The world of dining and drinking is an obstacle course wrapped in a labyrinth wrapped in a logic puzzle — it’s full of pitfalls, gray areas, and bewildering questions that really shouldn’t even be questions (How do I find the bathroom?) and yet, somehow, are. Fortunately, your friends at Eater are here to help: Life Coach is a series of simple guides to the arcane rituals of modern dining. Have a question or a quandary you’d like us to tackle? Drop Life Coach a line.
The cult of brunch is one that nearly everyone can agree on: Decidedly less dangerous (and arguably more fun) than Scientology, the lazy, midday repast of endless eggs Benedict variations and overpriced pancakes is mainly an excuse to narrow that pesky time window between getting out of bed and getting tipsy — in other words, to facilitate day drinking.
Boozing it up while the sun’s still high in the sky can make for a memorable adventure with friends, but it can also turn into a shitshow quickly — like when your BFF’s had five bloody marys and starts crying in the bathroom, or someone passes out face down at the table after too many picklebacks, rendering you forever banned from your favorite dive bar.
”Day drinking often — though not always — takes place on weekends between the hours of noon and 6 p.m.,” former Eater editor Kat Odell explains in her book Day Drinking: 50 Cocktails for a Mellow Buzz. On holidays — especially those that fall on Mondays and the days after Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the living is particularly lazy — many of us tend to expand that definition to include weekdays, but regardless of when your day drinking takes place, adhering to a few simple rules is essential to the success of your daytime revelry.
Obvious, yes, but padding your stomach with something of actual nutritious value before you starting pouring in the alcohol is essential, as it will slow the absorption of booze into your bloodstream; pounding mimosas when you’ve only had an Americano for breakfast will undoubtedly cut your day drinking endeavor short. In my unscientific opinion, a mixture of protein, carbs, and fat makes an ideal base: Think the aforementioned eggs Benedict, for example, or fried chicken and waffles, or avocado toast with a fried egg.
(See? Brunch truly is tailor-made for drinking.)
Downing dirty martinis or other stout cocktails like Old Fashioneds is not a good day-drinking strategy. As Odell advises in her book, “in an effort not to get full-blown wasted, and instead maintain a mellow buzz, the answer here is: low-alcohol libations.” Most beers or ciders will fit the bill; if you really want to keep it mellow, try a beer cocktail like a shandy or a radler, which dials down the ABV with the addition of lemonade, orange or grapefruit juice, or soda. (A tasty and widely available premixed version is Stiegl Radler, which is a very mellow 2.5 percent ABV.) There are also plenty of lower-proof cocktails that are delicious: Think micheladas, Aperol spritzes, and yes, that old day-drinking favorite the mimosa.
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Switching it up a little is fine, but going from beer to wine to cocktails is a one-way ticket to Hangover Town.
Though science doesn’t support the theory that mixing drinks makes hangovers worse, the drunker you get, the faster you’re likely to drink — so switching from beer to, say, tequila is a good way to get overly intoxicated. The safest bet is to pick one type of alcohol and stick with it — and on a related note, just say no to shots. There’s always one overeager day drinker in the group who wants to buy a round of Jagerbombs, and that is unequivocally not the path to successful day drinking.
It truly cannot be said enough: DRINK WATER. Even if you consider yourself a veteran day drinker impervious to the effects of a full day of imbibing, your body still needs hydration. One glass of water between every drink is ideal, but realistically, just remembering to take frequent sips will go a long way toward preventing a hangover (and keeping you standing).
On a related note, al fresco drinking may be one of life’s great pleasures, but be sure to snag a patio seat that has shade: Too much sun will sap the energy out of you even quicker than your friend who won’t shut up about their last Overwatch marathon.
Break up all the boozing by ordering some food; your drinking companions will thank you. Something greasy and salty and carb-heavy is generally a crowd-pleaser — think cheese fries, chips and queso, or fried pickles (you know, bar food). But resist the urge to tuck into a full-on meal, like a burger and fries, lest you lull yourself into a full-on food and alcohol coma.
Whether it’s relying on a teetotaling friend who’s content to observe the rest of the group’s alcohol-fueled antics while sipping kombucha or simply hailing an Uber or Lyft, arranging alternative transportation is a must. Even if you’ve kept the drinks low-proof, spaced them out, and sipped water in between, you’re probably still not in any condition to drive. Do yourself, your friends, and everyone else on the road a favor and just don’t. (Side note: Do not be tempted by the electric scooter rentals that are probably littering the streets of your city.
