Most of the population of our country firmly believe that during a cold, the intake of alcoholic beverages can provide significant help to the body on the road to recovery. But this is a big mistake. Ethanol not only won't help you get back on your feet faster, it can do even more damage. So can you drink alcohol at a temperature during a cold? We will have to understand this problem thoroughly.
Ethyl alcohol and colds
The myth that alcohol helps the body cope with a cold is based on a warming effect. But it only seems like that, because after getting into the bloodstream, ethanol causes vasodilation and this leads to blood flow to the skin. A person feels heat, but such sensations are deceptive, because only the skin heats 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 false sensation of heat that emerges is dangerous, the person does not feel the real temperature.
If you drink during a cold, then, strangely enough, viruses and bacteria will not disperse 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 infections. 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 the opinion that a 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 speeds on the thermometer that the immune system is able to destroy pathogenic organisms. If the temperature does not rise above 38. 5 degrees, then you should not rush to break it down, let the body fight and form immunity, but you should not interfere. And alcohol can become just that obstacle.
In any condition, alcohol intake is undesirable, but even more so in the presence of temperature. If, with readings in the range of 37-37. 5 ° C, this is still not so dangerous, when on a thermometer 38 it is not necessary to risk health. Alcohol and temperature are not compatible for the following reasons:
- When the temperature rises, the body suffers from a lack of water, so it is necessary to drink plenty of fluids, 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 emergency mode, the heart rate increases, and if you drink even during this time, the heart experiences tremendous stress. The pulse accelerates, blood pressure rises, the entire cardiovascular system is adversely affected by alcohol.
- Drinking alcohol at high temperatures can cause unexpected body reactions. At first, it may even decrease slightly, but then it will increase even more and cause a deterioration in well-being.
It should 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 cause a rise in temperature?
The fact that alcohol dilates blood vessels is no 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 rise in temperature.
- The body in some can perceive alcohol as an allergen and react accordingly with a rise in temperature, skin rashes.
- There are times when there is a congenital intolerance to ethanol, which can also raise the temperature.
- Alcohol intolerance can develop throughout life due to certain diseases or allergic reactions accompanied by a high fever.
- Do not forget that alcoholic beverages can contain various impurities that can cause an allergic reaction with an increase in temperature.
- Alcohol can cause stomach pain, problems with the gastrointestinal tract appear, which are accompanied by fever.
- Poisoning the body with ethanol and its decay products is another likely reason that after drinking alcohol during a cold, the readings on the thermometer will rise.
So it's best not to take any chances and not test your body's strength. It is much more logical to call a doctor than to try to improve with alcohol.
Exceptions for drinking alcohol for colds
If the temperature does not exceed 37. 5 ° C, you can afford to take alcohol, but only special ones. This applies to mulled wine. The drink is a wine heated up to 70 ° and paired with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. This drink provides the body with useful substances and trace elements, which is important during the disease. As for ethyl alcohol, when heated, it practically evaporates, so its content in the finished drink is reduced to zero.
If there is a temperature, it is better to cool the mulled wine a little.
Beer can be used instead of wine, but the drink also needs to be heated well so that the ethanol molecules evaporate and spices are added. Beer contains B vitamins, vitamin C. But don't get carried away, a glass of mulled wine or beer will suffice.
Basal temperature and alcohol
The basal temperature chart is often compiled by women trying to get pregnant. It is easy to monitor the time of egg cell maturation, which increases the chances of fertilization. For accuracy, such a graph is fixed for a long time so that all deviations can be plotted.
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 rise in temperature, and the indicators cannot be trusted.
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 alcohol consumption. This also applies to antipyretic drugs. What happens if you take alcohol and a fever pill? 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 increases the toxic effect of drugs on the liver, believe me, this organ will not thank you for such a gift.
- Drinking beer during colds and antipyretic therapy is also fraught with nausea and vomiting.
How long can you take the pills after taking alcohol? The answer can be the following: not earlier than 4-6 hours, if a glass of wine was taken. Of course, 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 dire consequences:
- There is a risk of nerve damage.
- 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 the call to the doctor if the temperature has not dropped for several days and remains at high levels. This situation becomes dangerous for the work of the whole organism. It is urgently necessary to lower 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 should 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 to subject the body to further tests.