Alcohol: Effect on Bladder Control and No More Hangovers

This entry actually started as a response to Doug Bright’s post on wine and the health benefits associated with it. Doug mentioned some of the detriments that alcohol can have on the body, and it reminded me of a lesson I learned regarding alcohol and bladder control. I’m sure anyone who has ever sat down at a bar or had a few drinks with dinner has noticed an increased need to urinate, and who can forget the old cliché about not breaking the "seal". For those who may not have heard this phrase before it refers to the first urination accompanying a night of drinking. The popular belief is that once you break the seal you will no longer be able to fight the urge to pee, and will henceforth need to go to the bathroom every five minutes. Believe it or not there is actually some truth to these claims.

First, lets look at what the alcohol is actually doing to the body from the perspective of the endocrine system, which is the system in the body that is made up of hormone producing/ secreting organs and glands. Alcohol suppresses the release of a crucial hormone called antidiuretic hormone (ADH) also known as vasopressin, which is produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the posterior pituitary gland both located in the brain. To understand what the consequences of inhibiting ADH are first you need to understand what ADH does. ADH is a peptide hormone, which means it is fast acting and can directly affect cells without needing a signaling cascade. The target of this hormone is a part of the renal system known as the collecting duct of the nephron. There are millions of nephrons in one kidney and a small amount of ADH is able to effect every one of them. The ADH triggers aquaporins in the collecting duct to reabsorb water into the body rather than excrete it in large amounts through the urine (diuresis). As we all know, the body is 65-75% water depending on what Google site you look at on what day, and the kidneys filter this water along with all of the other bodily fluids almost 60 times a day! Now imagine how much water you would have to drink to replace all of the water you would excrete if it were not for ADH, and then you can begin to understand how crucial this hormone is.

For proof of alcohol’s suppression on this hormone’s activity, the next time you are drinking take a look at the color of your urine the second time you go pee, and you will notice it is almost crystal clear because it is mostly water! You want to note the color the second time you pee because the first urination will contain fluids that were filtered earlier in the day.

Now for the truth to the claim about breaking the seal. The reason you can withstand peeing for so long when you start drinking but tend to lose that control later in the night is for this simple reason: the alcohol takes some time to reach a concentration level high enough to inhibit the secretion of ADH, which is that first bit of time you are able to control your urge to pee. However, once that concentration is established you are no longer reabsorbing any water and your bladder continues to fill very rapidly. The average bladder can only stretch to hold 13 oz. of fluid before stretch receptors are activated and tell your body "I need to pee", and since the average beer glass is 16 oz. you could end up needing to go to the bathroom quite often.

Lastly, as many of you probably already know, a hangover is primarily the result of dehydration. After all of this talk about how alcohol stops the bodies reabsorption of water surely you can see why dehydration occurs. But I have the solution that is guaranteed to stop every hangover you will ever have. If I could put a patent on it I would, but it can be found almost everywhere. The miracle drug is water. Once the concentration levels of the alcohol stop rising in the body the suppressing affect alcohol has on ADH is eliminated. That is key, so I want to phrase it another way to make sure you know what I am saying. That means once you stop drinking your body starts releasing ADH into the blood again. Many people get confused and think you have to sober up and allow your BAC to fall below some level before ADH will be released again, but that is not the case. All you need to do is stop increasing the concentration of alcohol in the body and it will start to release ADH. So to eliminate a hangover all you have to do is remember to drink .44 L of water before going to bed. That volume is the amount of water a 70-Kg person needs to restore hydration from a dehydrated state.

I know this was a long post but it is something I find extremely interesting and felt like sharing with all of you. I hope this helps you get to church on time Sunday morning after a long night of celebration.