Many drunk people before you have tried and failed.)
Day drinking should typically conclude at or before sunset (continue drinking well into the night and that’s called a bender, which is a different story), and definitely call it quits earlier if you feel yourself starting to get totally hammered. Bid adieu to your friends, tip your server or bartender generously (you and your friends weren’t too obnoxious though, right?), and go home to your couch, multiple large glasses of water, and possibly some Bagel Bites.
Electrolytes are also beneficial, if you’re so inclined — Pedialyte is pretty effective (more like #pedialit, amirite?), though I personally prefer concentrated electrolyte drops that can be added to water. So long as you followed these tips and didn’t overdo it, you’ll likely wake up tomorrow feeling not half-bad — and if you do find yourself in rough shape, the internet is rife with questionable advice for curing a hangover.
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It’s finally summer, and with it, everything that makes life sweet: festivals, vacations with friends, and long lazy days in the park with beers.
That last part matters, because let’s face it, day drinking is as much a part of the season as sunburn and overdosing on ice cream.
While it’s tempting to approach the year’s most fun activity with chill and spontaneity, drinking minus a plan can mean peaking too early and heading home to take a nap or drinking too fast and getting nauseous.
So if you’re ready to approach getting liquored up with the precision of a chess champion, consider one or all of the following pieces of advice. They range from things you should probably know already if you're a fully functioning adult, to lesser known boozing secrets that could revolutionize your drinking sessions.
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Stephen Cheetham
In an ideal world, you’d be aware that the next day would be devoted to drinking and you’d take it easy on the drinks the night before. This is partly common sense, but how much sleep you get is linked to how drunk you'll feel if you drink the following day.
Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., a psychiatry professor and coauthor of Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy, told the New York Post that drinking alcohol (a sedative) when a person is short on sleep can make them feel drunker than they are.
Swartzwelder explained that this is psychological — your blood alcohol concentration isn’t higher when you’re sleepy, but you simply feel more drunk, because alcohol heightens your tiredness and makes you less alert. So if you want to increase your chances of an effortless day drinking session, you’d better get eight hours of sleep first.
Stephen Cheetham
While lining your stomach is an eye-rollingly predictable tip, most people tend to opt for carb-heavy meals, which experts say isn’t necessarily the best option. Thrillist cites some breakfast-friendly foods that could combat the effects of alcohol later: a glass of milk (minus coffee), which according to nutritionist Isabel Maples replaces the potassium “lost with excess urination”; avocado, because the healthy fats are “digested more slowly than carbs”; cereal, because the high fiber content “provides a good buffer for the alcohol and will slow its absorption”; and, of course, eggs, because the presence of amino acids in will “help break down some of the alcohol.
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If you’re also able to order eggs Florentine with salmon at your fancy brunch, do it, because the same article states that the fish boasts “super-high” levels of vitamin B-12 (the same vitamin that alcohol depletes).
Stephen Cheetham
Again, so predictable, right? But this matters, especially when you examine the science of getting drunk. Drinking is all about your BAC, or Blood Alcohol Content. Non-profit organization Aware Awake Alive explains that a “BAC of .10 means that .1% of your bloodstream is composed of alcohol.” They stress that a BAC of .020 is when “light to moderate drinkers begin to feel some effects,” while a BAC of .040 is when “most people begin to feel relaxed” and classify a BAC of .060 as when “judgment is somewhat impaired.”
As such, if you want to feel lightly buzzed without suffering the downsides of drinking, you’re going to want to keep your BAC around .040. One way of doing this is to match every alcoholic drink with a glass of water – this slows down the increase of your BAC (something which is essential if you drink faster than most people).
Professor Oliver James, Head of Clinical Medical Sciences at Newcastle University, told drinkaware.co.uk, “Alcohol is a diuretic, it acts on the kidneys to make you pee out much more than you take in – which is why you need to go to the toilet so often when you drink.” So no, consuming more liquids may not be something you’re desperate to do. But this not only helps keep your BAC at a relatively low level, but also counteracts the dehydrating effects of alcohol, which is especially important when you’re basking in the sun.
