‘Tis the season where we have more celebrations and get togethers. It’s also the season where we may consume more alcohol than the rest of the year.
Alcohol impacts how your body produces hormones, as well as the function of many of your glands and organs.
This article is not meant to scare you, but help you be aware of how alcohol impacts your body, especially your hormones, so you can adjust your intake to your symptoms, your goals, or your preferences.
Let’s dive in!
Hormones impacted by alcohol
Though everyone’s body has a different tolerance and reaction to alcohol, it’s common to see the following hormones impacted the most.
Cortisol
Your stress hormone is impacted by alcohol use. Drinking alcohol triggers a stress response in your body that releases more cortisol.
When your cortisol is triggered, it can lead to weight gain (especially around the midsection), mood issues (specifically anxiety), and lowered immune function (not ideal during cold and flu reason).
Sex Hormones
For women specifically, drinking alcohol disrupts your entire cycle. Drinking alcohol can impact when and if you ovulate, which in turn impacts your ability to get pregnant and your fertility.
Alcohol also raises your estrogen levels, which can lead to an estrogen imbalance or estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is connected to more painful periods, heavy bleeding, and estrogen-sensitive cancers.
Progesterone is also impacted when you drink alcohol. Progesterone is in charge of your uterine lining thickening, the production of breast milk, and stabilizes your moods.
Your Mood Hormones
Dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin – all of your feel good hormones – are negatively impacted by alcohol as well. When these are impacted, it can lead to more mood disorders, anxiety, and memory issues.
Blood Sugar
Alcohol also negatively impacts your blood sugar. When drinking, it impairs the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose and can ultimately worsen diabetes or your chance of developing diabetes.
Even one drink can impact your ghrelin (aka, the hormone that tells you when you’re hungry) and leptin (the hormone that tells you when you’re full). This can lead to more cravings, over eating, or forgetting to eat because you don’t have the signs from your body that you’re hungry.
What happens when you have hormonal disruptions from alcohol?
Alcohol disrupts the communication channels between the brain and glands in your body. A lot of these glands are in charge of producing and releasing hormones. Meaning, alcohol impacts your entire endocrine system.
When your hormones are disrupted from alcohol, there are four systems that take most of the impact:
- Your reproductive health. Which leads to irregular periods, infertility, painful periods, and more.
- Your metabolic health. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes and abnormal cholesterol.
- Your bone health. Especially for women, drinking alcohol is connected to weaker bones and osteoporosis.
- Your mental health. Worsened mood disorders, anxiety, and cognitive function (like your memory) are all impacted by alcoholic beverages.
Even drinking moderately can impact your hormones and your systems, but heavier or binge drinking can cause more significant imbalances to your hormones.
Now, I’m not telling you to stop drinking. I love a good margarita with my girlfriends or a glass of wine with my husband now and then.
It’s important that you notice how alcohol specifically impacts you. And knowing how to adjust your alcohol intake as it impacts your goals – whether that’s to lose weight, get pregnant, or longevity with your health.
If you’re looking for support with your hormone health, let’s set up a complimentary hormone analysis call to chat about what’s going on and your next steps!
