The Effects of Drinking Wine in the Morning
Many people enjoy an occasional glass of wine with dinner or to unwind at the end of a long day. However, some choose to start their day with a glass of wine or mimosa with breakfast. Is this a harmless habit or can drinking wine in the morning negatively impact your health and well-being? Let's take a closer look at some of the potential effects.
Impact on Sleep Quality
One of the main concerns with drinking wine in the morning is how it can affect your sleep. Alcohol is known to disrupt normal sleep cycles and patterns. While a glass of wine at night may help you fall asleep faster, it reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep which is crucial for restorative rest. It also increases wakefulness in the second half of the night as the alcohol wears off.
If you drink wine with breakfast, the alcohol continues circulating in your system and can make you feel drowsy and sluggish during the day. Hangovers from morning drinking may also leave you feeling fatigued. Over time, regularly drinking in the morning can contribute to chronic sleep deprivation and insomnia.
Daytime Drowsiness
Feeling drowsy during the day can be a side effect of drinking wine in the morning. Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows down functioning in the brain and neurological system. When you drink wine with breakfast, the alcohol circulates in your bloodstream and can make you feel sleepy, sluggish, or mentally foggy.
This can impair concentration, focus, productivity, and cognitive skills. Daytime sleepiness from morning drinking also increases your risk of accidents if operating heavy machinery or driving. Fatigue-related car crashes tend to be more severe than accidents not caused by drowsiness.
Dehydration
Alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning it causes your body to excrete more fluid than normal through increased urination. This can lead to dehydration when drinking wine in the morning, especially before you have had much to eat or drink anything else. Mild to moderate dehydration can leave you feeling groggy, faint, or dizzy.
More severe forms can cause muscle cramps, rapid heart rate, confusion, and even unconsciousness. This impacts physical and mental performance. Dehydration also exacerbates hangovers from morning drinking. It's important to drink plenty of water to counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol.
Suppressed Immune System
Regularly consuming wine in the morning can take a toll on your immune system. Alcohol suppresses immune responses, making you more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections. Drinking every morning means your immune system doesn't get a break to recover its full functioning. This constant dampening effect can leave you prone to more frequent colds, flu, and other illnesses.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Wine and other forms of alcohol provide essentially no nutritional value. If you fill up on empty liquid calories from wine at breakfast, you are unlikely to have much of an appetite for actual food the rest of the day. This can shortchange your intake of protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for good health.
Deficiencies in nutrients like iron, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins are more common among people who drink heavily. Nutritional deficiencies can negatively impact your energy levels, mood, concentration, immune health, and sleep quality.
Increased Cancer Risk
Regularly drinking wine, especially in amounts exceeding moderation, is linked to an increased risk of certain cancers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer identifies alcohol consumption as a Group 1 carcinogen. Alcohol may contribute to cancer formation by damaging cells, impairing the body's ability to process toxins, decreasing absorption of nutrients, and through the production of acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
Cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, colon, liver, and breast are most strongly associated with alcohol use. The risk appears greater for those who both drink and smoke tobacco. Morning drinking on a habitual basis can potentially raise your risk of developing certain cancers over time.
Liver Damage
The liver serves as the body's natural filtration system, helping process nutrients and remove toxins. But the liver is also responsible for processing alcohol. Regularly drinking wine in the morning requires your liver to be working hard early in the day to metabolize the alcohol.
Over time, heavy daily drinking can cause fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. These conditions impair the liver's ability to function normally. Caught early, liver damage from alcohol may be reversible through abstinence. But advanced disease can necessitate a liver transplant.
Increased Alcohol Tolerance
When you drink wine every morning, your body develops a higher tolerance for alcohol. This means you need to drink larger amounts to feel the desired effects. Increased alcohol tolerance can lead people to drink more hazardously both in the mornings and throughout the day.
Higher tolerance also makes alcohol withdrawal more dangerous when trying to abstain from drinking. People with greater tolerance often experience more severe withdrawal symptoms. These may include trembling, perspiration, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, confusion, hallucinations, and seizures. In some cases, withdrawal can be fatal.
