The science of day drinking: Experts reveal why alcohol can affect us differently during daytime
Studies have found that alcohol sensitivity heightens at night
Another expert said while drinking during the day you tend to sit and eat longer
Also found that BAC reaches its peak when the person is under duress
Source: Daily Mail
By Stacy Liberatore
24 May 2017
Summer is just around the corner for some parts of the world and many are looking forward to spending their days sipping a cocktail in the sun.
But those who have participated in day drinking may have noticed that consuming alcohol during the day does not have the same effects as it does during a night out.
Now, researchers have revealed a few scientific reasons to why there is a difference, which they have suggested your behavior, being under duress and circadian rhythms can influence how intoxicated you feel.
DAY DRINKING
The time you drink will influence what you do while consuming alcohol.
For example, if you are enjoying brunch with friends, you are more inclined to sit longer and eat more food.
Researchers found that there is an increased sensitivity to alcohol at night in lab rats.
During a study, a team of American scientists noted that they controlled the absorption, distribution, and metabolism of alcohol during the study, which led them to conclude that it was changes in the circadian that increased their sensitivity, ‘not from changes in the peripheral body.
And another study found that that alcohol is absorbed much faster when the person feels under duress.
Experts have shared their thoughts and work with New York Magazine’s Katie Heaney in understanding why four mimosa at brunch feels different from four vodka sodas at night.
However, Nyree Dardarian, a professor of nutrition sciences at Drexel University told Heaney that the answer is simply hazy.
Dardarian explained that, in her opinion, the time you drink will influence what you do while consuming alcohol.
For example, if you are enjoying brunch with friends, you are more inclined to sit longer and eat more food.
However, there is always some people who do enjoy late night snacks after a fun night out, but how and what you eat are at the different times also varies.
Dardarin explained to Heaney that having ‘food in your stomach will delay gastric emptying, which will make the alcohol take longer to get into the blood system.’
And because day drinking usually occurs at a time with food, it usually takes longer to feel the effects – whereas night owls may not eat until a few hours before heading to bed.
Other experts have looked beyond behavior and more at the time when the drinking is taking place.
American researchers had found that there is an increased sensitivity to alcohol at night in lab rats.
The team noted that they controlled the absorption, distribution, and metabolism of alcohol during the study, which led them to conclude that it was changes in the circadian that increased their sensitivity, ‘not from changes in the peripheral body.’
They also found that rodents preferred to drink more at night, which suggested that one of the reasons day drinking differs from a night out is that you consume more cocktails once the sun goes down.
A separate study, which was performed on humans, recruited 60 healthy male and female volunteers, who were asked to consume ‘a moderate dose of alcohol’.
MEN NEED ALCOHOL TO ENJOY SOCIAL SITUATIONS
Now psychologists have found what many already know – that men need alcohol to have a good time in social situations.
While women are perfectly capable of enjoying themselves and bonding with others sober, men need alcohol to get to the same point.
A review led by the University of Pittsburgh found men are more likely to smile at each other and talk more loudly in conversation after a few drinks.
This is because of masculine norms, which leave men embarrassed to show too much emotion. Alcohol, handily, causes changes to the brain which make them less inhibited and able to share their bromantic feelings.
The research, published in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy, concludes that men get more ‘social rewards’ from drinking alcohol than women.
And the participants were then exposed to a cold pressor test, distressing film, or control condition, which were not exposed to anything.
The team found that those who viewed the distressing film reached a peak BAC much faster than those who were in the control condition.
These findings have led researchers to believe that alcohol is absorbed much faster when the person feels under duress.
How this plays into why you feel different drinking during the day is because you may be more relaxed sitting around a table with a few friends in the warm sun than you do dancing in a crowd at a nightclub.