Winter is fast approaching and with that the cold weather.  One might consider having a drink during a cold winter’s night to warm up. However, does alcohol actually warm you up?

Alcohol gives the sensation of warmth, as our skin has heat sensitive neurons that are able to detect a rise in skin temperature when there is an increase in blood flow in the vessels close to the skin’s surface.

When alcohol is consumed, the blood vessels in the skin dilate which thrusts the blood from the core of one’s body to the periphery. Humans’ core body temperature is that of 37 degrees Celsius, which is mostly maintained by the chemical reactions involved in the body to keep us alive. Since the skin is inundated with receptors that are sensitive to temperature changes, the heat is redistributed when alcohol is consumed. This means that the blood redistribution that occurs when drinking alcohol sends messages of increased temperature to the brain.

Although this may seem to be a good thing on cold winter nights, it may be quite dangerous. In lower temperatures, the blood vessels constrict in order to direct the blood to the vital organs. However, alcohol reverses this process and directs the blood to the peripherals while the brain is receiving messages that the body is warm. The body could even start sweating as it is one of the ways in which the body cools down.

Drinking alcohol gives the sensation of warmth, but while one may feel warm on the outside, the inside of the body is getting colder.

Alcohol cannot be used to warm up, so when one is inside on a cold wintry   night and one might feel tempted to have an alcoholic drink, make sure to cover up with a blanket instead!