, and there is no better cure for them than alcohol.

VSD and smoking

Another question that is often asked is whether it is possible to smoke with this disease.

The answer is no.

Smoking has a very serious effect on the blood vessels, which suffer the most with VSD. Almost immediately after you start smoking, blood vessels constrict, causing many organs to receive less oxygen and nutrients, including the heart and brain.

Sometimes an attack of the disease can be caused by a combination of reasons such as a cigarette, coffee and serious stress. A person has been told since childhood that smoking is harmful, VSD is a clear example of what exactly smoking leads to.

There is also a psychological component. VSD is often associated with excessive nervous tension, anxiety, and restlessness. To relieve these unpleasant symptoms, a person goes smoking. After smoking a cigarette, he feels better, the tension subsides. However, this relief is temporary, and a little later the symptoms will return with even greater force.

Often people with vegetative-vascular dystonia smoke even more than those who do not suffer from this disease. They start their day with a cigarette and smoke regularly throughout the day, smoking more than one pack per day. This is unacceptable, as you risk significantly shortening your life.

Any doctor will tell you that with VSD, alcoholic drinks are extremely harmful. Moreover, they are prohibited from consuming them, as they worsen the patient’s condition. Moreover, both strong and low-alcohol drinks have a negative effect. Therefore, you should not replace cognac with beer, thinking that this will help in any way.

Vegetovascular dystonia and ethanol

How do the concepts of VSD and alcohol relate: it has been scientifically proven that alcoholic drinks not only aggravate the course, but also initially provoke the development of this syndrome.

Despite the fact that autonomic disorders are not fatal and do not pose a direct threat to human health, exacerbation of VSD after alcohol can cause a serious blow to the body. Doctors say that alcohol is the main “provocateur” of panic attacks and other “faithful companions” of dystonic patients. It doesn’t matter what kind of alcohol gets into the blood - beer, vodka, cognac - the well-being of the “victim” of VSD will suffer in any case. At the same time, the dystonic person cannot even get “well drunk” - a hangover in such people develops rapidly and when consuming minimal “dosages” of alcohol.

To clearly demonstrate how detrimental ethanol affects the body of a patient with autonomic disorders, it is enough to measure blood pressure and pulse immediately before and 6-7 hours after drinking alcoholic beverages.

Attention! For most dystonics, 40-50 ml of vodka or any other alcohol causes an immediate jump in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate (by 100-150%).

Increased symptoms after drinking alcohol

It is true that you should drink alcohol in moderation. Indeed, in fact, consuming high-quality alcoholic beverages in reasonable quantities improves mood and improves blood circulation. And violation of consumption levels can lead to exacerbation of symptoms of VSD after drinking alcohol.

The so-called hangover syndrome has a huge negative impact on a person’s emotional and physical health. Doctors have proven that VSD and a hangover that occurs after drinking alcohol have basically similar causes, which are based on stressful situations associated with emotional disturbances. Alcoholic drinks, instead of removing emotional stress, on the contrary, add new psychological problems.

A person suffering from VSD with a hangover experiences headaches, it becomes difficult to breathe, and a lump appears in the throat. Frequent cases of hangover in the presence of VSD can subsequently affect the liver; many patients complain that their heart hurts after alcohol, digestion is upset, and they suffer from nausea and vomiting.

When a hangover occurs, the patient experiences a psychological state characterized by a feeling of guilt. A person makes, as it seems to him, a final decision not to drink alcohol ever, but as soon as the signs of a hangover disappear, he reaches for vodka again.

When a patient with VSD has a hangover, he always has a whole range of clinical symptoms. In addition to physical malaise, patients experience a feeling of fear and anxiety, a coma in the throat - manifestations of the so-called neurosis, accompanied by rapid breathing, neurotic hiccups, and shortness of breath.

Panic attacks and alcohol

The occurrence of panic attacks is a serious pathological consequence of alcohol intake by dystonics. This term is used by doctors to describe a sudden deterioration in health, which is accompanied by: sharp jumps in blood pressure, lightheadedness, nausea, trembling, numbness, weakness of the arms and legs, rapid heartbeat, fever, and a feeling of constriction in the throat.

