Nowadays, adults balance a variety of tasks, such as taking care of their families’ elderly parents while also juggling their careers and careers. All of these, regrettably, have the potential to lead to stressful and anxious feelings. You might be wondering how to quickly get rid of these emotions.
So, does wine help anxiety?
Yes, wine help anxiety. Because wine slows down the central nervous system, it also causes your senses and mental processes to become more sluggish.
Therefore, a glass of wine can help to reduce your anxiety by reducing such feelings if your mind has been racing all day thinking about all the things you have to do.
Wine offers a remedy in this situation. Wine can enhance your emotional wellbeing in addition to its numerous physical health benefits, particularly those related to red wine.
For more information, keep reading.
Table of Contents
Understand Anxiety
You might be tempted to have a drink of wine or beer to relax your nerves when dealing with stressful days or anxious situations. However, drinking alcohol, especially in large amounts and for a long time, can actually make you feel more anxious.
If you’re receiving treatment for anxiety, drinking alcohol can have detrimental effects. Although drinking alcohol might seem like a good way to reduce anxiety, you might end up hurting yourself more than helping.
Unwind With Alcohol
The notion that alcohol can lessen stress is partially true. Alcohol affects the central nervous system by acting as a sedative and a depressant.
Drinking initially helps you feel less anxious and can help you forget about your problems. You may feel more at ease and less shy as a result of it. It may also improve your mood. In fact, alcohol’s effects can resemble those of anti-anxiety drugs.
If your doctor gives the go-ahead, occasionally relaxing with alcohol isn’t always harmful. However, once you start drinking, you may develop a tolerance for the calming effects of alcohol. As a result, managing stress and anxiety may become even more challenging.
Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption can have negative effects on one’s body and mind. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol over time can cause memory loss, blackouts, and even brain damage (especially if it also damages the liver). As you attempt to manage these problems’ symptoms, anxiety may increase.
Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is frequently to blame for the feeling of relaxation you experience after drinking. Temporarily feeling excited when one’s BAC level rises, but feeling depressed when it drops. This means that having a few drinks that cause your BAC to increase before returning to normal could make you feel even more anxious than you already did. See more about Does Wine Freeze? What Temperature?
Wine Can Contribute To Anxiety
Throw Your Body Chemistry Off Balance
Serotonin, other neurotransmitters, and other hormones are altered by all forms of alcohol, which can exacerbate anxiety. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, so even though one drink may feel soothing, the rebound effect it can have after it wears off can last for several hours or even all day.
Spark Hot Flashes And Night Sweats
Your body works to restore equilibrium after being knocked out of it. Your body may fail to achieve balance if you are menopausal or in the perimenopause. When you drink wine, your body interprets it as sugar, resulting in an increase in insulin to handle the rise in blood sugar, which disrupts other hormones like progesterone and estrogen. Your body may overcompensate and try too hard to achieve equilibrium, which can result in hot flashes and night sweats.
Disrupt Sleep
Your body cannot relax when it is out of its natural state of homeostasis. Therefore, while it may be true that a glass of wine makes it easier for you to fall asleep, it is also true that the reason you wake up a few hours later is due to the sedative effects wearing off and the aftereffects of your body trying to regain equilibrium. You guessed it: less sleep can lead to more anxiety, creating a vicious cycle.
Slippery Slope
Even if you’ve never had alcoholism problems, you might still have some addictive traits that could make you indulge excessively in other areas of your life (most people do). Think about binge-watching Netflix or other recorded shows, buying snacks that are sweet or salty, shopping in stores or online, and all the other addictions that our 24/7 lifestyles provide. Also keep in mind that alcoholism and anxiety disorders often go hand in hand; if you have one, you are more likely to experience problems with the other.
Despite the fact that women are more likely to experience anxiety than men, the treatments that will be most effective for you will depend on a variety of factors, including your lifestyle, mental, emotional, and physical make-up. You can find out more about your distinctive needs in my bookSuper Woman Rx, as well as tons of stress- and anxiety-relieving strategies.
Strategy For Busting Anxiety In The Evening
Here are some of my favorite methods for winding down at night without alcohol. You can choose what seems manageable or complete the entire list for the ideal evening relaxation routine.
Shut Off Screens
First, I’ll tackle the most challenging one: I highly advise setting aside time each evening to turn off all screens. This applies to any buzzing, vibrating, or beeping that comes with the associated device, and I try to do this. I suggest a solid hour, with three hours being ideal, before bed.
