According to a new study, alcohol abuse is very disruptive of circadian rhythms. Circadian disruptions can also lead to alcohol abuse as well as relapse in abstinent alcoholics. In mammals, circadian timing is regulated by light as well as food, social interactions, and exercise. The study examined the relationship between alcohol intake and hamsters running on their wheels. The study found that exercise may supply an effective alternative for reducing the amount of alcohol consumed by a person.
"Alcohol abuse, characterized by routine craving for and consumption of alcohol as well as an inability to function normally without it, disrupts both the timing and consolidation of daily circadian rhythms – when to sleep, eat, and mate – driven by the brain circadian clock," said J. David Glass, professor of biological sciences at Kent State University and the author of the study.
"With continual alcohol use, one may go to bed too early or late, not sleep across the night, and have an unusual eating regime, eating little throughout the day and/or overeating at night. This can lead to a vicious cycle of drinking because these individuals, in response, will consume more alcohol to fall asleep easier only to complain of more disrupted sleep across the night and additionally have a greater craving for alcohol."
Chronic alcohol abuse and disruption of circadian rhythms become reciprocally destructive and have negative effects on physical and emotional health.
"It is therefore very interesting that access to running wheels or other forms of voluntary exercise in animal experiments has emerged as a powerful environmental factor influencing brain health, circadian rhythms and emotional well-being," said Alan M. Rosenwasser, professor of psychology at the University of Maine.
