When Christmas time arrives, do you give much thought to your body? Of course, you probably think deep down that you shouldn’t be eating that final mince pie, because it’s only going to end up lodged on your waistline, but aside from weight, do you give much thought to how else you could be affecting your body?
We all like a drink during the festive period, an alcoholic beverage or two, but it’s important to recognise and understand the detrimental effect of alcohol and sugar on your brain and its function, aside from having a bit of a hangover the next day.
Sugar can be just as bad for you as some of the worst foods you can eat, and there is more sugar in alcohol than you may ever realise for instance, wine is packed full of the stuff, and drinks such as cider too. When you combine the negative effects of alcohol and sugar together, you’re looking at a bad health cocktail this Christmas.
Alcohol and sugar in large amounts both have a detrimental effect on brain function. We know that alcohol is a depressant, and whilst sometimes you can have a few drinks and feel on top of the world, other times you can be left feeling like you’re in the pits of despair; of course, the longer your drinking session goes on for, the worse the effects can be.
Have you ever woken up in the morning and not been able to remember the whole of the night? Are there a few holes in your memory, where you simply can’t recall something you said or did? This is because the longer you drink for, the more your memory simply stops working to a degree. There comes a point where your mind gives up storing things to its memory bank, and the longer this goes on for, the less you will remember – basically, patchy memories go to completely blank. Whilst the odd night like this isn’t going to cause you long-term brain cell damage, if you drink like this for a considerable length of time, then there is the risk of memory loss in the long-term.
Alcohol also considerably affects the mood. We mentioned briefly earlier about how you can feel fantastic sometimes when you’re under the influence, but at some point the depressive effects of whichever alcoholic beverage you’re drinking will begin to effect more of your brain and its function. Whilst you might think your brain is a complicated and hardy organ, it is quite sensitive in terms of its chemical balances, and alcohol has a nasty habit of knocking it off kilter.
Of course, if you are feeling down to start with, as many people sometimes do feel around this time of year, then drinking isn’t going to make you feel better, it’s actually going to exacerbate the situation. This is why it is important to know why you are drinking in the first place, and to practice the ‘everything in moderate’ mantra.
If you are at all concerned about alcohol or sugar this Christmas, don’t hesitate to call the practice now on (08) 6500 3277 to arrange an appointment. We will discuss in compete privacy with you regarding any issues you may have, and help you overcome your situation.