Stephen Cheetham
Speaking of which, as the director of Health & Safety at the American Lifeguard Association explained to Mel Magazine, “Sun and alcohol don’t mix. People don’t realize the sun amplifies whatever intoxication you’re experiencing.” Preach. Again, another piece of counterintuitive advice — skip sunbathing and encourage everyone to take as much time as possible in the shade.
Stephen Cheetham
A 2007 Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine article detailed a study in which researchers at the University of Manchester measured how different types of mixers affected levels of intoxication. They mixed vodka with still water, carbonated water, and also offered it neat. The study found that 14 of the 21 subjects “absorbed the alcohol with a carbonated mixer at a faster rate.”
Another small study showed in 2001 that sparkling wine makes people drunker faster than its bubble-free counterpart. Fran Ridout and a team in the human psychopharmacology unit at the University of Surrey organized a couple of “drinks parties” for volunteers in their department and, without informing the volunteers, Ridout used the parties to test the effects of fizzy versus still wine. Here's what happened, according to New Scientist:
“She gave champagne to 12 volunteers – half drank fizzy champagne and the other half had flat champagne, purged of its bubbles beforehand with a whisk.
The following week, she repeated the experiment but gave each volunteer the opposite kind of champagne to the previous time. That way, everyone tried both types of wine.
"Each person drank two glasses of champagne per session. Ridout adjusted the exact intakes so that everyone drank the same amount of alcohol per kilogram of body mass. Sure enough, alcohol levels rose much faster among the bubbly drinkers. After just five minutes, they had an average of 0.54 milligrams of alcohol per milliliter of blood. Those drinking flat champagne averaged just 0.39 milligrams of alcohol."
This doesn’t sound like such a big deal until you translate these figures into their practical effects — according to Ridout, the bubbly drinkers were obviously worse off afterwards as she stated “some could hardly write.” These are small-scale studies, so it’s worth exercising a little skepticism, but if you err on the lightweight side of the drinking scale and are planning on a multi-hour drinking session, it could be worth skipping the bubbly stuff — whether coke as a mixer or champagne — for something bubble-free.
Stephen Cheetham
If you care enough to google how to drink without getting paralytically drunk, one odd piece of advice dominates search results. In 2015, Esquire conducted an interview with the co-founder and chairman of the Boston Beer Company, Jim Koch. Koch had a drinking hack up his sleeve that sounded so much like a piece of dubious health advice doled out by “One Weird Trick” advertorials that the internet was immediately divided into believers and skeptics.
He cites advice developed by the late Joseph Owades, someone who “probably knew more about fermentation and alcohol metabolism than perhaps any man who has ever lived.” Thanks to Owades, Koch consumes “active yeast” by swallowing standard Fleischmann's dry yeast before he drinks, stirring it into yoghurt to take the edge off it. He argues this lessens how drunk a person gets when boozing.
On one hand, the mind boggles: carrying around a six-pack of yoghurts and a bag of yeast doesn’t exactly sound sunny day-compatible (or something you could pull off in front of anyone beyond best friends and family) and besides which, could this really be true?
But on the other hand, Serious Eats conducted some very in-depth analysis of the advice given, and reached a few interesting conclusions.
One, if trying this tip, you should use the specific brand of dry yeast recommended, Fleischmann’s. This particular brand contains the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which “contains the ADH enzyme that digests ethanol.” Two, the Serious Eats author concluded it does help decrease alcohol levels. So if you can chug a mouthful of dry yeast without yoghurt, this could be worth employing on your next multi-hour daytime bender.
Stephen Cheetham
Sometimes the best advice is the most obvious: sticking to drinks with a lower level of alcohol that fill you up (like beer, for example) rather than drinks which are stronger and quicker to consume (cocktails, spirits), especially when alternating with water, is an obvious strategy for pacing yourself. Take breaks from drinking. Eat balanced meals throughout the day.
As Gary Shteyngart’s protagonist in Super Sad True Love Story put it, “We know summer is the height of of being alive.” Daytime drinking is a great part of that — embracing an ambling sort of hedonism that feels like one of the sweetest things a person can do in the year’s sunniest season.
But nobody wants to be that person who’s uncomfortably wasted in broad daylight. So this summer, get lightly buzzed instead.
Next up: do fitness apps actually do anything?
Spleen, apathy, depression - that's what many people call it.
Asthenic syndrome - doctors call it.
