MENOPAUSE AND ALCOHOL
Did you know that women metabolize alcohol differently than men, and that older women metabolize alcohol differently than younger women? Today we’ll cover some little known facts about alcohol consumption and the menopause transition.
Women metabolize alcohol differently than men. Women have less water in their blood than men and lower levels of the enzymes that metabolize alcohol. This means that when women consume alcohol, the alcohol stays in their blood stream longer, having a more inebriating effect for longer. In addition to a more inebriating effect, the longer exposure to alcohol exposes women to more significant alcohol-related health risks.
Similarly, older women tend to have less body water than younger women. And to the same effect as women compared to men, older women will have a higher blood alcohol concentration than younger women when drinking the same amount. This is yet another case of an adaption that needs to be made as a women enters perimenopause. There is actually science behind that hangover you get now after two glasses of wine that would not have even affected you in your 20s!
A few other alcohol related facts:
As women age, they are more likely to be on prescription medication, which can impact the metabolism of alcohol.
Women drink more as they age. Rates of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol-related disorders in women increased significantly during the COVID 19 pandemic and continue to rise today.
Women tend to believe that they are drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, but this amount is often less than women think.
(A quick recap: Moderate consumption is 5-7 drinks per week for women. A “drink” is 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, and 1.5 oz of distilled spirits.)
Alcohol has systemic impacts that make menopause symptoms and risks worse. Alcohol can lead to:
Increased frequency and intensity of hot flushes
Poor and disrupted sleep - (alcohol may help you fall asleep, but the metabolism of the alcohol causes sleep disruptions throughout the night)
Weaker bones
Slower exercise recovery
Increased cognitive dysfunction (higher anxiety, brain fog, memory loss)
Increased belly fat
The best action to take is to refrain from alcohol altogether, (we have a great blog post that includes recipes for some of our favorite mocktails) but if that is not something you are interested in, we have a few suggestions.
If you are unwilling to change the amount you drink:
Determine which type of alcohol impacts you the least. If beer makes you bloated and wine gives you a headache, experiment with different types of liquor that might have fewer negative effects.
Try drinking at a different time. If you notice your sleep is impacted, try drinking earlier in the day rather than later at night. You may still feel negative effects, but drinking earlier will have less of an impact on your sleep cycle.
Try different ways of hydrating and eating and see if you experience fewer negative impacts.
If you are interested in drinking less:
Play around with your schedule. Instead of having two glasses of wine five nights per week, consider having two glasses of wine three nights per week or have one glass of wine four nights per week, and two glasses of wine one night per week. (This will help cut down on overall alcohol consumption throughout the week.)
Plan more days when you won’t be drinking. If you typically drink five nights a week, try cutting back to three nights per week, or only drinking on weekends.
With the holidays approaching and so many of you working hard towards your goals, we wanted this post to be a reminder that alcohol can reverse some of the positive benefits you have worked so hard to achieve. We hope you feel educated and have enough data to make a decision you feel comfortable with! Alcohol consumption is something we work with a majority of our clients on. If you want to talk more about alcohol and perimenopause, schedule a strategy session with us today!