Tasty Tuesday - Sober October Challenge pt. 1
For this first week of Sober October, we are talking about what happens internally when we remove alcohol from our nutrition. Have you ever wondered how alcohol breaks down in your body, besides the fun side effects? Your body processes alcohol differently than food and other beverages. Here’s how it works -
Unlike food (that digests into specific nutrients), alcohol doesn’t need digestion - meaning it skips the step and jumps straight into absorption. When alcohol is absorbed, it moves into the bloodstream and carries throughout the rest of your body. Your liver does the rest of the work by breaking down the alcohol into different compounds.
Once the alcohol is in your bloodstream, it affects multiple things:
Brain - Alcohol has direct access to the brain. As alcohol interacts with the brain, it inhibits the way neurons typically communicate with each other. This is how we perceive intoxication, giving our bodies increased confidence and/or impaired judgment.
Sleep - Alcohol throws off your brain’s normal ability to regulate feelings - specifically when it comes to sleep. With alcohol in our system, our bodies swing back and forth between sleepiness and a wakeful state.
Gut - Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach and intestine; it also messes with your microbiome. Both of these disruptions can be the reason you may feel queasy or unpleasant after drinking.
Appetite - Alcohol affects multiple hormones in the body. One of the main ways we feel this hormone imbalance is through our appetite. This causes the late night cravings that often happen on a night out.
Alcohol doesn’t just make you intoxicated; it affects your sleep, your appetite and cravings, your mood, your decisions, and so much more. That’s because alcohol affects a wide range of systems in your body, including your brain, your hormone levels, and your gut microbiome. It’s important to know what is going on internally and why taking a break from alcohol can help your health tremendously. If you have any questions about these effects, contact me through the link!