🍷 Alcohol

• Less alcohol, fewer health risks; more alcohol, greater health risks.
• An average of 1-2 drinks per day in a week is associated with thinning of the neocortex, increased impulsivity, increased baseline cortisol, reduced mood, increased cancer risk, and lower testosterone.
• Electrolytes before drinking can reduce the severity of a hangover.
• Spiking adrenaline (e.g. through cold exposure) helps alleviate hangover.

☕ Caffeine

• To avoid discomfort, consume no more than 1-3mg of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight.
• Delay intake 90-120 minutes after waking if you find that caffeine causes you to crash in the afternoon.
• Has a reinforcing effect on foods, drinks, and activities (i.e. consuming caffeine while consuming or doing something will increase your liking of it).
• Tablets are an alternative to caffeinated drinks.
• Benefits:
  • Releases acetylcholine, increasing alertness, and dopamine, increasing mood and motivation.
  • Improves reaction time and ability to recall information
  • Inhibits sleepiness by blocking adenosine receptors
  • Increases the dopaminergic effect of exercise and reinforces the desire for that exercise.

🍃 Cannabis

• Three strains of cannabis:
  • Sativa - Acts as a stimulant, increasing feelings of creativity, energy, and focus while reducing pain.
  • Indica - Has a more “full body” effect. Promotes relaxation and helps relieve anxiety.
  • Hybrid strains - blends of sativa and indica.
• Potential adverse effects:
  • Use of cannabis before age 25 will negatively impact brain development, depending on the amount of use:
    • Thins gray matter, particularly in the frontal lobe, which has a long-term impact on executive function
    • Increases the risk of developing depression or anxiety problems
    • Increases the risk of psychosis for those who are genetically predisposed
  • All of the health risks involved with smoking or vaping anything
  • May increase baseline anxiety in chronic users
  • Depression has been found to increase with chronic use over time, especially for those who were not depressed when they began use

🥶 Cold Exposure

• Cold shower effective, ice bath even better.
• Cold enough that you would like to get out, but can stay in safely.
• Sessions can be around 1-5 minutes.
• You can take a hot shower afterward and still derive the benefits of cold exposure (minus the increases to metabolism).