# Alcohol + Hydration ##### Untangling Pain ---  --- ## tl;dr **Alcohol and pain** - Alcohol can temporarily reduce pain - it has analgesic effects - Useful in acute cases, not long term - Chronic pain can lead to more drinking - Self-medication happens but worsens things over time - Low/moderate use may help, high/long-term use worsens pain **Alcohol and women** - Especially important for midlife women - Needs to be looked at if you’re in long-term pain - Even if it’s stress relief, it can be harmful **Alcohol is a DIM** - This really is a DIM - No way it could be a SIM long term **Hydration and pain** - Mild dehydration increases pain sensitivity and lowers tolerance - Possibly influenced by menstrual cycle hormones **Hydration habits** - Drinking enough fluids is a non-negotiable - Simple habit, big impact - I need at least 2L a day - less makes me feel awful **Hydration is a SIM** - Hydration = SIM - Dehydration = DIM **Water is a game changer** - Some clients changed just by drinking water - Use squash, fruit, herbal teas if needed - Just get your fluids up --- ## Transcript On to alcohol and alcohol does influence pain but it's complicated. Firstly, alcohol has been found to have analgesic effects on pain, this means that it can temporarily reduce pain. Analgesia refers to something that acts to relieve pain. And again, it makes sense, right? We've seen all the old films where the surgeon doesn't have any anesthetic, but instead gives their patient alcohol to drink. Not only will it knock them out, because quite often they drink that much of it, but, it has been found to relieve pain. That said, this is only the case when it comes to acute stuff. Long term, excessive, Alcohol consumption can actually make things worse. So it increases the sensitization of the nervous system. And yet it's funny because chronic pain can actually lead to increase in alcohol consumption in the first place. So pain can be a driver in alcohol use. And again, it makes sense, we're trying to get away from the pain, we're trying to self medicate. Initially, that may have helped, like we said initially, it can be an analgesia. But again, long term, it might actually make things worse. The thing is that low to moderate alcohol use may be associated with improved pain related outcomes, but high consumption, and especially over a long period of time, can actually worsen So, if you are someone that is in pain, and especially if it has been longer term, then this is where looking at your alcohol consumption is another part of the puzzle. This is especially true for women, and especially true for women in midlife. This really does need to be looked at. And again, it's not an easy thing to do for many of us that, if we do find alcohol helps take the stress off the day and things like that. But I cannot stress enough that this is something that you really need to be looking at. If I'm honest, and I said at the very beginning that I would not say if something was a DIM or a SIM, this is a DIM, this really is a DIM. There is nowhere that this could be a SIM in the long term. It can't. So it really does need to be looked at. On to hydration. Hydration, or rather dehydration, can significantly influence pain perception. This has been found a few times. So basically even mild dehydration can increase pain sensitivity and can reduce pain tolerance. And this has actually been found in both men and women. As with any research, the relationship between hydration status and pain is complex. I suppose that's pretty much just pain research in general, and especially when it comes to women. But, they have also found that there may also be interactions with reproductive hormones in women. Maybe, and I don't have research for this by the way. But it may be that at certain points in your menstrual cycle, being dehydrated may affect you more than at other times. So again, hydration and staying hydrated, drinking plenty of fluids, drinking plenty of water, is another part of the puzzle. And it definitely should be something that is a non negotiable for you on your list. It's so simple to do. And This needs to be done every day. This does need to be part of your part of your habits. So with regards to this being a DIM or a SIM, I think staying hydrated would be a SIM. Dehydration is a DIM. As for how much you need, again, that's very personal to you. I found definitely minimum 2 litres for me personally is a non negotiable. Anything less than that and I really do struggle. I just feel sluggish. I feel that brain fog. I will probably end up with a headache and I just feel a bit shit if I'm honest. So if you are someone who doesn't drink any water or doesn't drink much fluids, This can actually be a huge game changer and it's so simple to do. I've had a few clients over the years that literally all they have done, I'm not saying all they've done actually, because they came to me for massage and stuff, but the biggest change they made, was bringing in water into their diet. And making sure that they did drink their water each day, and it made a huge difference. It's dead simple to do. Use squash if you can't cope with water on its own. Use fruit or herbal teas. Just get your fluids up. There's a reason that people say it so much, there is a reason for it and it's definitely a piece of the puzzle when it comes to pain. So you need to bring that in. --- Next lesson → [[Untangling Pain – Module 2 Lesson 06|next lesson]] %% - [[Alcohol does influence pain, but it’s complicated]] - [[Long term, excessive alcohol consumption can actually make pain worse]] - [[Alcohol and Midlife Women]] - [[Alcohol as a DIM]] - [[Hydration and Pain Perception]] - [[Hydration and Hormones]] - [[Hydration as a Daily Habit]] - [[Hydration as a SIM]] - [[Water as a Game Changer]] - [[Easy Ways to Increase Fluids]]