How Alcohol Slows Down the Body’s Healing Process

You twist your ankle during a morning run, and, after a long day at work, you unwind with a couple of drinks, hoping that’ll help you relax. But a few days later, your ankle still feels sore, and you wonder why it's taking so long to heal. Could those drinks be a part of the problem?

While it might seem harmless, alcohol can slow down the body’s natural healing process in different ways. Whether it’s a minor injury, muscle recovery, or surgery, alcohol has a bigger impact on our recovery than we might think. Let’s understand how alcohol interferes with our body’s ability to heal and what this means for our overall health.

Does Alcohol Slow Healing?

In short, alcohol does slow healing, and it affects the body’s ability to recover in multiple ways:

1. A Damper on Immune Function

Alcohol impairs our innate and adaptive immune functions, which are two key mechanisms that keep us healthy. Our innate immune system is our body’s first line of defense. It responds quickly to invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Alcohol slows down our innate immune response, leaving us vulnerable to infections. 

It also disrupts our adaptive immune response, which is our long-term system of defense responsible for creating antibodies (proteins that identify and fight germs) and for adapting to fight off future threats. In fact, our body registers alcohol as a threat! So, alcohol's impact on our immune system can lead to a weakened defense against illness, slower recovery times, and increased risk of complications.

2. Increased Inflammation

Alcohol is a toxin that irritates our tissues, causing an inflammatory response. Inflammation is a natural response to injury or infection. It sends a signal to our brain that there’s a problem requiring repair. 

Inflammation is a normal response to injury, as it helps us heal and recover. However, when alcohol is involved, this natural response can go into overdrive. It can cause persistent inflammation, damaging tissues rather than helping them heal. Chronic inflammation can slow down the healing of wounds, injuries, and illnesses.

3. Not Enough Nutrients

Another way alcohol slows down healing is by interfering with our body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients. We might be eating a healthy diet, but our body can’t absorb the nutrients properly. Because alcohol irritates the lining of our stomach and intestines, our body has a more difficult time breaking down and absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. This disruption can lead to nutrient deficiencies and impact our body’s ability to heal. 

Nutrient deficiency affects healing because we might be low in nutrients that play significant roles in cell repair, immune function, and tissue regeneration. For example, alcohol can impact the absorption of vitamin C, which is essential for collagen production. Impaired collagen production, in turn, slows down wound recovery. Alcohol consumption can also impair absorption of zinc, which supports immune function and tissue repair. When nutrients like these aren’t absorbed properly, healing can be delayed. 

4. (No) Rest and Recovery

Last but not least, alcohol impedes recovery by disrupting our sleep. Sleep is a time when our body heals and recovers, and when we drink, our sleep gets thrown off. 

Alcohol disrupts our REM sleep, which is a critical phase of restorative sleep. During this phase, our brain and body undergo essential repair processes, including muscle recovery and repair. When we don’t get enough REM sleep, our healing might take longer.

Alcohol also affects our sleep quality. We might pass out faster due to alcohol’s depressant effects, but once the alcohol is metabolized, we might experience what’s known as the rebound effect. When we drink, we experience a drop in glutamine levels, a neurotransmitter critical for learning and attention. Once alcohol is metabolized, however, our glutamine can spike, waking us up before we get enough restful sleep. Alcohol also interferes with our normal circadian rhythm or natural sleep cycle, causing us to wake up frequently throughout the night. 

Additionally, alcohol acts as a diuretic, causing increased urination and dehydration. When we’re not properly hydrated, our cells can’t work properly, impeding repair and recovery. 

As we can see, alcohol puts a damper on healing and recovery in more ways than one. It negatively affects our immune system, causes inflammation, and impairs nutrient absorption. This makes alcohol and wound healing a tough combo, as well as alcohol and bone healing. Plus, it makes it harder for us to fend off bacteria and viruses, and recover from any illness for that matter. Let’s take a closer look at what this means for our health in the long run. 

Looking at the Big Picture: Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on Recovery

The impact of alcohol can extend far beyond the immediate aftermath of injury or illness. In terms of healing and recovery, the effects can be significant.

• Damage to our immune system. Over the long term, alcohol weakens our immune system. Regular, excessive alcohol consumption suppresses our immune function, making it harder to fight off infections, recover from illnesses, and heal wounds. Luckily, if we abstain from alcohol, our immune system has a chance to bounce back!
• Chronic inflammation. Persistent inflammation damages healthy cells, tissues, and organs, and it depletes our immune system’s resources, making it harder to fight off new infections and repair tissue damage. Chronic inflammation also contributes to the development of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and certain cancers, as it damages our organs and tissues at a cellular level. 
• Nutritional deficiencies. Alcohol impairs nutrient absorption, leading to deficiencies in nutrients that are needed for our body’s healing processes and overall health. These deficiencies don’t impair just short-term healing. Impaired nutrient absorption can lead to fatigue, bone health issues, cognitive decline, muscle weakness, digestive problems, and more. 
• Cognitive decline. Chronic drinking leads to changes in brain function by damaging our neural pathways, which control how we think and act. This damage impairs cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and processing of information. It can also shrink parts of our brain such as the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control. All of this damage negatively impacts healing, making it difficult to follow through on recovery plans and make good choices about our health.
• Increased risk of chronic diseases. Regular alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing chronic conditions such as liver disease, cardiovascular issues, and certain cancers, which can complicate healing and recovery. 

Alcohol’s long-term effects on healing and recovery also affect our overall health. Our body’s natural healing process ensures we’re equipped to fight off infections and recover from wounds and illness. Let’s see how we can better support this process.

Tips for Boosting Healing and Recovery 

While we might not be able to prevent all illnesses or recover immediately after injury, boosting our body’s natural healing process can make a significant difference. Here are some steps we can take:

• Eat a balanced diet. A balanced diet ensures our body gets the nutrients it needs to repair cell damage and support immune function. Try to implement a balanced, anti-inflammatory diet full of whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. 
• Stay hydrated. Hydration is crucial for proper cell function. The US National Academies recommend at least 11.5 cups a day for women and 15.5 cups a day for men. 
• Participate in regular exercise. Physical activity increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and boosts immune function, all of which contribute to improved healing and recovery. Find types of movement you enjoy, and before you know it, exercise will become a lifestyle rather than a chore!
• Prioritize sleep. Sleep is essential for healing and recovery. Aim for at least 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night. Try a quick meditation or switch out scrolling on social media for a book to improve your sleep quality.
• Manage stress. Stress increases inflammation and impacts our immune function. Integrate stress-reducing activities into your routine, such as meditation, gentle exercise, journaling, and more. 
• Quit or cut back on alcohol. Alcohol negatively impacts healing in different ways. Quit or cut back by tracking alcohol consumption, setting limits, and seeking professional help if needed. 

By incorporating these practices into our daily life, we can enhance our body’s ability to heal and recover, setting ourselves up for a healthier future.

Healing Ahead

Alcohol doesn’t impact just short-term recovery; but it can also have significant effects on our body’s overall natural healing process. By impairing immune function, reducing nutrient absorption, and prolonging inflammation, it slows down healing and leaves the body more vulnerable to illness. Quitting or cutting back on alcohol can improve our immune function and speed up recovery. Say goodbye to sluggish days and hello to quicker healing and more vitality!