“You lose collagen as you age, but the UV light damages it even more,” says Goldenberg. Rachael grew up in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai until she was seven when her parents moved to the US. Her father was in the Oil Industry while her mother ran a successful restaurant. Now living in her father’s birthplace Texas, she loves to develop authentic, delicious recipes from her culture but mix them with other culinary influences. When she isn’t cooking or writing about it, she enjoys exploring the United States, one state at a time. She lives with her boyfriend Steve and their two German Shepherds, Gus and Wilber.
Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death. This is of particular concern when you’re taking certain medications that also depress the brain’s function.
Liver Function and Bruising
One of the most apparent causes of a bruise the morning after a night of drinking is that you physically bumped into something the night before. While that’s not necessarily a direct cause of drinking, heavy alcohol use can contribute to more accidents. Alcohol affects your brain in multiple ways that make you more accident-prone.
Be Responsible During Drinking
- They can help you determine whether you have a problem and what to do next.
- If you or someone you love is showing signs of an addiction to alcohol, getting help is critical.
- At the time of injury, your nail may feel sore or tender, but the pressure that builds up under your nail as the blood pools can cause severe pain.
- In fact, they may mistakenly believe that drinking actually helps them to function better.
In other words, bruising alone isn’t enough to diagnose alcoholism, but it can be a sign. When that happens, the person is seemingly functional and appears normal to other people. It can also make circulating platelets less sticky, rendering them less effective in forming clots. Vasodilation is the widening of the blood https://globalsceyv.com/the-opioid-crisis-challenges-to-acute-pain/ vessels caused by the relaxation of the muscles in these blood vessels. Alcohol impairs your cerebellum, the part of your brain that’s responsible for coordinating your movements, Swartzwelder says. Plus, you’re more susceptible to an accidental fall or bump after you’ve been drinking, anyway.
Continued Use Despite Consequences
If you have a bruise on your breast and don’t know how you got it or have other symptoms, go talk to your doctor. Ecchymosis (pronounced eh-kuh-mow-sis) is the medical term for a bruise. An ecchymosis is bigger around than 1 centimeter, which is about as big around as a triple-A battery. EDS is classified into 13 subtypes, each with a specific set of symptoms, and each affecting a different part of the body. Stopping is impossible at this point without professional help because of the severe and potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms that would occur if they quit cold turkey.
Things like hiding use, making excuses, pulling away from friends or family and performing poorly at work can all indicate a problem with alcohol. There are several hidden signs of abuse that are less commonly discussed and far harder to notice. If you suspect someone you love is suffering from an alcohol use disorder, it’s important to look at all the signs of addiction — not just the most obvious ones. Hence, drinking alcohol makes it harder for your immune system to gear up and mount a defense response against invading pathogens and viruses. 6Moderate drinking, however, has been shown to decrease the risk of ischemic stroke. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should seek prompt medical advice, as early treatment is often effective.
- A bruise is a discolored mark on your skin that forms when blood vessels under your skin break and leak.
- Be responsible in your levels of intake, one drink a day for women, two for men.
- Chronic heavy drinking can lead to liver damage, which is another contributing factor to easy bruising.
Alcoholics with vitamin K deficiency face heightened risks during surgery, dental procedures, or even childbirth. Bruising easily, frequent nosebleeds, and blood in the urine or stool are red flags demanding medical attention. Addressing this issue isn’t just about stopping the bleeding; it’s about preventing life-threatening complications like gastrointestinal bleeds or intracranial hemorrhages.
These scores are based on your liver function test results and whether you have complications (decompensated cirrhosis). Alcohol, even in moderate amounts, can impair platelet function, making them less adhesive and less able to aggregate effectively. This means that when an injury occurs, the platelets struggle to form a stable plug, leading to prolonged bleeding times. However, when you see signs of abuse, whether one or two convincing Substance abuse symptoms or a whole slew, it may be time to take action.
Another health-related risk linked to chronic alcohol misuse is liver disease, which is often the cause of bruising from alcohol. Liver cirrhosis is linked to bleeding complications and can even lead to the formation of a large type of bruise called a hematoma. Finally, one potentially serious cause of alcohol and bruising is alcohol liver disease.
Why Do I Get Random Bruises After A Night Of Drinking?
For heavy drinkers, medical supervision is advised, as abrupt cessation can trigger withdrawal complications. A blood test to monitor platelet levels every 3 months provides a tangible measure of progress, offering motivation to stay on track. Secondly, alcohol’s impact on the liver can alcohol and bruising lead to a deficiency in vitamin K-dependent clotting factors. Vitamin K is essential for the production of several proteins involved in blood coagulation.
Alcohol’s Impact on Platelets: Reduced platelet function increases bleeding risk in alcoholics
Alcohol-related bruises may indicate a vitamin deficiency, particularly vitamin C and vitamin K. Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to malnutrition and impair the body’s ability to heal wounds and bruises effectively. A significant statistic is that among patients with PCT, up to 50% have a history of alcoholism. If your pattern of drinking results in repeated significant distress and problems functioning in your daily life, you likely have alcohol use disorder. However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important. Long-term alcohol abuse is one of the most common causes of liver scarring, or cirrhosis.