Article
Some might find it
interesting to know that moderate alcohol consumption actually has some
benefits, but the problem, however, is when you fail to keep this consumption
moderate. Chances are you consider yourself a moderate drinker, believing you
are responsible for your alcohol consumption, without knowing that your ‘simple’ one or two or three
glasses of drink has slipped into something harmful. Jumia Travel, the leading
online travel agency, shares 7 signs you are going overboard with your alcohol
consumption.
Constantly
needing to pee at night
The human body makes
something known as an anti-diuretic hormone to regulate the amount of urine in
our bodies. At night, more of this hormone is produced to help reduce the
volume of urine produced so you wouldn’t have to pee so much or at all in the
night. Alcohol decreases the production of this hormone and causes you to
produce more urine, which therefore makes you wake up to pee constantly at
night.
If you are under 65, even
if you naturally drink a lot of fluids like water, fruits etc during the day,
at night you really shouldn’t have to wake up to pee. If you do have to wake up
to pee, maybe only once; but definitely not every night. If you notice this
constant need to pee every night, check your alcohol consumption, it might be
the cause.
Regularly
waking up with dry eyes
Alcohol dehydrates your
entire body and also ends up in your tears, interfering with the lubrication of
your eyes. When you notice that your eyes become sticky and you regularly wake
up with dry eyes, check that your alcohol intake isn’t to blame.
Spending
time in the day thinking of having a drink
You might not necessarily
be drinking multiple glasses of drinks all day, but if the thought of a glass
of drink is what gets you through the day or any difficult situation, that’s a
warning sign. Your mantra becomes, “When I get home, I can have a drink”, “Let
me just deal with this and I can have a drink” etc. Using alcohol to
self-medicate depression or anxiety, only ends up making things worse because
alcohol is a depressant itself.
Not
sleeping well
Constant alcohol
consumption, especially when in excess, can cause your brain to forget how to
sleep efficiently and causes fragmented sleep cycles. You, thus, tend to miss
out on the ‘restorative’ parts of your sleep, even on nights you haven’t even
had a drink.
Tiredness
and forgetfulness
While in your body,
alcohol becomes a stimulant when the body breaks it down. In the process, it
releases sugars and other substances that cause you to wake up more and most
times stops you from getting into REM (the most active part of sleep), which is
very important for helping the brain to process mood and for memory. Without
getting enough REM, you wake up feeling more grumpy, tired and forgetful.
Being
able to hold your drink
While most people are
cheered for this, being able to have a couple of drinks without feeling tipsy
is a sign that you are drinking regularly. You are thus able to ‘hold your
drink’ because your body has built up a tolerance to the short-term effects of
alcohol. The process of your body building up this tolerance increases the
production of enzymes that break down the alcohol and in the long-term
increases the risk of liver damage.
People
close to you are concerned
If your friends, family,
co-workers or anyone close to you has hinted or voiced out that it’s time to
cut back your alcohol consumption, you should listen. You can ask for their
help in helping you cut back and think of ways they can help to hold you accountable.
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