Consuming alcohol, especially in larger quantities, can lead to easier bruising. Many people notice bruises they cannot recall acquiring after a night of drinking. This article explores the scientific reasons behind this phenomenon, explaining how alcohol affects the body’s natural mechanisms for preventing and healing bruises.
Drink Responsibly
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease appears early on as fat deposits accumulate in the liver.
- About 90% of heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- When it struggles, nausea, bloating, and vomiting can become frequent problems, especially after drinking.
Restrict your alcohol consumption to one or two drinks each day for the sake of your health. If you use blood thinners or anti-inflammatory medicines, you should be aware that these medications may increase your risk of skin injury, such as bruising and bleeding. The combination can worsen the symptoms and raise the probability of bruising or other types of injury. Chronic heavy drinking can cause alcoholic hepatitis, which is the inflammation of your liver. One common sign of alcoholic hepatitis is jaundice, where the skin and whites of your eyes look yellowish. But long-term and excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver inflammation (liver hepatitis).
This means you can meet your daily commitments while attending therapy on weekdays. Yes, alcohol can affect your blood clotting by thinning the blood and reducing the ability of platelets to clump together, which can lead to easier bruising and bleeding. When you get a bruise, an injury crushes blood vessels, but the skin doesn’t break, so there’s no external bleeding. All of these symptoms indicate that drinking has become a major problem in your life, and you should consider getting professional help to recover. It can be hard to think through an alcoholism problem on your own, but with the help of a therapist and addiction treatment professionals, you can gain control.
Why Do I Bruise So Easily?
Bright red palms may be a sign of liver damage due to hormonal imbalances caused by liver dysfunction. In people who drink moderately, the effect of alcohol on platelets is short-lived. This may lower your risk for the type of strokes caused by blockages in blood vessels.
Does moderate alcohol consumption pose a risk for bruising?
Your liver can begin to develop fatty deposits because of alcohol exposure, and that fat makes it harder for your liver to work effectively. If you keep drinking, your liver can swell, and cells within the liver can die. If the scarring is extensive, the liver may not be able to do its vital work. If you drink heavily, regularly, or both, your alcohol use could be the cause of your bruise. That discoloration sitting beneath the surface of your skin might prompt you to ask for help so that you can stop drinking for good.
Liver damage affects blood clotting, making you bruise easily or bleed more than usual from minor cuts. When liver cells are damaged, the body can’t store energy properly, leaving you feeling drained. In some cases, alcoholic hepatitis (severe liver inflammation) may develop, which can be life-threatening if left untreated. Yes, certain medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and blood thinners can impede bruise healing by affecting blood clotting. Excessive alcohol consumption may increase one’s susceptibility to bruising due to its effects on blood amphetamine addiction treatment vessels and platelet production. Yet there are other, less risky ways to protect your arteries — for example, by eating a plant-based diet and exercising.
When Should I See a Doctor About Bruising After Drinking?
Many of the long-term effects of alcohol on a person’s skin happen as a result of AUD. Alcohol can increase systemic inflammation, which may contribute to muscle stiffness and pain, worsening leg discomfort and potentially increasing the severity of RLS symptoms. Restless Leg Syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations.
- The discoloration you see as a bruise on the surface of your skin is from blood that has pooled in or under your skin.
- These look a little like a rash with purple, red, or brown dots of blood, but they aren’t raised or bumpy.
- Robert is our health care professional reviewer of this website.
- Drinking alcohol in moderation may have a protective effect on your blood vessels.
Does drinking alcohol cause bruising?
I consider what I do for the addicted population as a calling versus a “career,” because I too was once an “addict and alcoholic.” Today I am 45.5 years alcohol and substance free. I am a licensed social worker.In my scope of practice I have worked in the areas of mental health and recovery for thirty years. The clients I have worked with in my career have ranged in age from seven to seventy.
Understanding the causes of alcohol bruises allows you to make efforts to avoid or reduce their likelihood. Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to liver cirrhosis, which impairs the liver’s ability to produce clotting factors and process toxins effectively, contributing to easy bruising. Alcoholics may get easily bruised due to a combination of factors. Chronic alcohol use can weaken blood vessels, making them more prone to breaking and causing bruising. Alcohol also impairs the body’s ability to clot blood, leading to potential bruises from even minor injuries. In some cases, alcohol-induced bruising can be a sign of more severe underlying issues related to alcohol abuse or chronic health conditions.
If you’re struggling to control your drinking or are worried about the health effects, reach out for professional help. Some of the common symptoms of alcohol dependence are not being able to restrain your consumption, withdrawal reactions, or drinking despite such negative effects. If it’s repeatedly bruising after drinking, then maybe that’s one symptom with several others that alcohol might be harming your health in general. Alcohol would help one fall asleep sooner, but it does interrupt deeper stages of restorative does alcohol make bruising worse sleep, especially REM. Poor sleep increases inflammation and diminishes immune function while impeding healing. The potential for bruising grows, as even sleep of poor quality may not allow that quality repair of damaged blood vessels to take place.
A bloody nose can be a symptom of serious disorders such as alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Alcoholic fatty liver disease appears early on as fat deposits accumulate in the liver. People who consume four to five standard drinks per day https://ecosoberhouse.com/ over decades can develop fatty liver disease. Understanding your symptoms and signs and educating yourself about health conditions are also a part of living your healthiest life.