For those of you who have ever had a bad hangover – that dreaded combination of a headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and general irritability – after a night of overindulgence (don’t worry, we’re not judging), the only solace you’ve likely had is that you’re in good company. Mankind has probably been searching for a hangover cure since the discovery of alcoholic fermentation. Despite having a few centuries under our belts to try and figure this one out, it will probably come as little surprise (and even less comfort) to know that we’ve yet to develop a surefire hangover cure that is guaranteed to work for everyone.
But human beings are nothing if not stubbornly persistent in their desire to have their cake (booze) and eat it, too (sans hangover). As a result, science has been making some promising – and fascinating – headway into understanding why we get hangovers, what drinks are more likely to cause them, and what we can do to help prevent them or lessen their impact.
Causes
In hundreds of years, no one has pinpointed a simple cause for hangovers (well, beyond the fact that they result from drinking “too much” alcohol).
What we have learned is that consuming alcohol creates some fairly complex chemical reactions in our bodies. According to a Danish study, we may respond differently to those reactions based on age (with those over forty experiencing fewer hangovers due to less intense drinking). Generally, people with higher body weight (usually men) can drink more alcohol than those with lower body weight (usually women) before feeling the impacts of a hangover.
While the exact causes are still debatable, various scientific studies have narrowed down some of the complex chemical interactions responsible for hangovers. In summary, hangover symptoms are thought to result from toxin build-up (acetaldehyde, which is created when the body absorbs alcohol), dehydration (alcohol is a diuretic), reactions to chemical by-products of fermentation (called congeners), and individual genetics (specifically, your body’s alcohol dehydrogenizes enzymes)
Hangover Symptoms – the Science
When battling hangovers, it’s best to know your enemy. That’s where science comes in!
The thirst, dizziness, and light-headedness often felt after a bout of drinking is thought to be the result of dehydration. Since alcohol is a diuretic, it promotes urine production, which means your body is losing more water when you drink. If you don’t replenish that water (and who’s thinking about water when they’re having a great cocktail?), you can become dehydrated.
Based on a study from Seoul, South Korea, hangover headaches, irritation, muscle aches, and general fatigue are thought to be the result of cytokines, which our bodies produce to trigger inflammatory responses to infections. Alcohol consumption can trigger cytokine release, giving you fever-like symptoms.
With particularly bad hangovers, you might also experience nausea and sweating. These nasty symptoms are thought to be the result of your body’s reaction to acetaldehyde, a toxin produced when your body processes alcohol. According to research done by the University of California and The Scripps Research Institute (among others), we vary in our genetic ability to process alcohol into acetaldehyde, with those of Asian descent having highly effective alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes, which produce acetaldehyde when interacting with alcohol. So, for some of us, acetaldehyde can build up quickly when we’re drinking, leading to nausea, dizziness, and other unfortunate side effects.
Prevention
The bad news: the only 100 percent sure way to prevent a hangover is to abstain from drinking. Since you’re reading an article about hangovers, we’ll assume that’s not your preferred option.
Science may yet provide us with some help in this department. Studies have shown that your brain may react to alcohol in similar ways as it does to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitters. If future research can confirm this, it could lead to new treatments for hangovers or even preventive solutions. In the meantime, here are some tips for lessening the potential for a hangover.
First, to avoid a hangover after drinking the buildup of chemicals that seem to promote hangover symptoms, you can drink less alcohol overall when you do drink. Drinking within your personal limits for alcohol tolerance is always advised, but of course can be tricky (it’s not always convenient to get details on how much alcohol is in the mixed drink that you just ordered from the bar, for example).
Source: https://www.fix.com/blog/how-to-avoid-a-hangover/