Doctors say that panic attacks are “faithful companions” of residents of megacities suffering from VSD. Some patients try to stop an attack with alcohol - in this case, ethanol can sooner or later cause pathological changes at the psychoneurological level.

You can “recognize” a panic attack by physiological, cognitive-emotional, and behavioral manifestations. The first list includes:

• tachycardia;
• dyspnea;
• feeling of squeezing in the chest;
• increased sweating;
• frequent urination;
• visual aura;
• muscle tension;
• dizziness.

Patients are haunted by anxiety, concern for their own life and health, they find it difficult to think, concentrate , and make informed decisions. Dystonics suffer from insomnia and avoid situations that could cause attacks of fear.

Alcohol during VSD and panic attacks leads to the fact that an intoxicated person cannot sit in one place, constantly moves, and tries to perform certain actions (most often unconscious). Numbness of the limbs, a tingling sensation in the back of the head are “faithful” companions of such pathological conditions.

Hangover against the background of VSD

When taking small doses of ethanol, some relaxation first occurs, and the severity of VSD symptoms weakens. This is achieved due to the effect of ethanol on the pathogenetic mechanisms of the development of VSD.

However, after a few hours (on average, from 2 to 5), the “therapeutic effect” of the previously taken dose of alcohol disappears, giving way to a withdrawal syndrome, against the background of which a post-intoxication state develops, accompanied by delayed psychosomatic symptoms, which is called a hangover.

The clinical picture of hangover syndrome is clearly shown in numerous video materials that can be found on the Internet. Typical symptoms of a hangover are:

• increased sweating;
• increased urination;
• feeling of dry mouth;
• feeling of heat in the body;
• facial skin hyperemia;
• nausea, relatively rarely accompanied by vomiting;
• headaches (feeling of “heaviness in the head”);
• irritability;
• causeless feeling of anxiety;
• depression;
• dizziness;
• sleep disorder (insomnia);
• hand tremors;
• numbness of the limbs;
• lability of blood pressure (increases are often observed);
• change in heart rate (tachycardia or bradycardia);
• increased rhythm of breathing movements.

A hangover syndrome that develops against the background of VSD is characterized by pronounced symptoms, the duration of which can be 24-48 hours. Clinical observations show that a hangover due to VSD is “obligatory.” Often, in order to relieve this symptom complex, patients repeatedly drink alcohol. Thus, a pathological vicious circle is created. The illusion of “treatment” with ethyl alcohol actually results in the relatively rapid formation of alcohol dependence. Due to the gradual increase in tolerance to ethanol, the doses of the latter are constantly increasing to achieve the desired result.

As a result, alcohol becomes the cause of alcoholism.

What is the danger of alcohol for dystonics?

The “drops” in blood pressure that patients with VSD experience when drinking alcohol overload the heart and blood vessels. Over time, wear and tear of the cardiovascular system can trigger a heart attack or stroke with minimal physical exertion.

Hypotonics - people with low blood pressure - at first glance, can safely drink alcohol. Their well-being should theoretically improve from this. In practice, the situation is different - despite the fact that after drinking such patients feel more alert and feel a surge of energy, they also experience tingling in the heart, head, severe migraines, and aggressive conditions.

Attention! Beer is considered especially dangerous for people with VSD. Of course, the ethanol content in this drink is lower than in vodka or cognac, but it is usually consumed in large quantities. This results in a lingering hangover and exacerbation of dystonia.

VSD and alcohol - consequences for panic attacks:

1. prolonged depression;
2. isolation, isolation from real life;
3. apathy, loss of interest in life.

Another danger of regular drinking is as follows. Some patients manage to briefly reduce the symptoms of VSD and improve their well-being with the help of alcohol (due to vasodilation). But after a while, a slight relief will turn into a severe withdrawal syndrome (as a rule, it is associated with low-quality alcohol, and not with dystonia). A hangover naturally develops into a prolonged depression, which is accompanied by regular and fairly intense panic attacks. Many dystonics continue to try to “drown out” attacks of lightheadedness with alcohol, which only provokes the development of alcohol dependence.

