Log in
With the changing seasons comes an increase in opportunities to drink alcohol. How can one enjoy alcohol responsibly while preventing hangovers and excessive intoxication?
You had a good time, but the next day you felt fatigued, or your sleep quality significantly declined. To avoid such disappointing results, here are some key points to keep in mind.
First, a quick review. What are the main health risks caused by alcohol?
The effects are extremely diverse and known to significantly impact overall health.
- Alcohol poisoning (acute/chronic), alcohol dependence
- Alcoholic liver disease (starting with fatty liver, with risks of hepatitis and even cirrhosis)
- Cancer (besides liver cancer, the risk of 7 types of cancer, including oral cavity, pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal, colorectal, and breast cancer, is said to increase)
- Pancreatitis (acute/chronic)
- Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
- Mononeuritis multiplex (a condition where different peripheral nerves in separate parts of the body simultaneously malfunction)
- Diffuse cerebral atrophy
- Injuries from falls, etc.
And there are so many more! The disadvantages of excessive alcohol consumption for your body
High calorie content of alcohol itself + snacks lead to weight gain
When you drink alcohol, your liver, which plays a crucial role in food metabolism, prioritizes alcohol metabolism. It cannot adequately process food. In this situation, the high calories consumed from snacks exacerbate the problem, leading to weight gain.
Vitamin B1 is lost, making it easier to gain weight and harder to recover from fatigue.
It's a well-known fact that the more alcohol you drink, the more vitamin B1 (thiamine) is lost from your body. Vitamin B1 is an essential nutrient for maintaining health. Its deficiency not only leads to impaired carbohydrate metabolism and obesity, but also hinders the recovery of muscle and brain fatigue.
Furthermore, while drinking alcohol after exercise may feel good, there is a theory that alcohol consumption impedes the liver's natural function and inhibits muscle synthesis.
Other vitamins and minerals besides vitamin B1 are also depleted.
The body consumes vitamins A, B6, B12, niacin, magnesium, zinc, and potassium during alcohol processing and excretion.
Loss of water from the body can cause swelling.
The diuretic effect of alcohol expels not only water but also essential salts. When the body's mineral balance is disrupted, it can lead to swelling and leg cramps.
Sleep quality is also not to be underestimated.
When you drink heavily before sleep, your body remains active to break down alcohol, preventing sufficient deep non-REM and REM sleep, and thus reducing sleep quality. You may sleep for a long time but still not feel rested.
Furthermore, the diuretic effect makes it easier to wake up in the middle of the night, worsening sleep quality. If such shallow sleep continues, your brain and body cannot fully rest, leaving you feeling sluggish and tired even after waking up. It is recommended to enjoy alcohol with a meal at least 3 hours before going to bed.
In addition, excessive drinking is considered one of the lifestyle habits that promotes a decrease in immunity.
Things to keep in mind to prevent hangovers and excessive intoxication
Don't drink on an empty stomach! Eat something fatty first.
Drinking on an empty stomach is not good because it rapidly increases the alcohol concentration in the blood. Alcohol is absorbed into the body through the stomach and small intestine, and about 90% is metabolized by the liver. However, if your stomach is empty, alcohol is quickly sent to the small intestine and absorbed, causing the blood alcohol concentration to rise.
To prevent a hangover, the key is to extend the time alcohol stays in the stomach and slow down its transfer to the small intestine. It's a good idea to eat fatty foods like cheese, fried chicken, or potato salad with mayonnaise before drinking. Fatty foods stay in the stomach longer than rice. By the way, milk also contains fat and has a protective effect on the gastrointestinal lining, so drinking it before alcohol is a good idea.
It's also good to consume vinegar, such as vinegared dishes, before drinking.
Vinegar is said to enhance liver function, so consuming it before drinking can help prevent hangovers.
Hydrate well before you start feeling drunk.
The diuretic effect of alcohol increases urine output and can easily lead to dehydration. Therefore, try to drink as much water as possible during your drinking session, not just afterwards.
If you're starting to feel drunk, try to consume ingredients that help with liver metabolism.
While the elevated blood alcohol concentration from drinking won't immediately decrease, it's better to consume ingredients that assist liver metabolism. You should consciously seek out foods containing ingredients like taurine (abundant in squid, octopus, oysters, and clams), L-cysteine (found in sunflower seeds and soybeans), and sesamin (found in sesame seeds).
After drinking, consume beverages containing ions (electrolytes) like sports drinks.
Electrolyte-containing beverages contain essential ions such as sodium (salt) and potassium, which help the body retain fluids.
Sleep is also crucial!
Sleep contributes to the breakdown of acetaldehyde, a metabolite of alcohol and a carcinogen.
Furthermore, resting your body allows fatigued internal organs to recover smoothly. Avoid alcohol before bed if possible, and if you do drink, consciously control the amount.
But what if you still get a hangover...
Rest and consume water, vitamin C, and sugar.
Drink easily absorbed sports drinks to rehydrate thoroughly, consume sugar and vitamin C which aid in acetaldehyde breakdown, and if you have stomach pain or nausea due to an upset stomach, take antacids. For a hangover, the basic approach is to simply wait for time to heal. To ensure sufficient blood flow to the liver for metabolism, rest as much as possible. Exercise and hot baths are said to be counterproductive.
If you drink frequently, you should also be mindful of these things.
Supplement vitamins and minerals through diet and supplements.
It is important to actively consume various vitamins and minerals, which tend to be lost due to alcohol intake, and to enhance liver function on a daily basis. In particular, Vitamin B1 is said to be chronically deficient in Japanese people, so active intake is desired. Foods rich in Vitamin B1 include pork, soybeans, grain sprouts (such as rice bran), and liver.
Furthermore, a deficiency in Vitamin B1 can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, sluggishness, loss of appetite because carbohydrates cannot be effectively converted into energy, and a decrease in the efficiency of dieting. Severe deficiency can even cause beriberi.
Also take ornithine.
Ornithine, a type of amino acid abundant in shijimi clams, is also well-known for its ability to aid liver function and relieve fatigue. It's recommended to consume plenty of it daily, for example, by regularly drinking shijimi clam miso soup.
Although individual alcohol metabolism varies, it is said that even for a middle-aged man who is a heavy drinker and consumes one 350ml can of beer, it takes approximately 2 to 3 hours for the alcohol to completely clear from the body.
Furthermore, research has shown a general trend that individuals who are strong drinkers (those whose faces do not easily turn red from alcohol) but tend to have hangovers the next day have a higher rate of alcohol dependence compared to other types.
Even if you love alcohol, be sure to drink within your limits and prevent hangovers and excessive intoxication.
Alcohol can certainly help relax tension and relieve stress in some cases. However, it often doesn't alleviate fatigue and can even cause it. By asking yourself this question before an important task, you can achieve good quality sleep and succeed in your work.