Alcohol Addiction
Due to its effects on the brain's reward pathways, alcohol is an addictive substance. Regularly drinking wine in the mornings can put you at increased risk for developing alcoholism. People who already have an alcohol use disorder may drink first thing upon waking to stave off withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
As morning drinking becomes an entrenched habit, people often need to drink more to feel normal. Over time, alcohol becomes less pleasurable but increasingly necessary just to function. Quitting can become very difficult without professional help. Alcohol addiction can derail careers, relationships, finances, and your health.
Healthier Morning Beverage Alternatives
If you currently enjoy drinking wine in the morning, there are healthier beverage options to start your day. Here are some great alternatives:
Water
Drinking water first thing helps rehydrate your body after sleep.Aim for 2-3 glasses of water within the first 1-2 hours of waking. Add lemon, lime, cucumber, or mint for extra flavor.
Tea
Sipping on a hot cup of green, black, white, or herbal tea can be soothing. Tea contains antioxidants that support health. Avoid adding too much sugar.
Coffee
Coffee provides caffeine to help you feel alert and focused. Limit intake to 1-2 cups to prevent side effects like anxiety or insomnia.
Sparkling Water
For a refreshing fizzy drink, try infusing sparkling water with fruit slices. Sparkling mineral water provides hydration without calories or additives.
Fresh Juice
Juicing fresh fruits and veggies makes for an energizing and nutritious beverage. Focus on low-sugar fruits and add veggies like kale, celery, or cucumber.
Smoothies
Blending fruits with milk/yogurt, greens, oats, chia seeds, or nut butter makes a nourishing breakfast smoothie.
Protein Shakes
Choose a pre-made or custom protein shake to help build muscle and give you lasting energy.
Creating New Morning Rituals
If you're accustomed to drinking wine in the morning, it can be challenging to break the habit. Here are some tips for creating healthier morning rituals instead:
Gradually Taper Usage
Quitting cold turkey may be difficult or even dangerous if you're physically dependent. Slowly decrease how much and how often you drink each morning.
Start a Morning Routine
Engage in activities like exercise, meditation, journaling, or making a healthy breakfast so you have less time and desire for wine.
Avoid Triggers
Keep morning wine out of sight and out of reach. Ask others not to drink around you at breakfast.
Stay Accountable
Share your goals with loved ones who can support you and help keep you on track.
Identify Replacement Rewards
Instead of wine, treat yourself to something else you enjoy like a pretty tea cup, fresh flowers, or a new podcast.
Seek Medical Care if Needed
Talk to your doctor if you experience severe withdrawal symptoms when cutting back on morning drinking.
The Bottom Line
While an occasional mimosa or other drink with brunch is unlikely to cause harm, regularly drinking wine in the morning can negatively impact your health, safety, and quality of life. If you're ready to make a change, try substituting with healthier morning beverages and rituals for improved well-being.
FAQs
Does drinking wine in the morning help you sleep at night?
No, drinking wine in the morning is more likely to disrupt normal sleep cycles and patterns. Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster initially but reduces restorative REM sleep and increases wakefulness later at night.
Is it safe to drive after drinking wine with breakfast?
No, it is not safe to drive after consuming any amount of alcohol in the morning. Wine with breakfast can impair concentration, coordination, reaction time and decision-making skills needed for safe driving.
Can drinking wine in the morning lead to alcoholism?
Yes, regularly drinking wine in the morning can increase your risk for alcohol addiction. Morning drinking patterns are common among those with alcoholism as tolerance increases.
Does wine with breakfast have health benefits?
No, there are no proven health benefits to drinking wine in the morning. At best, it provides empty calories. At worst, it can negatively impact your sleep, immunity, cancer risk, liver function and mental health.
Is occasional wine with brunch OK?
An occasional mimosa, bellini or other drink with a weekend brunch is unlikely to cause harm for most healthy adults. However, daily morning drinking can lead to health and dependence issues.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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