Hangovers. We’ve all had one and they are, quite frankly, a bit shit. But what are they? Why do they happen? What will get rid of them? What won’t? Let’s find out!
The word “hangover” has been in use for 110 years: It started around 1906 and the original meaning is, “a thing that has survived from the past.” In this case, that means yesterday’s booze in today’s body.
The biggest hangover myth: A classic hangover myth we all like to repeat is the commonly accepted theory that alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrates you. Dehydration isn’t the only cause of a hangover. Alcohol also induces inflammation, sleep disturbances, acetaldehyde build-up and drops in blood sugar, which can all prompt or exacerbate hangover symptoms.
Genetic lottery: Those “I don’t get hangovers” people might actually not be totally full of shit. Some people are genetically wired to process alcohol and have less of an acetaldehyde build-up and thus don’t get bad hangovers. But the booze still wreaks the same havoc on their bodies. People who have terrible hangovers have genes that process alcohol more slowly and this is increasingly common as you head east from Europe, with the slowest in China and Japan.
Hair of the dog isn’t such a great idea: This is hands down the most fun way to deal with a hangover, but unfortunately it’s completely ineffective. Drinking when you’re suffering from a hangover makes you temporarily feel better simply because alcohol dulls your senses. Long term, you’ll just prolong the agony. Your body has to process all the toxins you spent all night shoving in it, and giving it more just extends the process.
A cheeseburger before bed will not sober you up: Sadly, food after drinking won’t do a thing for your hangover. But it’s not all bad news. Food has to be in your stomach before you drink to help. So eating a pizza or a cheeseburger before a night out, means booze will be delivered into your bloodstream more slowly, giving it less of a chance to accumulate to the headache-worthy levels.
Smoking can make hangovers worse: If you’re a smoker, more bad news. Research has found that those who smoked on the nights they drank heavily had much more severe hangovers the following day. So if you’re someone who only smokes when drunk maybe don’t you might feel better?
Water the original and still the best: Water is a magical elixir that makes your body function. You can never go wrong drinking lots of it. It’s the absolute best thing to keep yourself from getting hungover and speeding up recovery. Even better than just drinking a lot of water after the fact is drinking water throughout the night or before bed. That’s if you remember to, of course.
Evaluate your hangover cures:We’ve all ingested strange concoctions because a mate has sworn it works. But next time you’re about to down something with Tabasco and raw egg, ask yourself these 3 questions: ‘Would I do this if I wasn’t hungover?,’ ‘Are the mechanics of this cure clear and scientifically-based?’ and last but most importantly, ‘Will this potentially make me more sick?’
But hey, drinking is super fun so meh whatever.
