This condition occurs naturally in our bodies in response to various stimuli. However, excessive vasodilation caused by external factors, like drinking alcohol, can be problematic. It’s common to notice mysterious bruises the morning after drinking alcohol.
Liver disease
You should also have other tests to rule out other diseases that could be causing your symptoms. Your symptoms may vary depending upon the severity of your disease. Usually, symptoms are worse after a recent period of heavy drinking. In fact, you may not even have symptoms until the disease is pretty advanced. “These conditions may not be noticeable in everyday life but can become problematic in situations where bleeding is a higher risk, such as surgery, childbirth, or injury. If you’re prone to easy bruising, it’s essential to know your family medical history, as many bleeding disorders are inherited,” says Angelini.
Skin Care Tips
The CDC defines binge drinking as drinking that brings your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or more. Newborns often have very low levels of vitamin K, which are insufficient to stop bleeding. Without a vitamin K injection at birth, babies may bruise easily or bleed excessively. Adults with low vitamin K levels may also notice a sudden increase in bruising. Von Willebrand disease, the most prevalent bleeding disorder, affects about 1% of the population.
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Also, if you have multiple, unexplained bruises or a bruise that keeps returning to the same area, your doctor may order tests to pinpoint the cause. Tests may include X-rays to check for bone fractures and blood tests to check for clotting disorders and vitamin deficiencies. Among the more serious causes of bruising is leukemia—a cancer of the blood cells.
Consuming alcoholic beverages can cause muscle weakness, tingling, numbness and a heavy feeling because it depletes the body of vitamins and minerals essential for muscle health. The side effect is temporary, but over time, heavy drinking can lead to permanent muscle degeneration that leaves the legs and arms weak and painful. This can cause a low platelet count, which may result in bruising and bleeding. Those biological changes pave the way for the second stage, which is marked by a physical dependence on the drug. Drinking at this point isn’t about feeling good — it’s about not feeling bad and avoiding the uncomfortable sensations that accompany acute do you bruise easier when drunk withdrawal.
Other than the fact that someone is drinking more than usual, it might be hard to detect that there’s even a problem because outwardly the alcoholic appears normal. Internally, though, significant biological changes are occurring. Certain types of bruising or bruising along with other symptoms may indicate a more serious underlying health issue and should be seen by a doctor. A lifetime of sun damage contributes to easy bruising on areas that get a lot of sun exposure, such as the forearms, says Dana Angelini, MD, a hematologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The broken blood vessels cause blood to pool under the skin, creating a mark that looks black and blue or red and purple and is often swollen or painful.
- Just as lower estrogen levels cause vaginal dryness, your urinary tissues (including the sphincter) can become thin and more sensitive.
- However, if you bruise easily, even a minor bump can result in a substantial bruise.
- Here’s what you need to know about easy bruising, what’s normal and what’s unusual, and when to see your healthcare provider to get it checked out.
- Stomatocytes have a shortened life span because they become trapped in the small capillaries of the spleen and are subsequently destroyed.
The liver does a good job at this, but it has trouble keeping up if heavy quantities of alcohol have been ingested. This is when you may become intoxicated and feel the effects of alcohol. And when the blood vessels underneath your skin break, it causes blood to leak out. Here’s a look at why bruises become more common with age, plus what you can do to keep the bumps at do you bruise easier when drunk bay.
So when you drink alcohol and injure yourself, you can be left with a bigger, more noticeable bruise than you might see while sober. Reframe supports you in reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing your well-being. Plus, we’re always introducing new features to optimize your in-app experience. We recently launched our in-app chatbot, Melody, powered by the world’s most powerful AI technology. Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. You’ll meet millions of fellow Reframers in our 24/7 Forum chat and daily Zoom check-in meetings.
- The liver does a good job at this, but it has trouble keeping up if heavy quantities of alcohol have been ingested.
- This subreddit is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking.
- Middle-stage alcoholics may become irritable or angry if confronted about their drinking.
- Purpura is more common in people with light skin, but anyone can develop it.
- Methemoglobinemia is characterized by fatigue, weakness, headaches, pallor, and seizures in severe cases.
- We treat alcohol addictions and mental health issues in an outpatient setting.
We’ve also partnered with Moderation Management, a non-profit dedicated to reducing the harm caused by the alcoholism treatment misuse of alcohol. As a result, you may find yourself having frequent sore throat pains, catching colds and infections more often. If you’ve noticed consistent weight gain, it may be time to reflect on your drinking habits. This is usually achieved if you consume five or more standard drinks on a single occasion for men or four or more drinks on a single occasion for women. To allow the liver to heal and the risk of bruising to drop, you must stop drinking altogether. Ensuring that you do not drink at this level could be a wise way to limit your risk of unusual bruising.
- The reduced platelet count and stickiness of already circulating platelets prolong bleeding time from injuries, leading to visible bruises.
- If the scarring is extensive, the liver may not be able to do its vital work.
- While it may take quite a bit of force to cause a bruise in a young child, even minor bumps and scrapes may cause extensive bruising in an elderly person.
- Synthetic versions of these clotting factors can help treat hemophilia and reduce the risk of what is alcoholism serious bleeding and bruising.
Those in the end stage of alcoholism, or late or deteriorative stage, are consumed by their drinking. Years of chronic alcohol consumption have ravaged their body and mind, and their lives revolve around little else other than the bottle. Bruising occasionally indicates a more serious medical condition. Vitamin C or K deficiency, bleeding disorders such as hemophilia or Von Willebrand disease, or cancer can cause bruising. Older adults often bruise more easily because the skin becomes less flexible with age, and there is less fat to protect the blood vessels.