What happens to your body during Dry January

The benefits go beyond losing a beer belly.

The benefits go beyond losing a beer belly.

you're exhausted. It's been a long day, and you just won a nightcap. But could that liquid elixir actually be contributing to your exhaustion? A sleep expert confirms to bustle while drinking before bed does help you fall asleep. It can also disturbed your slumber. It all comes down to your REM sleep, according to Dr Roy Raymond from sleep score labs. Drinking close to bedtime disturbs this dream filled portion of sleep, which can cause you toe wake up more frequently and experience daytime drowsiness. Sorry to be a buzzkill, but while you may be craving that glass of red, your body is craving deep sleep, which too many drinks can deprive you from. And if those long nights of drinking become a pattern, it can cause sleep apnea or late night bathroom visits. Now that's a real party pooper. So even if you didn't participate in dry January, positive Health and Wellness found taking a month off from alcohol can improve. Sleep by 10% and I bet your bank account will notice the difference, too

What happens to your body during Dry January

The benefits go beyond losing a beer belly.

It's likely you aren't alone if you're attempting Dry January. With the last 10 years, Dry January has gained traction as a resolution. And we're betting it hasn't slipped too far down the resolution list this year, since alcohol sales soared when the pandemic first broke out, and many of us are drinking more than we did before. The concept of Dry January is straightforward: Give up alcohol for the entire first month of the year. And yes, January is a month with 31 days, so no getting off easy at a nice, round 30. There are health benefits associated with Dry January — and there's also this: A lot of experts have issues with the quit-alcohol-all-at-once approach. If you've moved your alcohol consumption up to three or four drinks a night, experts warn against going cold turkey. If that sounds like you, try cutting back first to avoid potentially serious withdrawal issues. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has some useful strategies for cutting back. If those don't feel right for you, consider getting professional help, which is often only a phone call away via teletherapy. Dry January might be harder to do this year, if your office is your happy hour space is your relax-and-Zoom-with-friends space is right next to the refrigerator or bar cabinet where those drinks live. On the other hand, it might be easier without the vibrant bar scenes tempting you to have a cold one, and friends rolling their eyes at your Dry January resolution. If you're in the middle of trying out Dry January, here's what to know about what it does for your body — and how to make it just a little easier. First, What Is Dry January?Created by UK-based nonprofit Alcohol Change UK, the first official “Dry January” began in 2013. That year, more than 4,300 people pledged not to drink any alcohol for the month. And yes, “dry” means abstaining from alcohol for a month—no cheat days. In 2017, that number spiked to more than 5 million, with the enthusiasm for the campaign spilling into the United States. Dry January participants claim that giving up drinking for one month can reverse the negative health impacts of regular drinking, like fatty liver disease and elevated blood sugar. They also champion that not drinking can improve sleep and enhance energy. How Alcohol Affects Your BodyYour body breaks down alcohol via a number of organs, including your stomach and pancreas, but your liver bears the biggest burden of turning alcohol into less damaging forms. Through that breakdown process, the toxic byproducts from alcohol may lead to inflammation in your pancreas, which could potentially harm your insulin-producing cells and impair your fat metabolism. Constantly living in the drink/repeat cycle may also lead to fatty liver, a silent disease that’s relatively benign in its early stages, although more research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms.Even though fatty liver is common in those who drink at or above the guidelines, there is evidence that it’s reversible when you abstain from alcohol or even drink less, says Dr. Rotonya Carr, hepatologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.With continued drinking, about a third of people with fatty liver go on to develop alcoholic hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, which eventually leads to scarring and the life-threatening condition of cirrhosis in 10% to 20% of people. Even in these advanced stages, research suggests that giving up alcohol can reverse scarring and improve the chance of survival.“The liver is a very forgiving organ,” adds Dr. Carr, “it can heal itself when the insult, in this case alcohol, goes away.” So, does Dry January erase all those nights of drinking?Not quite. It’s going to take more than one month to completely heal your liver and the rest of your body, points out Aaron White, Ph.D., senior scientist at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “But taking a month off from drinking is never a bad idea, and is a great time to evaluate your relationship with alcohol,” says White.Dry January BenefitsWhich of the supposed benefits of Dry January really holds up under scrutiny? Dry January helps you sleep better. True! Anecdotally, people often credit alcohol with helping them sleep. However, a review of studies in 2013 found that alcohol may help people fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply during the initial stages of sleep, but is likely to disrupt sleep later in the night. “Alcohol on the whole is not useful for improving a whole night's sleep. Sleep may be deeper to start with, but then becomes disrupted,” study co-author Chris Idzikowski, Ph.D., and sleep specialist, said in a statement. “Additionally, that deeper sleep will probably promote snoring and poorer breathing. So, one shouldn't expect better sleep with alcohol."Dry January helps you drink less the rest of the year. Also true! It sounds weird, but you may not realize how often or how much alcohol you drink until you aren't drinking it. While drinking in moderation isn’t all bad — and is, in fact, associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and death — taking a month off may help you drink less throughout 2021. In fact, a 2016 study of adults who participated in Dry January found that up to six months later, they were drinking on fewer occasions and drank less when they did drink alcohol.Making Dry January EasierSome people find it hard to change the habit of having a drink in their hand at 6 p.m., so they first change what's in their glass. Fortunately, there are now a lot of flavored alcohol substitutes that let you dream up some really interesting alcohol-free cocktails. These would include products like Kin and Seedlip. Also on your side are the growing numbers of surprisingly good non-alcoholic beers. Check out the ones that passed our taste test here.

