Drinking during the day is worse than drinking at night; understand – 06/08/2023 – Equilibrium

A caipirinha by the pool, a cold beer at a holiday barbecue – beautiful days, you would say, are perfect for a cold drink.

But why does a daytime drink feel any different than an after-dinner drink? And is there any way to avoid a hangover at night?

There are no robust clinical trials evaluating the health effects of drinking alcohol during the day. But psychiatrists and alcohol experts said there are some unique factors that influence how daytime drinking may differ from nighttime drinking.

There is no definite end

In the evening, you may be more attuned to the signals that it’s time to stop — after dinner is over, for example. On the other hand, afternoon drinking means people aren’t always in control of how much they’re consuming, says Akhil Anand, a psychiatrist at the Cleveland Clinic.

If you’re drinking throughout the day, and not necessarily keeping track of when you’re going to have your next meal, you may end up with not enough food in your stomach to help slow the rate at which your body absorbs the alcohol – that means intoxication in a short period of time. of time is more likely.

It’s hot

Drinking while the sun is out makes you more likely to become dehydrated, which can intensify the effects of intoxication: You may feel tired, dizzy or just out of your mind, says Sarah Andrews, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

On a hot day, you can lose more fluid than you replace, which means you’re also losing sodium and minerals that help your body function normally. This, in addition to the dehydrating nature of alcohol itself, which acts as a diuretic and pushes fluid out of your system, makes you urinate more often.

Hangovers can come sooner

The sooner you start drinking, the sooner that dry-mouthed, heavy-headed hangover will set in. A mimosa brunch can cause a dinnertime hangover, says Danesh Alam, a psychiatrist at Northwestern University, although the hangover is more likely to start early the next morning, when blood alcohol levels drop back to zero.

Since drinking during the day can be very dehydrating, hangover symptoms are likely to be worse, Anand points out.

The best ways to avoid a hangover are to drink at least one glass of water per alcoholic drink, make sure you eat enough, avoid sugary drinks, and of course, limit your alcohol intake in general (no matter what time you start). .

Anxiety can come hard

Dehydration also accentuates the physiological effects that can come with a hangover — shaky hands, nausea, dizziness. Sometimes, the bodily signs of a hangover caused by drinking can trigger real feelings of fear and nervousness, also known as anxiety.

In the hours or days after daytime consumption, when you’re likely to be more dehydrated, anxiety can be especially strong, says Thea Gallagher, clinical psychologist at Langone Health, New York University.

Will you sleep well afterwards? This is a general question.

A few glasses of wine before bed is a recipe for a sleepless night, as alcohol compromises your REM sleep (dream phase) and makes you go to the bathroom. Drinking during the day can also wreak havoc on your sleep-wake cycle, says Alam. You may take a nap, which can make it difficult to fall asleep later. Or you might gain strength during the day and then suffer the typical nocturnal consequences that come with drinking: waking up restless in the early hours.

But if you give yourself a three- or four-hour period between your last drink and bedtime — especially if you drink water and eat in that time frame — your body may have a chance to metabolize the alcohol before bed, allowing it to you get enough rest.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves