Science has finally discovered why you get so sleepy after drinking wine!
Researchers at the University of Milan, Italy, have analyzed wine grapes and found melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep!
The highest concentration of melatonin was found in Nebbiolo, Merlot and Cabernet.
The study was published in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture, and is the first explanation that given to support the connection between drowsiness and red wine. The researchers responsible for the results are Marcello Iriti, PhD, along with Mara Rossoni and Franco.
The scientists tested eight types of grapes, Nebbiolo, Croatina, Sangiovese, Merlot, Marzemino, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Barbera. They found evidence of melatonin in all of them. All the fruits came from the northeast region of Italy and two basic types of tests were applied to them, finding that Nebbiolo grapes showed the highest concentration of melatonin, followed by Croatina (Cabernet) grapes.
Melatonin was found in wine and is the hormone in our bodies that regulates sleep
Melatonin Molecule to the left
Recent studies carried out in North America and Europe have indicated that wine also has a positive protective effect on our brains, decreasing inflammation and flushing out toxins found in the brain. It looks like this improvement in our general brain health, combined with some of the other benefits that wine brings, can also improve people’s capacity to fall asleep.
Red Wine vs White Wine
Both white wine and red wine are good for your body if they’re consumed in moderation. Both have vitamins and minerals favorable for the body and provide many additional benefits such as reducing free radicals, increasing antioxidants, and adding a bit of fiber to your diet.
Red and white wine are very similar, but each provide distinct health benefits:
Health benefits of red wine
- It helps to increase the type of good cholesterol and to lower the bad one
- Lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of blood clots
- It contains antioxidant polyphenols
- Helps to eliminate free radicals
- It prevents dementia and degenerative diseases of our brain.
- It can relax and give us energy at the same time, because we release endorphins.
- Improves heart health
Health benefits of white wine
- Good for your heart – it has a phenolic compound that prevents cardiovascular diseases
- It’s refreshing and quenches our thirst in summer
- Favorable for diabetes and chronic kidney disease
- Lowers blood pressure
- Helps delay the aging process
- Prevents lung diseases
- Contribution of minerals such as phosphorus and potassium.
Other differences are also based on calories and alcohol levels, as red wine is more caloric than white, and is also the one with the highest alcoholic strength. Red wine is a main component of the Mediterranean diet and helps to prevent heart-related diseases and offering a series of benefits that protect health in general.
Additional health benefits from drinking red wine
Recent studies carried out in North America and Europe have indicated that wine also has a positive protective effect on our brains, decreasing inflammation and flushing out toxins found in the brain. It looks like this improvement in our general brain health, combined with some of the other benefits that wine brings, can also improve people’s capacity to fall asleep.
Slows aging
Resveratrol is a compound that can be found in the skin of red grapes and has the capacity of delaying the overall aging process. Of course, this includes our brain. It seems like moderate consumption is one of the causes of longevity in some European regions with high consumption of red wine. [Read study]
Protects your cardiovascular system
Red wine is a great resource of “polyphenols”, and one of these is resveratrol; it’s a chemical substance rich in antioxidants that helps to protect our blood vessels by preventing blood clots and reducing bad cholesterol. Also, red wine is rich in vitamin E; it helps to clean our blood vessels, protecting our general cardiovascular health. Having a normal blood flow is essential to keep good brain health.
Reduces the risk of depression
A study carried out by a team from a group of Spanish Universities found that people who consume about two and seven glasses of wine per week were less likely to be diagnosed with symptoms of depression.
Boosts your brain
There are many studies showing that a constant consumption of wine helps us prevent many degenerative diseases of our brain, including dementia.
In a study from the University of Loyola Medical Center in USA, researchers analyzed data from academic papers on red wine from 1977 to the present in 14 different countries.
They found that resveratrol can reduce the viscosity of blood platelets, which helps keep blood vessels open and flexible (so preventing clots), which in turn helps maintain a good blood supply in the brain.
Wine also provides minerals like:
- Lithium – helps in balancing the nervous system
- Magnesium – reduces stress
- Zinc – improves our immune system
- Potassium and calcium – keep the normal ionic and electrical balance in our bodies
In other words, it’s not that red wine directly makes you sleepy – what really happens is that it makes you feel so relaxed, that you’ll naturally and gradually fall into a sleepy state
JUST REMEMBER: DRINK IT WITH MODERATION.
