'I'm a doctor - this is what happens to your body during Dry January'
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Most of us will be well under way with any resolutions we made ahead of New Year's Eve, hoping for a better 2025. One of the most common goals in the UK follows the popular Dry January challenge, which starts on January 1. The 31-day challenge tests people to avoid alcoholic drinks for the whole month. This often follows a period of celebration at Christmas where boozy beverages are consumed aplenty.
Dr Tim Mercer, an NHS GP, has spoken about the benefits you'll see if you stick with the task, including better sleep and weight loss. He said that, overall alcohol is "pretty bad for us" and can cause major disruption to our sleep cycles. Dr Mercer added: "If you've been drinking lots of alcohol throughout the holiday period, you might actually notice insomnia develop in the first instance when you withdraw from using alcohol in the first week of Dry January. In the first week [of Dry January], you will be adjusting to the absence of alcohol.
"Hopefully, you don't get withdrawal, but you may get some symptoms such as mild headaches and difficulty with onset maintenance of sleep." Dr Mercer suggests in the meantime, you should replace alcohol with "something healthy" to fill the gap and trick your mind with a placebo effect.
He explained that, come the second week of January, things start to look and feel brighter. The doctor claimed you should start to see improvements in your energy levels and digestion, as well as clearer skin and better sleep quality. Dr Mercer said: "By the third week, you're in the swing of things, and your body is starting to become alcohol-free." He added that, in addition to seeing mood improvements, most people who stick with Dry January this long also notice a "new level" of deeper and uninterrupted sleep.
