Alcohol’s Effects on Hormones

Life is hard, there’s no question.  Sometimes it’s so hard that we reach for sweets or alcohol.  The daily grind gets to us but what are alcohol’s effects on hormones and are we doing more harm than good?

Life and getting through it

Life can really take a toll on us.  You may have started your adult life excited about the future.  You’re making money, you have a home and all the other things that make you happy – be it a partner, a dog, children, a nice car – you name it, things are going well.

Then, somewhere along the way, something happens.  Maybe you lose your job and the stress on the family finances become too overwhelming.  Or, maybe a family member (a child, a parent, or both) become ill and you are spread way too thin.

If you are in the sandwich generation, it may be particularly hard for you.  The term sandwich generation refers to someone who is not only taking care of their children but also their aging parents.

There’s no question that no matter what your situation, it’s hard.  Sure, others may have it harder and some look like they skate through life without any problems.  But, it’s how you are able to deal with what you are dealing with.  If it’s overwhelming to you, it matters.

When life gets overwhelming, you feel like you need something to make you feel better.  This is when we turn to food or alcohol.  I’ve already talked about what food (sugar and carb’s specifically) do to our hormones, so let’s talk about alcohol because it can affect our hormones and even our skin.

Alcohol’s effects on hormones

The problem with alcohol is that it raises our blood sugar, which we already know is not good for our bodies, our hormones, and our well-being.  For more information, read:  Insulin resistance warning signs.

When our blood sugar increases, especially consistently, we begin to have problems with hormones like estrogen and progesterone.  We have high estrogen low progesterone.  To make matters worse, we can’t sleep and that’s because of how alcohol is processed in our bodies.  If you’re drinking in the evening, by the time your body processes the alcohol, you are sleeping and it’s keeping you up…not to mention the progesterone insomnia that can eventually happen.  It’s a vicious cycle and that’s alcohol’s effects on hormones.

Despite this, I get it

I can’t say it enough, LIFE IS HARD!  I get it.  Sometimes, it’s too hard and I don’t judge if you’ve had a hard day and need to “unwind”.  As with anything, we need to monitor our bad habits.  Moderation really is key.  If you’re going to drink, it’s best not to do it every day.  When you do decide to have an ‘adult beverage’, eat something (healthy) with it, like nuts or cheese.  In fact, make yourself a lovely cheese plate to go with your wine!

What I do

Here is what I do to manage my alcohol intake.  I hope any of these ‘tricks’ can help you.  Even if one things works for you, that’s improvement.

1. I plan my days and take note of days that may be too overloaded with things to do.  When I can see this from a bird’s eye view for the week, I can plan my week better to move things that aren’t as important to later in the week.  This isn’t fool proof but it does sometimes help me.  When I can plan better, then those days aren’t as overwhelming.

   

2. When I’ve had a particularly hard day, I will have a glass of wine or a seltzer and I don’t beat myself up about it.  But, I do take note of how many beverages I’ve had for the week because I don’t want to have more than 3-4 in a week.
   1. I also try to eat things like a handful of nuts, a couple of olives or some organic cheese slices with my beverage to counteract some of the effects.  Sure, it’s not foolproof but it helps a bit.  You need to start seeing alcohol’s effects on hormones.
3. If I feel like I could really use the ‘unwinding’, I wait.  If the feeling isn’t as strong in a half an hour (or maybe it’s passed), I’ll have a calming cup of chamomile tea instead.  Sometimes I have to force myself to make the cup of tea – like really force myself – but once I do, I’m glad I did.

   

4. Meditation – I’ve talked about meditation before.  It’s not easy to do, especially when starting out OR when there is too much going on.  I know this all too well.  But, based on the 7 Essential Mental Activities, there are a few things you can do to keep your mental health in check.  If you can only meditate every now and again, it will be helpful – even if you don’t feel like you’re doing it right.  But, try walking or having some down time.  If nothing else, I sit for 5 minutes, doing nothing.  It’s hard but when I’m done, I feel better.

Conclusion

It’s not a one size fits all approach.  What may work for you, may not work for someone else – just like what works for me may not work for you.  I like to sew and that helps me have some down time (when I force the down time), but maybe you like to run (which I do not).  All you can do is keep going – put one foot in front of the other and keep going.  Life is hard but realizing alcohol’s effects on hormones will do wonders.