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Research shows Dry January participants are sleeping better and thinking more clearly
New research on Dry January shows your brain and mind will massively reap the benefits of a four-week sober spell.
Cutting out alcohol from your life is certainly never going to be bad for your health, but new research has helped to highlight just how beneficial it can be to partake in Dry January. According to a recent report, taking a month off from drinking can help alter your brain and the way it functions, a choice that appears to be increasingly popular.
Dry January is linked to positive effects on the brain, says expert
If you feel increasingly tired, forgetful and sluggish, then a Dry January-style period of sobriety could be what you need to help bring you back to speed.
According to a new report, the annual health challenge has been shown to be linked to a range of positive functional changes in your body and mind.
James Roy, a director at Brainworks Neurotherapy, has claimed the most noticeable impact of Dry January is improved cognitive function, meaning the brain carries out its everyday tasks at a more optimal rate. This sensation can be attributed to the fact “Alcohol is known to affect neurotransmitter levels and disrupt the delicate balance within the brain,” Roy says, “leading to colluded thinking and impaired decision-making.”
Moreover, Roy contends cutting down on alcohol can help reduce inflammation of the brain. Drinking can in some instances lead to inflammation, which is linked to a range of neurological issues – something that is less likely to occur when you slow down on or cut out alcohol, thus allowing your brain more time to rest.
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Taking a break can help you sleep better too
The benefits of sticking to ‘low and no’ alcohol products don’t stop there.
Those who partake in Dry January often report that their sleep quality has improved, with alcohol known to disrupt your normal cycle, making it harder to achieve a consistent period of deep, uninterrupted rest.
With better sleep comes improved “cognitive function, memory consolidation, and overall brain health”, says Roy, which is why you may feel an overall lift in your emotions if you’re trying out Dry January for the first time.
Explaining the link, Roy noted: “Alcohol is a depressant that can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and contribute to mood swings.
“By refraining from alcohol consumption in January, individuals may experience improved mood, enhanced emotional resilience, and a better overall sense of well-being.”
Dry January looks to be more popular than ever
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the wide apparent benefits and the collective mass tightening of belts occurring across various countries at this point in time, Dry January is on the rise.
While we’ll need to wait until February to see how many people were able to complete the challenge, data from Civic Science suggests as many as 49% of adults in the US regard themselves as being “somewhat” or “very likely” to take on Dry January in 2024.
This marks a significant rise in positive attitudes towards the break, with 9% more people willing to put alcohol on pause, leaving just 51% of Americans drinking as normal.
Young people, specifically those in the 21-24 bracket, are the most likely to be taking part, with 75% of respondents in the age group claiming to be planning on taking part.
The notion of quitting alcohol appears to be increasingly popular on TikTok, with the tag #sobercurious having notched up no less than 837.8 million views.
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