The Study titled "Ethanol" focused on an area of study
related to alcohol consumption and sleep that historically has been only
minimally addressed: presenting a full examination of the dose-response effects
of single alcohol (ethanol) doses on sleep in young and healthy women.
The mentioned that in men, consuming up to one gram of alcohol per kg of
body weight suppresses REM sleep {see my other blog about REM and dreams for
more reference} in the first half of a given night's sleep to roughly 2/3 of the
control group's values. This is true for the rest of the night and for
TST (total sleep time) as well -- depending on time period and rate of alcohol
consumption. The same pattern was noted for alcoholics as well. For
the conduction of the study itself, 11 young female participants, who self-
reported to be healthy, were paid and tested between the 4th and 21st days of
their menstrual cycles. Subjects ranged from ages 19 to 21, each
participant completing the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and an alcohol
history questionnaire. Subjects reported to the lab a total of 3 times
with 5 nights between each visit; and with each visit, participants consumed
0.00, 0.50, or 0.75 of 95% ethanol per kg of body weight beverages as well as
two drops of tincture of gentian with orange juice. This consumption is
totaled at 400 ml; participants ate main evening meals by 7 pm, and it was a
light meal at that.
The results showed expected findings, i.e. which body sway
increased with dose, as did reporting of negative morning symptoms. BAC's
correlation to alcohol intake is linearly related. Onset of REM was in
fact delayed by alcohol intake, but in such a quantity that is not
statistically significant. I would think that REM (deep sleep) would in fact
be more negatively affected by alcohol intake that which the study reports.
This observed decrease took place in the first 3 hours of sleep; a
finding which I find highly logical and expected. A great decline in
general sleep-onset latency was also observed with increased doses of ethanol
intake. This finding is not at all surprising to me because of my own
observed experience: even a small dose of alcohol intake makes me sleepier than
I would otherwise be. I have consistently observed this pattern.
BACs for this study were on average 1.7 times higher than that of
men consuming the same amount of alcohol. Other conclusions of the study,
like increased impairment in participants with increased alcohol intake, are
not surprising or interesting really. The BAC of the participants' bodies
being 1.7 times higher than that of men in a similar study is fascinating to
me; I would think that there is a presented increase but not one of this
magnitude – which I find to be rather dramatic and unconvincing – but maybe I
should just trust the scientific method! Also interesting was the fact
that participants' places in each of their menstrual cycles also seemed to have
an effect on BAC alcohol effect, although this study did not specifically
examine this phenomenon.
This article offered good applicability to my own life and to women who
choose to drink alcoholic beverages because it offered a concrete review of its
effects on the body. However, I would
like to see more in-depth research about alcohol’s effects on women of
different ages or those with different drinking habits. I definitely found this article to be insightful
but also found myself bored at times with information found in the study for
which I was already aware.
This week, I commented on Brett and Bisma's blogs.
No comments:
Post a Comment