One drink and mental health and...chocolate?

[Titan]

I've been bored lately with my workout plan, I'm going to see my trainer friday and we'll figure out a new one that's more powerlifting.

The carnal rule of my diet is no alcohol. But I like hanging at bars and they've gotten used to me not drinking. The past couple night though, I've allowed myself one liquor based drink. I've just been bored more than anything and taking it easy.

I normally take 5-HTP before bed, but the past couple nights I haven't because you're not supposed to mix it with alcohol. I take it in the morning with Tyrosine and feel fine. I have anxiety issues and it seems I need the 5-HTP.

Anyway, last night I have one club soda and vodka, and also before bed I have about 1.5 oz of real organic dark chocolate made with cane sugar. (Green and Black's orange) I went to bed at 9 and was up by 3 and slept in until 6. I had so many dreams last night. I keep a dream journal but just had to outline it instead of going into detail, I count 6 different scenes in my dreams, really involved with detail.

So now that I remembered I ate chocolate my question becomes confusing here because I can't isolate it to the alcohol or the chocolate. My diet has been pretty clean otherwise.

I am just wondering from a mental health perspective the effects of having one drink before bed. I know alcohol doesn't provide restful sleep, but at least combined with chocolate I slept soundly and had a million dreams. Seems my brain had enough serotonin.

My chiro explained to me a number of things help the body convert tryptophan into serotonin, and one of them is sugar. So the dreams are probably from the chocolate. Like the very first simpsons Halloween special where marge warns the kids not to eat too much candy or they will have nightmares. Just wondering if the alcohol played a role here.

Since I have determined through experimentation that I have a gluten sensitivity, I am avoiding beer. So I am limiting myself to one diluted liquor drink. Vodka and club soda. Jameson and ginger.

I know most medical people tow the line of one to two drinks a day is good for your heart. It can relieve some stress and relax you, and also thin your blood.

I am asking how does it help from the mental health perspective? There is a brain doctor out there who says no alcohol at all. He scans people's brains and says alcohol diminishes brain function. My personal experience is the day after drinking, anxiety seems to climb. It also seems to hinder my liver's job at fat loss. And I notice just one drink.

Sorry If I'm just rambling,I just woke up.

 

[Deeko]

I'm not getting into any ramblings about chocolate and dreams, but I'll tell you this - if you had 1 club soda and vodka, it had no effect on your sleep. In general, your liver will process 1 alcoholic drink per hour. If you drank it directly before going to bed, it may have helped you get to sleep (it is a depressant), but it was gone long before your hippy chocolate dreams started.

Aren't you a bigger guy? The way alcohol affects your body is largely dependant on your size, which means one drink means even less to you.

Small amounts of alcohol are said to have positive effects and at any rate aren't harmful. Franco Columbo, former champion bodybuilder, powerlifter, and weightlifter (and phd nutritionist) actually suggests in his book drinking a beer every night, not only because of the alcohol but because beer is among the best natural sources of B vitamins.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

It's probably just chance that you had weird dreams and uneasy sleep. Just for fun facts though, chocolate (especially less processed chocolate) contains cannibanoids and a lot of other psychotropic compounds. If you eat enough, you can actually get high. However, the amount to eat to get high is obscenely high (like a pound of bittersweet chocolate). However, as you know, any amount of a compound will have some effect. Perhaps that's just some food for thought.

The alcohol (1-2 drinks) is not a problem. Will it be harder to lose weight? Yeah, it will. Can you accommodate in your diet? Yep. Just make sure not to get caught up in it - only drink 1-2 a day. Also, the whole tryptophan to serotonin thing... I think you guys are looking into it too much. 20ish grams of sugar may promote the conversion processes, but it's going to be a limited effect and it will be short-lived.

 

[Titan]

Well, my system is usually so clean that I noticed the drink, which was mixed 1-2 shots of vodka. And I went to bed within 1 hour of having the drink.

Normally I need 5-HTP. Without it I toss and turn, and don't get restful sleep, usually few if any dreams. Since I started taking it I sleep soundly in one position all night and dream more. On times where I forget my sleep isn't as good. There is a chance that it is having a long-term therapeutic effect and I might not need it down the road. But so far taking it daily seems to help me.

So that's why I was surprised I dreamt so much without it. I did get restful sleep for about 6 hours, then forced myself for another 2. But I haven't been working out this week so I don't need a lot of rest.