The result is a vicious circle that results in rapid wear and tear of the heart muscle and chronic alcoholism.

Can I drink beer?

Many people mistakenly perceive beer and low-alcohol drinks as a safe means of relaxation and stress relief that cannot cause serious harm to the body. In fact, the harm from drinking beer for people with vegetative-vascular dystonia is colossal.

Despite the lower percentage of alcohol contained in beer drinks, they are harmful to the human body. After all, to get the desired relaxation you need to drink a lot of beer, which means that the same amount of alcohol will enter the body as when drinking strong drinks.

In addition, after beer, a real hangover occurs, which can last up to 2 days and is expressed by such negative manifestations as:

• feeling of weakness;
• brokenness;
• gastrointestinal disorders;
• headache;
• depression;
• irritability;
• drowsiness.

We recommend reading: How to treat sweating due to VSD: various treatment options

How to relieve symptoms of VSD

The best solution is not to drink alcohol at all. If such radical measures could not be taken immediately, one should strictly control what, how much and when a patient with VSD consumes.

To prevent panic attacks and eliminate signs of dystonia, it is recommended to adjust your lifestyle:

• regularly practice walking in the fresh air;
• if necessary, take herbal sedatives (sedatives) - Novo-Passit, Gerbion, etc.;
• It’s wise to draw up a daily menu, eat small meals often, instead of a bottle of beer it’s better to drink a glass of freshly squeezed juice or dried fruit compote;
• alternate periods of work and rest, pay due attention to beneficial physical activity (good for blood vessels).

Attention! If a patient with VSD suffers from prolonged depression, the symptoms of which are not relieved by available sedatives, it is better to seek help from a psychotherapist.

Increased pressure during VSD

Alcohol increases blood pressure, but it does so in an unsafe therapeutic manner. Along with the increase in pressure, the load on the central nervous system increases. Therefore, according to many experts, a person will not receive real relief from his condition. Ethyl alcohol negatively affects vital organs. Headache, increased blood pressure and elimination of malaise are short-term phenomena that will disappear after a while, but then a hangover will appear. A hangover from beer is especially severe. In this case, a hangover is accompanied by panic attacks and depression. In this case, all signs of the disease intensify several times. In addition, such people develop alcoholism faster.

For this reason, many doctors do not recommend drinking alcohol even to increase blood pressure during hypotension. Only a healthy lifestyle allows a person with this disease to feel good and avoid exacerbations of the pathology.

Prevention of vegetative-vascular dystonia

Those who are at risk (emotional people experiencing stress, patients with vascular and heart diseases, etc.) are recommended to exercise regularly or at least exercise daily at home. Running, swimming, skiing are the best options for physical activity for dystonics.

You should avoid overwork, try not to react to stressful situations, and do not forget about a quality night's rest.

A balanced diet is an important element in the prevention of VSD. It is better if the daily menu contains as many vegetables, lean fish and meat as possible. The proportion of caffeine-containing drinks, sweets, and baked goods in the list of products must be limited .

So, drinking alcohol has a negative effect on the body of patients with VSD. Alcohol not only aggravates symptoms, but also provokes the development of this unpleasant syndrome. To prevent attacks of lightheadedness and panic attacks, dystonics are advised to reduce as much as possible (or better yet, completely abstain) from the amount of alcohol .

Causes of the disease

People with a hereditary predisposition are at risk for developing VSD, but dysfunction of the autonomic system can be caused from early childhood if a woman drinks alcohol or smokes during pregnancy, thereby causing a lack of oxygen in the fetus, which can lead to problems with the nutrition of the child’s brain cells, up to and after birth. In general, VSD and alcohol are mutually exclusive concepts, since alcohol is the main catalyst for the onset of the disease.

The remaining factors are indirect in nature and, if not at the origins, are triggers for the development of VSD:

1. Prolonged emotional stress, psycho-emotional stress;
2. Harmful physical effects (birth injuries, brain injuries, radiation exposure);
3. Infectious diseases, often viral in nature;
4. Chronic intoxication;
5. Endocrine changes in the body, especially in adolescence;
6. Maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle (frequent consumption of alcohol and caffeine, smoking).