Alcohol and Its Impact on Your Body: A Personal Experiment
Note: This article original lived on my health blog. Which I've shut down and now am moving the articles to this blog.
Alcohol and Its Impact on Your Body: A Personal Experiment
Let’s face it—alcohol plays a significant role in our social lives. But we also know it can wreak havoc on our bodies, especially when consumed excessively. So, I decided to run a little experiment, purely for "research" purposes, to see firsthand how alcohol really affects my body. Spoiler: it wasn't great.
Before we dive into the details, keep in mind, I’m not a doctor or health professional. This is purely based on my own experience and observations. If you have concerns about your alcohol consumption or health in general, please speak to a healthcare professional.
The Experiment
I went all in—alternating between moderate drinking days (just one drink) and days where I pushed the limits (think two to three bottles of wine and several beers). Yeah, I know… bad idea. But this was all in the name of science, right?
Throughout the experiment, I tracked my body’s response using my Whoop 4.0, which monitors things like heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate, body temperature, and sleep. The results were... well, let’s just say they weren’t surprising.
After Heavy Drinking
The effects of those heavy drinking days hit hard, just as expected:
- Heart Rate Variability (HRV): My HRV nosedived from a solid 100 to a shaky 30 after a night of heavy drinking. HRV is a big deal when it comes to stress and recovery, and this drop pretty much screamed "your body is struggling."
- Respiratory Rate: My breathing shot up too, from around 12.9 breaths per minute to 16. This isn't normal—my body was clearly under stress.
- Body Temperature: My Whoop recorded an elevated body temperature, a potential sign of inflammation. My body wasn’t happy.
- Resting Heart Rate (RHR): Normally, my RHR hangs around 49, but after those heavy nights? It spiked to 70–80. Not good. A higher RHR usually means your heart is working overtime, which isn’t a sign of efficient heart function.
- REM Sleep: Normally, I get around 2 hours of REM sleep a night. After a heavy drinking session, I was lucky to get 30 minutes. REM is crucial for memory and mood, so this was a pretty significant hit.
- Sleep Performance: My sleep performance dropped from an average of 75-80% down to an abysmal 50%. It wasn’t just bad sleep—it was the kind that keeps you feeling hungover well into the next day.
- HRV: Even with just one drink, my HRV dropped from 100 to 60. Not as bad as heavy drinking, but still not ideal.
- RHR: My resting heart rate edged up slightly. Noticeable, but nothing too concerning.
- Respiratory Rate: One extra breath per minute. Not huge, but it’s something.
- Sleep: My sleep quality? Still worse. It wasn’t a massive drop, but it was clear that even a small amount of alcohol can mess with my sleep.
After One Drink
You might think a single drink wouldn’t do much, right? Turns out, even that one glass before bed wasn’t as harmless as I thought:
Conclusion
This little experiment reinforced what I kind of already knew—alcohol, even in moderation, can have a pretty big impact on your body, especially when it comes to sleep and recovery. For me, the sweet spot seems to be limiting alcohol to once a month (or less) and drinking plenty of water when I do.
Alcohol may be a common part of social life, but let’s not forget—it’s a potent substance, and your body feels every bit of it. Drink responsibly, and always consider how it might affect your health when deciding how much to indulge.
...and now, excuse me while I sip on some water.
