Hectic work schedules and domestic responsibilities leave out very little time for oneself. Add to this, a number of other factors that may crop up out of nowhere and take away the remaining peace and calm out of your day.
Such phases are very likely to occur once in a while in everyone’s life and making it out of them is different for everyone. If such phases last long, people might often resort to a drink at the end of the day to help them beat the excessive stress and ‘clear their mind.’ It is, however, important to note the way alcohol works in order for you to ‘relax’.
It is simply a depressant that targets the central nervous system directly. A sedative, alcohol actually helps us turn off the rational part of our brain so that we can relax, only leading to withdrawal symptoms later that occur because of the brain’s tendency to stay calm even after the sedative effect wanes.
Consuming alcohol can only lead to temporary mental or physical relief and is not a proper solution to anything. In addition to this, it is also detrimental to health because of the large amounts of sugar that is found in it. These are ‘empty calories’ that have no nutritional value and only add to the glucose content of the body. A disturbance in blood-glucose levels and obesity are just some of the adverse effects of alcohol on physical health.
A recent study has discovered the effects of alcohol consumption on mental health, too. Dr. Kunal Sood, an interventional pain management doctor based in Virginia, recently took to Instagram and shared a reel about the same on his handle. A study conducted on 36,000 people, led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania found that people with light to moderate patterns of consumption were witnessed with reductions in overall brain volume.
The study found that consuming one drink per day can lead to a decreased brain size and accelerated aging. Even though certain alcoholic drinks like wine have their due benefits for the skin, the process of aging and heart health, regular consumption can do more harm than good.
Increasing one’s consumption even by half a glass can lead to acceleration of aging by two years. Heavy drinking was further associated with even greater risks related to mental health, cognitive function and changes in the structure of the brain. Earlier studies have also established the link between changes in brain structure and alcohol consumption but it was specifically targeted at heavy drinking. Light or moderate drinking was in no way associated with any considerable consequences.
The most recent study, however, has changed the course of thinking and lays emphasis on how important it is to take note of smallest of changes in regular life.
