Alcohol and Your Hormones

Anyone who’s ever had a few too many drinks can attest that alcohol affects your body (isn’t that the understatement of the year?!) Whether it’s a complete distortion of reality, a stumble on your walk home or a raging hangover the next day, alcohol can sometimes make you regret every choice you’ve made in the last 24 hours. 

Having the odd glass of wine with dinner or a casual cocktail with a friend probably won’t make too much of a difference on your mind and body. But did you know that too much alcohol can impact your hormones and your menstrual cycle? 

If you drink a lot, your PMS symptoms (moodswings, acne, cravings, cramps, insomnia) may worsen. What is a lot? Binge drinking is defined as more than four glasses every two hours.

How Alcohol Impacts Your Cycle 

Alcohol is broken down by our liver, but the liver also plays a big role in processing our hormones. If it spends too much time processing last night’s festivities, then your estrogen ends up at the back of the queue so to speak, and won’t be able to leave your body.

The result?

• Period symptoms like cramps, acne and mood swings can feel worse.
• Cravings: excessive alcohol consumption causes you to lose magnesium. This lowers your blood sugar levels and makes you crave more unhealthy sweet snacks. Studies have shown that magnesium and zinc can help you cope with your hangover. So make sure you get enough magnesium and zinc through food or a supplement to ease your hangover.
• Emotions: Because your hormones cannot leave the body as quickly (your body is busy, busy, busy), your oestogen levels are higher. As a result, you may experience emotions that cannot be fully explained.

Hangover and your cycle? 

Your menstrual cycle can affect your hangovers. You might notice that sometimes you drink a lot and still wake up fine, while other times you are already hungover from just one drink. What's going on?

Women can be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol the week before their periods. The reason? Oestrogen. After ovulation, the liver has to break down oestrogen.

If you drink a lot of alcohol during these days, the combination of alcohol and oestrogen can overload your liver, leading to headaches, fluid retention and bloating. Do not avoid or overindulge in alcohol if you want to avoid these problems.

Did you look too deep into the glass after all? Here are a few tips to ease your hangover:

• Drink a lot: and of course we don't mean alcohol or coffee. Caffeine in coffee will dehydrate you even more. Try to drink lots of water!
• Replenish Magnesium: Alcohol lowers your magnesium and can damage your liver, making it harder for vitamins and minerals to be absorbed. Alcohol depletes magnesium in your body, which can worsen hangover symptoms. Consider taking a magnesium supplement or consuming magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, and leafy greens to restore your levels.
• Sleep off and have some sex: during sleep your body recovers faster and during sex your body produces the hormone oxytocin, which reduces pain and makes you feel good. Self-gratification counts too!
• Eat something: start the day with a healthy breakfast, even if you only feel like chocolate-covered croissants. Wholemeal bread and fruit are healthy and safe options, but an egg and avocado are of course the ultimate hangover food as they are full of protein, vitamin B and healthy fats. Drink ginger or green tea with them to detoxify your body.
• Exercise and outdoor air: exercising will help your body break down alcohol more easily. And fresh air always does some good.

Tips before you start drinking

• Choose alcohol with a low glycaemic index, such as champagne, red or white wine.
• Never drink on an empty stomach. Provide an appetiser (not too greasy). Avoid fried snacks as they speed up glucose uptake in your liver. Opt for guacamole, green olives, cashews, hummus with raw greens, toasts with salmon or prawns.
• Drink water between each glass of alcohol. Think water is too boring? There are plenty of options to make fun non-alcoholic cocktails with the likes of Gimber, Nona June and Seedlip.

What Happens When You Don’t Drink? 

Of course, the benefits vary from person to person, but for women especially, there are ample reasons to go dry. Here are some of the key things you might notice from a month sans alcohol: 

• Better sleep - When you go to sleep without alcohol in your bloodstream, you’ll get some quality Zzzs and actually get deep, restorative sleep. That’s because your body is actually relaxing and recovering, rather than processing alcohol. 
• More energy / better focus - With all that extra, quality sleep, you might wake up each day feeling refreshed, focused and full of energy. 
• Weight loss - Alcohol packs a punch as far as calories are concerned, especially if you drink sugary cocktails or beer. But, we tend to ignore the calories in alcohol because… well, we like it! But you might be surprised how much extra weight you’re carrying just because of your alcohol consumption. For some people, giving up booze for a month can result in up to 2kgs of weight loss! 
• Glowing skin - Alcohol dehydrates you so it can also dry out your skin. This can result in dull-looking, wrinkled skin. When you stop drinking, you might notice that your skin looks and feels a lot better. More moisture means hydrated, glowing skin! 
• Saving money - Sort of a no brainer, right? But if you swap your expensive glass of wine for sparkling water, you’ll undoubtedly be saving money over the course of the month. How much? On average, Belgians drink an average of 462 Euros worth of alcoholic beverages per year. Not spending money on alcohol will mean you have that extra cash in your pocket for something else. So treat yourself to something Guud for your body instead? Did someone say… spa day? 
• Better hormonal health / menstrual cycle - If you struggle with intense PMS symptoms or other issues related to hormonal imbalances, it could be a result of alcohol consumption. When you stop drinking, you may notice that your cycle regulates again. This is because regular periods are a sign that you are fit and healthy and that your body is balanced and nourished. 

Practical Tips when you go Dry

Alcohol is often a big part of socialising. It can be hard to go out with friends, attend parties or gatherings and not drink. There’s temptation everywhere! Here are a few tips for how you can stick to your guns: 

• When you want to unwind, do something other than reach for a drink! Play a game, go for a walk or call a friend for a chat and drink water while you do it. 
• Check out the mocktail menu if you’re out with friends. Lots of restaurants now offer alcohol-free versions of many popular drinks that are a lovely alternative to their boozy counterpart. You can also try a different drink like kombucha which can feel like a little luxury when you’re out. 
• Tell people what you’re doing. Not only will this help you feel more accountable, you will also have the support of your friends and family. 
• Try something new. Try to identify times that you might normally have a drink and do something different. For example, if you’d normally go to the pub on a Friday night, plan a movie date or yoga class with a friend instead. 
• Avoid bad influences. If you have friends who drink a lot, or there’s social gatherings that will center around booze, it’s OK to say no in order to stick to your goals.