Power Up A Diffuser
Aromas that are relaxing and calming include lavender, vanilla, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, bergamot, and chamomile. To carry the scent with you wherever you go, dab a few of these essential oils on your wrists.
Enjoy A Healthy Nightcap
My entire family enjoys drinking this soothing golden milk because it contains turmeric, ginger, cloves, and honey, which have natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Using almond or coconut milk will enable you to make it dairy-free. Your immune system is strengthened as a result, in addition to relaxing your digestive system.
Bear In Mind To Breathe
Despite how effective and accessible this stress-relieving technique is, most of us don’t use it. Instead, most people I meet tend to breathe quickly. You maintain overall balance by inhaling and exhaling slowly and fully, which improves blood circulation, better transports nutrients and chemicals to all the various critical regions of your body and brain, and increases blood flow. I adore using the 4-7-8 breath method recommended by Dr. Weil. I prefer to do this while seated on the floor or in a chair. Just inhale for four counts, hold the breath for seven counts, and then let out for eight counts. Repeat this cycle 3 or 4 times.
Be Thankful On Paper
A list of my blessings always brings me down a few pegs. Even if you had a bad day, I bet you can still count at least ten things each day for which you are grateful, such as a working refrigerator, a cozy blanket, someone’s smile, the deep breaths you just finished taking, or your pulse. Gratitude greatly contributes to a happy, less anxious state of mind, and we don’t need science to tell us that!
Can Alcohol Make You Anxious?
Alcohol abuse can have a number of long-term health effects, including mental health disorders.
According to research, alcoholics have a hard time getting over traumatic experiences. The effects of alcohol abuse, which can actually alter brain activity, may be to blame for this.
Heavy drinkers for a prolonged period of time may be more prone to anxiety disorders. There is no proof, though, that moderate drinking will make you anxious.
Another sign of alcohol withdrawal is increased anxiety. The negative effects of alcohol withdrawal may make your anxiety worse if you’ve been drinking heavily for a while and then suddenly stop. Other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
- trembling hands
- sweating
- heart rate above 100 beats per minute
- hallucinations
- nausea
- vomiting
- seizures
How Does Alcohol Exacerbate Anxiety?
Alcohol can worsen anxiety because it alters the brain’s levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters. In fact, after the alcohol wears off, you might feel even more anxious.
Anxiety brought on by alcohol may persist for several hours or even the entire day after drinking.
It can be dangerous to use alcohol to treat social anxiety disorder. Approximately 7% of Americans suffer from this type of anxiety, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).
You might find social situations to be intolerable if you have social anxiety. Alcohol use is widespread among those who suffer from social anxiety disorder as a coping mechanism. This can result in a dependency on alcohol when socializing, which can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety.
A little over 20% of people who have social anxiety disorder also have alcohol dependence.
Besides needing alcohol to feel comfortable when socializing, other signs of dependence include:
- needing a drink to get going in the morning
- drinking heavily four or more days per week
- requiring a drink at every get-together
- an inability to stop drinking
- drinking five or more alcoholic beverages in one day
Alcohol abuse can result in hangovers as well. A hangover can cause symptoms that make you feel more anxious than you were, including:
- headaches
- dizziness
- nausea
- dehydration
- low blood glucose (sugar)
Lifestyle Changes To Reduce Anxiety
Although anxiety can be managed, it is not always reversible. You can, however, alter your way of life to lessen your anxiety and develop coping mechanisms.
You can make some daily adjustments to lessen your anxiety.
- Depending on your age, you should aim for 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night.
- You should consume less alcohol and caffeine because both can make you feel more anxious.
- Consume regular, wholesome meals every day.
- Set aside time each day to concentrate on relaxation exercises like yoga or meditation.
- Spend some time every day doing something relaxing, like painting or listening to music.
You can also learn to cope with your anxiety by slowing it and preventing it from increasing and causing panic attacks:
- When you start to feel anxious, take a few deep breaths in and out to relax yourself.
- When you notice that your thoughts are getting too negative or overwhelming, try to think positive thoughts.
- Count slowly from 1 to 10 or more until you start to feel less anxious.
- Until your anxiety starts to subside, concentrate on something that makes you laugh or feel good.
Conclusion
You can still benefit from eating grapes and berries in their whole form if you don’t like red wine or don’t drink alcohol. Although more research is required, we are intrigued by the idea that these delectable fruits might enhance our mental health.
Please post a question in the comments if you have any.