It's likely you aren't alone if you're attempting Dry January.

With the last 10 years, Dry January has gained traction as a resolution. And we're betting it hasn't slipped too far down the resolution list this year, since alcohol sales soared when the pandemic first broke out, and many of us are drinking more than we did before.

The concept of Dry January is straightforward: Give up alcohol for the entire first month of the year. And yes, January is a month with 31 days, so no getting off easy at a nice, round 30.

There are health benefits associated with Dry January — and there's also this: A lot of experts have issues with the quit-alcohol-all-at-once approach. If you've moved your alcohol consumption up to three or four drinks a night, . If that sounds like you, try cutting back first to avoid potentially serious withdrawal issues. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has some . If those don't feel right for you, consider getting professional help, which is often only a phone call away via teletherapy.

Dry January might be harder to do this year, if your office is your happy hour space is your relax-and-Zoom-with-friends space is right next to the refrigerator or bar cabinet where those drinks live. On the other hand, it might be easier without the vibrant bar scenes tempting you to have a cold one, and friends rolling their eyes at your Dry January resolution.

If you're in the middle of trying out Dry January, here's what to know about what it does for your body — and how to make it just a little easier.

First, What Is Dry January?

Created by UK-based , the first official “Dry January” began in 2013. That year, more than 4,300 people pledged not to drink any alcohol for the month. And yes, “dry” means abstaining from alcohol for a month—no cheat days.

In 2017, that number spiked to , with the enthusiasm for the campaign spilling into the United States. Dry January participants claim that giving up drinking for one month can reverse the negative health impacts of regular drinking, like and . They also champion that not drinking can improve sleep and enhance energy.

How Alcohol Affects Your Body

Your body breaks down alcohol via a number of organs, including your stomach and pancreas, but your liver bears the biggest burden of turning alcohol into less damaging forms.

Through that breakdown process, the toxic byproducts from alcohol may lead to inflammation in your pancreas, which could potentially harm your insulin-producing cells and impair your fat metabolism.

Constantly living in the drink/repeat cycle may also lead to , a silent disease that’s relatively benign in its early stages, although more research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms.

Even though fatty liver is common in those who drink at or above the guidelines, there is evidence that it’s reversible when you abstain from alcohol or even drink less, says Dr. Rotonya Carr, hepatologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

With continued drinking, about a third of people with fatty liver go on to develop alcoholic hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, which eventually leads to scarring and the life-threatening condition of cirrhosis in 10% to 20% of people. Even in these advanced stages, research suggests that giving up alcohol can reverse scarring and improve the chance of survival.

“The liver is a very forgiving organ,” adds Dr. Carr, “it can heal itself when the insult, in this case alcohol, goes away.”

So, does Dry January erase all those nights of drinking?

Not quite. It’s going to take more than one month to completely heal your liver and the rest of your body, points out Aaron White, Ph.D., senior scientist at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“But taking a month off from drinking is never a bad idea, and is a great time to evaluate your relationship with alcohol,” says White.

Dry January Benefits

Which of the supposed benefits of Dry January really holds up under scrutiny?

Dry January helps you sleep better.

True! Anecdotally, people often credit alcohol with helping them sleep. However, in 2013 found that alcohol may help people fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply during the initial stages of sleep, but is likely to disrupt sleep later in the night.

“Alcohol on the whole is not useful for improving a whole night's sleep. Sleep may be deeper to start with, but then becomes disrupted,” study co-author Chris Idzikowski, Ph.D., and sleep specialist, said in a . “Additionally, that deeper sleep will probably promote snoring and poorer breathing. So, one shouldn't expect better sleep with alcohol."

Dry January helps you drink less the rest of the year.

Also true! It sounds weird, but you may not realize how often or how much alcohol you drink until you aren't drinking it.

While drinking in moderation isn’t all bad — and is, in fact, associated with a — taking a month off may help you drink less throughout 2021. In fact, a 2016 of adults who participated in Dry January found that up to six months later, they were drinking on fewer occasions and drank less when they did drink alcohol.

Making Dry January Easier

Some people find it hard to change the habit of having a drink in their hand at 6 p.m., so they first change what's in their glass. Fortunately, there are now a lot of flavored alcohol substitutes that let you dream up some really interesting alcohol-free cocktails. These would include products like and .

Also on your side are the growing numbers of surprisingly good non-alcoholic beers. Check out the ones that passed our taste test .

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