As the medical field and health sciences progress, we have been taking different methods and measures in dealing with mental health issues. There have been many procedures that took place over the years in dealing with depression, anxiety, and other behavioural conditions.
Some procedures like undergoing psychological therapies or taking prescribed antidepressants were doing well and showed a high percentage of improvements among patients; while other methods seem to have an unlikable result or take too long to show progress.
For these reasons, many turn into a non-traditional method and sees that clinical therapy visits alone are not enough.
We already heard it in the news, medical shows, and even on the internet that many research studies already show that drinking wine can help with depression. Many see this as an advantage since its easy accessibility and comparatively cheap compared to therapy visits. But, on the other hand, others see it as a risky take and might even contribute to worsening one’s health.
Now, let’s take a closer look as we talk more about the benefits of drinking wine and what are the possible risks it can contribute to a person’s mental health condition.
What are the benefits ?
Wine has been a delicate drink for everyone. We drink wine during celebrations, parties, on a romantic date night, or when we just want to relax after a tiresome day at work. We even look for the best and exquisite brands like the 1982 Leoville Poyferre which you can shop at www.sokolin.com/saint-julien-wines.
That is why when we heard that drinking wine has a contribution to our health, there has been a positive response and conclusion that drinking alcohol is not that bad at all. Furthermore, there have been many substantial research and scientific experiments that say a glass of wine can help a person relax, lower stress levels, and is good for the heart. Aside from that, drinking red wine promotes better sleep, and it has shown to aid to improve brain activities, making it more receptive to information.
Moreover, it is known that alcohol has an antidepressant compound. For red wine, it is called resveratrol. The related studies show that the resveratrol compound found in red wine has a counter-effect against corticosterone.
Corticosterone, or commonly known as a stress hormone, on its extreme and excessive level, will result in depression and anxiety. Hence, when drinking wine, the resveratrol kicks in and improves a person’s mood and counteracts the corticosterone and level it down, thus lowering depression and calms anxiety.
What are the risks?
Occasional drinking of wine is good. A glass of wine before going to bed is still good. But what’s not good is drinking a bottle of wine excessively and with no control. Just like any other things, too much wine consumption is bad.
Wine per se is alcohol. And even though it has fruit-based compounds, it is still considered as an alcoholic drink.
And as we go on a scientific level, it is also essential to be educated with resveratrol. The resveratrol compound found in the skin of grapes, which is the primary source in making wine, has an impact as well to the central nervous system.
Depressing the activities of the central nervous system may have a short-term solution but possibly show great effects in the long run. Since wine has CNS depressants, a person observed with excessive intake of red wine will likely experience muscle weakness, poor judgment, sleep disruption, and other mental conditions.
Patients or individuals who are diagnosed with mental health problems have unstable central nervous system (CNS), which is a very sensitive part of the body, which requires a delicate balance.
Unmonitored drinking habits and heavy alcohol intake will lead to a much worse condition. Thus, it highly advised that heavy drinkers need to cut down their intakes. Regular drinking women are suggested to take a single glass a day and a maximum of two glasses for men. And abstainers are not encouraged to drink wine even with their health benefits.
Takeaway
Drinking red wine during parties and celebrations is fine. If you want to enjoy a glass of it during the evening, it is fine as well. What we should consider every time is that even with all the methods in handling mental health conditions, may it be the traditional clinic therapy visits or the non-traditional approach; the decision and the commitment are still in our hands.
Battling depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions are different from one person to another. The treatment and methods are different too. Fortunately, aside from drinking wine, there are a lot of medical treatments that show promising results too. What we can do is to undergo which is the best treatment for us.
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Peter Wallace has been an advocate for mental health awareness for years. He holds a master’s degree in counselling from the University of Edinburgh.
