Is it true that drinking alcohol makes you warm?
Don’t be fooled by the legend of a Saint Bernard toting a barrel of brandy to freezing hikers in the snowy Alps. Alcohol may make you feel warm on a cold day, but it’s an illusion.
Alcohol dilates your blood vessels, sending warm blood to your skin, where it stimulates nerve endings that help you sense the warmth. “Your skin is actually getting warmer, and that feels good, as surely as it feels good to walk out on a sunny day and feel the sun on your skin,” said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University. “But that means heat is escaping your body.”
As the blood rushes to the surface, it is pulled away from your core, where it is needed to keep your organs warm. Your body is getting colder, not warmer — and you won’t be able to feel it. In severe weather, this can increase the risk of hypothermia — very low body temperature — experts said.
“The beer jacket is an illusion,” said Aaron White, the senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
There’s a second mechanism by which alcohol can affect your core body temperature, experts said. It disrupts the work of the hypothalamus, which, in part, regulates that core temperature, limiting your body’s ability to control it and making you more susceptible to ambient temperatures.
A literature review by the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine found that “alcohol ingestion exacerbates the fall in body core temperature during cold exposure” by inhibiting the shiver response in which muscles contract and relax to warm the body.
But not everyone may respond the same way.
The effects of alcohol on body temperature can be influenced by a number of factors such as the amount of alcohol consumed, personal tolerance, and overall health, said Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition.
In general, the higher the level of alcohol in the bloodstream, the more likely a person is to experience side effects, including a change in core body temperature, research shows. As are those who have certain medical conditions or are taking particular medications, Zumpano said in an email.
But some people may tolerate alcohol better than others and may not be as susceptible to certain reactions, she said.
What else you should know:
When drinking alcohol in cold environments, White said, don’t be misled by that warm sensation. Take precautions:
– Bundle up.
– Don’t walk long distances in the cold.
– Don’t stay out in the cold for long periods of time.
Drinking alcoholic beverages on a cold day may make you feel warm, but it is probably lowering your core body temperature, making you colder.
Analysis:
The idea that alcohol makes you feel warm despite actually lowering your core body temperature has significant implications, especially in cold weather conditions. This understanding challenges the common misconception that consuming alcohol can provide warmth and protection against freezing temperatures.
With the winter season upon us, it’s crucial to raise awareness about the potential dangers associated with relying on alcohol to keep warm. The fact that alcohol dilates blood vessels, redirecting warm blood to the skin, can give a false sense of warmth. However, this process results in heat escaping from the body and leaving the core colder.
Understanding this phenomenon is essential, especially when considering activities such as hiking or spending extended periods outdoors in cold weather. Consuming alcohol in these situations can increase the risk of hypothermia, a serious condition characterized by dangerously low body temperatures.
Furthermore, alcohol’s impact on the hypothalamus, a key regulator of core body temperature, can further hinder the body’s ability to maintain a safe and optimal temperature. This disruption makes individuals more susceptible to ambient temperatures and less capable of controlling their body heat effectively.
It is important to note that individual responses to alcohol and its effect on body temperature can vary. Factors such as the amount of alcohol consumed, personal tolerance, and overall health play a role in determining the impact on each person.
Considering the potential risks associated with alcohol consumption in cold weather, it becomes vital to educate individuals on the importance of proper clothing and other measures to maintain warmth. Solely relying on the false feeling of warmth provided by alcohol can lead to dangerous situations.
Looking towards the future, it is crucial for healthcare professionals, organizations, and the media to spread accurate information regarding alcohol’s impact on body temperature. Public awareness campaigns should focus on dispelling popular myths and providing evidence-backed guidance on how to stay warm in cold environments.
As climate change continues to bring about extreme weather conditions, the understanding of how alcohol affects body temperature becomes even more critical. Individuals and communities need to be prepared and equipped with accurate knowledge on how to protect themselves in adverse weather situations.
In conclusion, the notion that alcohol provides warmth in cold weather is a common misconception. Understanding the scientific truth behind this myth is crucial for ensuring personal safety and well-being. Relying on alcohol to keep warm can have harmful consequences, and it is essential to provide accurate information to the public, focusing on preventive measures and appropriate clothing choices for cold weather conditions.