Most of the population of our country firmly believe that during colds, the intake of alcoholic beverages can provide a significant help to the body on the way to recovery. But this is a big mistake. Ethanol not only won't help you get back on your feet faster, but it can do even more harm. So can you drink alcohol at a temperature during colds? We'll have to thoroughly understand this issue.
Ethyl alcohol and colds
The myth that alcohol helps the body cope with colds is based on a warming effect. But it only seems so, because after entering the bloodstream, ethanol provokes vasodilation, and this leads to blood flow to the skin. A person feels warmth, but such sensations are deceptive, because only the skin is warmed up and heat energy is quickly released into the environment and causes heat loss.
It is strongly not recommended to take alcohol in the cold. The emerging false sensation of warmth is dangerous, the person does not feel the real temperature.
If you drink during a cold, then, oddly enough, viruses and bacteria will not scatter to the sides, but will continue to exist. Alcohol only negatively affects the functioning of the immune system, which weakens the body and prevents it from fighting infection. The systematic intake of alcoholic beverages during an illness will increase the number of pathogenic bacteria, so the course of the disease will only worsen.
But among doctors there is also an opinion that one glass of red wine can be an excellent prevention of colds. Considering that many do not know how to drink culturally, it is better not to think about such prevention.
Ethyl alcohol and temperature
An increase in temperature during an illness is not a symptom, but rather a reaction of the body to an invasion of foreign agents. It is at high rates on the thermometer that the immune system is able to destroy pathogenic organisms. If the temperature does not exceed 38. 5 degrees, then you should not rush to knock it down, let the body fight and form immunity, but you should not interfere. And alcohol can just become that very hindrance.
In any condition, alcohol intake is undesirable, but even more so in the presence of a temperature. If, with readings in the range of 37-37. 5 ° C, it is still not so dangerous, then when on a thermometer 38 you do not need to risk your health. Alcohol and temperature are not compatible for the following reasons:
- When the temperature rises, the body suffers from a lack of water, therefore, an abundant drink is necessary, and alcohol will only aggravate the situation. Ethanol dehydrates the body even more, complicating the course of the disease.
- During an illness, the body begins to work in an emergency mode, the heart rate increases, and if you drink during this period, the heart experiences tremendous stress. The pulse quickens, blood pressure rises, the entire cardiovascular system is adversely affected by alcohol.
- Drinking alcohol at elevated temperatures can provoke unexpected body reactions. At the first moment, it may even decrease a little, but then it will rise even more and provoke a deterioration in well-being.
It must always be remembered that not only a cold can be accompanied by a jump in temperature, but also more serious diseases. And drinking alcohol with them can be even more dangerous.
Why does alcohol provoke a rise in temperature?
The fact that alcohol dilates blood vessels is not a secret. But what are the reasons for the rise in temperature when drinking alcohol? Let's try to answer this question:
- Ethanol has dilated blood vessels, which can lead to a jump in temperature.
- The body in some can perceive alcohol as an allergen and react accordingly with an increase in temperature, rashes on the skin.
- There are times when there is a congenital intolerance to ethanol, which can also increase the temperature.
- Alcohol intolerance can develop throughout life as a result of certain illnesses or allergic reactions accompanied by a high fever.
- Do not forget that alcoholic beverages may contain various impurities that can cause an allergic reaction with a rise in temperature.
- Alcohol can cause stomach pain, problems with the gastrointestinal tract appear, which are accompanied by fever.
- Poisoning of the body with ethanol and its decay products is another likely reason that after taking alcohol during a cold, the readings on the thermometer will go up.
So it is better not to take risks and not test your body for strength. It's much more logical to call a doctor than to try to get better with alcohol.
Exceptions for drinking alcohol for colds
If the temperature does not exceed 37. 5 ° C, then you can afford to take alcohol, but only special. This applies to mulled wine. The drink is a wine warmed up to 70 ° and combined with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. This drink provides the body with useful substances and trace elements, which is important during illness. As for ethyl alcohol, when heated, it practically evaporates, therefore, its content in the finished drink is reduced to zero.
If there is a temperature, then it is better to cool the mulled wine a little.
Beer can be used in place of wine, but the drink also needs to be heated well so that the ethanol molecules evaporate and add spices. The beer contains B vitamins, vitamin C. But do not get carried away, a glass of mulled wine or beer will be enough.
Basal temperature and alcohol
The basal temperature chart is often compiled by women trying to get pregnant. It is easy to track the moment of egg cell maturation, which increases the chances of fertilization. For accuracy, such a graph is recorded over a long time so that all deviations can be tracked.
A woman should remember that drinking alcohol can drastically affect the basal temperature. Indicators 37. 1-37. 3 already symbolize that a new life is being born in a woman's body. Drinking alcohol can provoke a false increase in temperature, and the indicators cannot be considered reliable.
Is it possible to combine antipyretic drugs and alcohol
A sane person understands that any medicine should not be taken at the same time as drinking alcohol. This also applies to antipyretic drugs. What happens if you take alcohol and a pill for fever? The following complications are possible:
- The likelihood of side effects increases many times over. If they may not appear in a sober person, then in combination with ethanol, the risk increases several times.
- Ethyl alcohol enhances the toxic effect of drugs on the liver, believe me, this organ will not thank you for such a gift.
- Even drinking beer during colds and antipyretic therapy is fraught with nausea and vomiting.
How long can you take pills after taking alcohol? The answer can be as follows: not earlier than in 4-6 hours, if a glass of wine was taken. Naturally, with a large amount of alcohol consumed, the time period should be increased even more.
Complications and consequences of fever after alcohol
As it turned out, alcohol does not lower the temperature, but rather raises it. This can lead to the following disastrous consequences:
- There is a risk of damage to the nervous system.
- Danger of severe dehydration, which is life-threatening.
- Blood circulation is impaired.
- Blood pressure jumps.
- The blood becomes viscous and there is a risk of blood clots.
Do not postpone calling a doctor if the temperature has not dropped for several days and is kept at high levels. This situation becomes dangerous for the work of the whole organism. It is urgently necessary to bring down the temperature if:
- Convulsions are observed.
- The patient has chronic pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
- There are lung diseases in the diagnosis.
- There are pathologies of the nervous system and mental abnormalities.
- The patient suffers from diabetes mellitus.
It must be borne in mind that harm can be caused not only by alcohol taken internally, but also in the form of rubbing, and this is also often practiced. It is better to entrust the treatment of colds to specialists or proven remedies and not subject your body to even more test.