Alcohol makes it more difficult to get REM sleep, which is the restorative period of rest. Fatigue can lead to joint pain, as well as other body aches.
The Effects of Alcohol on Inflammation
That exacerbated inflammation in the body can be directly linked to joint pain.
Alcohol increases inflammation throughout the body, which can be a reason for feeling that your whole body is sore after drinking. Inflammation can lead to feelings of malaise, which can make it seem like your body is achy and uncomfortable. Inflammation can also explain aching joints after drinking alcohol.
Aside from a pounding headache, a hangover the next day can also include sore muscles and aching joints... and apparently, that's pretty common.
Endotoxins can alter your body's immune response. This can cause muscle aches and force your body to retrieve nutrients from muscles—which is why you might be feeling achy and sore after a night of drinking, says lead study author Szabo Gyongyi, M.D., Ph.
Drinking water, juice, broth and other non-alcohol beverages to reduce dehydration. Getting sleep to counteract fatigue. Taking antacids to help settle your stomach. Trying aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, to help your headache or muscle ache.
The best way to reduce alcohol-induced inflammation and the related short-term and long-term effects is to change your drinking habits. Depending on your symptoms and health risks, you can decide if moderation or abstinence is right for you. And you don't have to do that alone.
Usually, your liver tries to get rid of the lactic acid. However, when you have been drinking, the lactic acid may take longer to leave your body because your liver is trying to get rid of the alcohol instead. The lactic acid can then linger longer than usual and cause extra muscle pain and cramps.
Too much of alcohol can affect blood supply. And without blood, the bone tissues die. The patient can develop symptoms such as pain in front of the thigh, knee, lateral part of the hip or groin," says Dr Deen Muhammad Ismail, head and director, institute of orthopaedics and traumatology, Madras Medical College.
For example, the liver will be overworking to process alcohol, you'll be tired from little and/or poor quality sleep, you're likely to be urinating more as alcohol is a diuretic, leaving you dehydrated and headache-y – and any post-night out vomiting can irritate the stomach for several days.
Alcohol can make the body ache
Alcohol can worsen existing joint pain and lead to body aches and cramps as a result of dehydration.
A 2021 review of research notes that several studies determined that two to four weeks of abstinence from alcohol by heavy-alcohol users helped reduce inflammation and bring down elevated serum levels in the liver. In short: A few weeks off will help.
Because alcohol is a diuretic, drinking too much also causes the kidneys to release more fluids. Cervical lymph nodes may swell as a reaction to excessive amounts of alcohol, causing pain. Frequent neck pain is only one of the signs of alcoholism. Excessive drinking can cause a lot more than neck and shoulder pain.
Some studies have shown a link between alcohol and the development and/or worsening of arthritis, however nothing concrete has been found for the condition as a whole. However, the condition Gout, which is one type of inflammatory arthritis, has been found to be related to alcohol in a very direct way.
Long-term alcohol consumption can interfere with bone growth and remodeling, resulting in decreased bone density and increased risk of fracture. Those effects may be exerted directly or indirectly through the many cell types, hormones, and growth factors that regulate bone metabolism.
While moderate drinking may reduce some risks of developing arthritis, if you already suffer from arthritis or a condition like gout, it may do more harm than good. Enjoying a drink with some regularity might reduce your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a few studies.
The joint becomes painful and stiff with loss of movement in various planes of motion. The long term heavy drinking is a known cause of avascular necrosis AVN of the head of the femur. Most patients with alcohol-induced avascular necrosis usually belong to the ages of 50 years and above.
Alcoholic neuropathy is a severe condition caused by excessive alcohol use. Damage to the nerves leads to unusual sensations in the limbs, reduced mobility, and loss of some bodily functions.
Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red.
“There is also the build-up of acetaldehyde – which happens at the mid-point when your body is metabolising alcohol. As you age, your ability to metabolise alcohol drops. That's what you can smell on a heavy drinker's breath the morning-after-the-night-before.
For more steady drinkers, there is something called the permanent hangover phenomenon with symptoms that mirror fatigue, irritability, poor concentration, and low mood. Often this is put down to life stressors such as work, the kids or not eating well but is more likely due to the effects of alcohol on the system.
Aggravate An Existing Joint Condition
Because the inflammatory effects of alcohol can be significant, joint pain could get worse. Some of the other medical conditions that could lead to joint pain include: Celiac disease.
Red wine has a compound in it called resveratrol, which has well-established anti-inflammatory effects. Some studies show wine consumption is associated with a reduced risk of knee OA, and moderate drinking is also associated with a reduced risk of RA.
1. Red wine. Red wine is packed with beneficial antioxidants like resveratrol, which can help improve heart health and even lower inflammatory markers like CRP.