What is it? There is such a simple life hack: if symptoms of weakness and lethargy appear right in the morning, then you need to ask yourself when do you feel better in the morning or in the evening? If in the morning, then everything is ok. If in the evening? For example, you went to bed on time, and it’s very difficult to get up in the morning, you have to persuade yourself for a long, long time, while there may be sleep disturbances, you get up as if you didn’t rest, you feel overwhelmed in the morning and this lasts for a long time, then, of course, you need to suspect depression . The second option If an asthenic condition has already arisen, then, of course, one change in the diet will not achieve the desired effect. You definitely need vitamin supplements. Consultation with specialist is required for selection. 
And here the help of a specialist may be required, very often this condition is a mask of some kind of chronic disease. 9 should work here0010 is not just a psychologist, but a good practitioner who can see the condition that is masked by depression. 
The end of winter-spring is a period when we often get sick, and the energy reserves in the body are replenished slowly, also because the products that we can find this season are depleted in vitamins and microelements that are necessary for energy processes.
Vitamins themselves are not a source of energy, but they activate numerous metabolic processes. Thanks to vitamins, food is properly digested and gives us strength. The metabolism works exactly the way it is supposed to work. The activity of hormonal glands, the cardiovascular, nervous system is regulated, they are involved in hematopoiesis. Vitamins are involved in all body processes, so the deficiency of each affects the deterioration of well-being.
So, vitamins and microelements - activators of energy processes: C, B1, H (biotin), folic acid, vitamin D, Copper, Chromium, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Iodine.
Let's see why and what vitamins we need. Why is it necessary in the spring, even if we eat right and include a lot of green and fresh foods in the diet. First of all, of course, vitamin C . He is responsible for immunity, for vitality, for a good mood. Increases the body's resistance to disease. Participates in the exchange of norepinephrine - this is the hormone of courage, thanks to which we kind of internally gather, mobilize, begin to think more clearly, make decisions faster and be effective. Effectively deal with stress.
The second most important vitamin in this respect is vitamin B1 . It helps the regeneration of the nervous system, which affects the emotional state.
Participates in the Kreps cycle, this is the main energy station in the body, so it is essential.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin, Vitamin H, Coenzyme R) controls the absorption of nutrients and their conversion into energy. Eliminates the feeling of eternal fatigue even with prolonged exertion, relieves sleep problems and, along with thiamine, determines the human ability to concentrate and mental work.
B9 (folic acid), like vitamin C, promotes the production of norepinephrine, protects against stress, awakens optimism and gives us energy. Including sexy!
Vitamin D orchestrates blood flow. How well he copes with his task depends on whether the cells are fully supplied with oxygen and cleared of decay products in a timely manner, as well as how quickly we can restore our strength after rest.
No less than vitamins, we need minerals:
Copper , the presence of which in the body directly affects metabolism, is involved in the formation of norepinephrine and serotonin.
Iron together with vitamin D is responsible for delivering oxygen to cells.
Selenium strengthens the nervous system and performs many other functions.
Potassium , the lack of which results in muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances. In order to avoid potassium deficiency, first of all, it is worth giving up fast food, which contains monosodium glutamate and salts, which are potassium antagonists.
Iodine saves us from chronic fatigue, shattered immunity and mental decline.
Chromium affects the functioning of the brain and the activity of the nervous system.
Magnesium is the “main power engineer” of cells, participates in more than 300 biochemical reactions and metabolic processes, and at the same time provides us with healthy sleep. Its deficiency is expressed in a feeling of permanent fatigue, lethargy and dizziness.
Additionally, we want to say that iron and iodine deficiency also causes a state of apathy and lethargy. Their prescription is recommended by doctors because there are certain restrictions.
If you take vitamins, eat well and properly, but nevertheless you are still covered in spring. There is an even more advanced level, we can test the genetics of vitamin metabolism . This is a simple and quick test, it is cheaper than constantly testing vitamin levels. In genetics and metabolism of vitamins, there can be persistent vitamin-deficiency states, even despite taking medications. There may be features associated with the exchange of vitamins, genetic features in which a person needs higher adjustments than others. Vitamins are coenzymes of many metabolic processes. They are involved in the synthesis of substances-accelerators of metabolic processes. Without them, they are not produced; without them, genomic material cannot be read. We invite you to consult one of our doctors and choose the best way to take care of your health! 
We have certain genes that encode all metabolic processes, the synthesis of regulatory proteins, enzymes that ensure the regulation of all metabolic processes. Information from genes may or may not be read due to the fact that there is a deficiency of certain vitamins in the body at the moment. Activation and synthesis of hormones may not occur due to the lack of certain vitamins, there is no reading of genomic material that encode information about the activity of hormones, for example. Therefore, vitamin deficiency is the first thing to be eliminated. This study lifts the veil of chronic conditions: persistent anemia, persistent chronic fatigue syndromes, digestive disorders. Gives simple answers to what needs to be monitored, and correct only what is a stumbling block for each individual person. We would like our readers and patients to know that on a highly scientific level we can give a simple understanding of the processes, a simple answer to this question.
It happens to each of us: you sleep well, but in the morning you feel overwhelmed. The reasons can be very different - from sleep inertia, which we have already talked about, to iron deficiency and much more serious problems. We will tell you why we sometimes experience fatigue, even if we have had enough sleep.
If you feel more tired in the morning than last night, you may have disrupted your circadian rhythms. By waking up at the same time every day, we train our body to wake up immediately after waking up, explains American neuroscientist and sleep expert Christopher Winter. If we sleep longer than usual, then we break this habit.
“The body sleeps in cycles,” Winter says. - In a normal rhythm, you get up, do exercises, come to work by eight and go to bed after the evening show.
But during the weekend, when you hang out with friends on a Friday and then sleep until noon, your brain suddenly doesn't understand what's going on. The brain first sees the light at noon and thinks that the sun has just risen, and your lunch is breakfast ... "
Another cause of drowsiness is sleep inertia. You can end up in this state if you wake up in the wrong phase. Clinical psychologist Sara Nowakowski says that we typically go through five 90-minute sleep cycles a night, each with four phases. If we disrupt our circadian rhythms, we may wake up not at the end of one of the cycles, but in the middle of one of them. Because of this, you can feel not fully awake and disoriented.
However, there are other reasons why you may be overwhelmed after sleeping through the night. Some of them are harmless, while others can be a signal that it is time for you to see a doctor.
Many people associate physical activity with exhaustion, but this is not always true.
Working out in the gym won't necessarily drain all of your energy, but on the contrary, it can improve the quality of your sleep. If you do light exercises at least several times a week, you will have more strength. Regular exercise helps our body and brain work better and reduces sleepiness.
Lack of water can lead to dizziness and extreme fatigue. Due to dehydration, the volume of blood in the body decreases, the heart works less efficiently, and we feel exhausted.
One of the main signs of depression is fatigue. Due to this mental disorder, fatigue may not leave you, no matter how well you sleep. Often people do not even notice that they are depressed until they realize how sleepy they are constantly experiencing. Pay attention to your feelings and if you think that depression can be the cause of fatigue, contact a psychotherapist.
A glass of wine before bed can help you relax and fall asleep.
However, as Allen Toufay, M.D., points out, “Ultimately, this is how you sabotage the maintenance of [healthy] sleep.” First, alcohol depresses the central nervous system, creating a sedative effect, and then, when the body absorbs alcohol, there is a sharp release of adrenaline. Therefore, after drinking, we can wake up in the middle of the night. Toufai recommends drinking alcohol no later than three to four hours before bedtime.
The last cup of coffee is best drunk six hours before bedtime. Coffee blocks adenosine, the substance responsible for fatigue, so we have a harder time falling asleep. In addition, some studies show that caffeine disrupts circadian rhythms.
You've probably heard this advice before, but it won't hurt to repeat it. Don't take your phone to bed! The blue light of gadget screens interferes with the production of melatonin, the “sleep hormone”. You may not notice this effect, but your sleep will be less deep as a result.
When we fall asleep, the body continues to use the nutrients from dinner to keep the circulation and oxygen moving in the blood. After waking up, the body needs new fuel to continue its work.
Maybe you lack iron - its lack leads to fatigue. Or perhaps you need more vitamin B, which is involved in converting food into energy. You may also be deficient in magnesium, which maintains normal glucose levels.
Stress and anxiety also lead to drowsiness. They can make it harder for you to fall asleep and wake up more often, depriving yourself of deep sleep.
Fatigue can sometimes be a sign of a serious illness, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, or anemia. Anemia can be caused by iron deficiency, blood loss, or something more dangerous like kidney failure or even cancer. If you feel exhausted for more than a week, see your doctor.
