alcohol hangover lesson

What about a hangover?

A hangover is basically caused by toxins from alcohol & dehydration.

Congeners are toxic chemicals produced as by-products during fermentation & they are often the cause of hangovers. Drinks containing congeners include brandy, cognac, bourbon, champagne & red wine. White spirits such as vodka & gin contain lesser congeners.
Red wine gives the drinker the most headaches & causes nausea because it has high levels of congeners & toxic chemicals compared to other drinks.
Alcohol breaks down sugar supplies in the liver & because our body cells need glucose for energy to function, the lack of sugar makes the body feel weak, lethargic & lightheaded. The already busy liver is loaded with the task to remove the excess toxins from the consumed alcohol. It takes the liver about an hour to process one standard drink. That is why excessive alcohol consumption over a long period of time can drain & weaken the liver which means it can break down, no longer function properly & ultimately become a candidate for liver disease or cancer. Kidneys are also required to work twice as hard to flush out the fluid, leaving the body dehydrated. Vitamin deficiencies can result when excessive alcohol is consumed.

Causes of Hangover

Hangovers are a poorly understood clinical entity despite their existence since ancient times. Scientists now believe the cause is multi-factorial and their occurrence is not solely related to the amount of alcohol consumed.
Other factors include empty stomach, lack of sleep, psychosocial factors, increased physical activity while drinking, and dehydration. Persons in otherwise poor health have a greater likelihood of developing a hangover. Children of alcoholic parents report greater hangover symptoms than the children of non-alcoholics.
Beware, 6 drinks in an 80 kg male and 3-5 drinks in a 60 kg woman will almost always lead to hangover. Simply put, not drinking enough to get drunk will dramatically reduce the likelihood of hangover.
Some people believe that a hangover is nature's way of punishment to prevent future drinking. However, studies have found that hangovers do not deter drinking. In contrast, it may encourage the person to drink more, also known as an "eye opener". One study showed that many people with hangover, drink more alcohol to reverse its effects.

When You Have a Hangover

It is never too late to start damage control. The preventative measures described above are still helpful.
Do not drink more in order to reverse the hangover. It will make matters worse. Drink plenty of water or other fluids but avoid orange or grapefruit juice. Many people drink coffee; its efficacy has not been studied but many people recommend avoiding it as its diuretic effect may further worsen the fluid imbalance in the body. Eat light, nutritious food and stay away from greasy, fatty foods. I recommend bananas and yogurt etc.

Avoid sauna to relieve hangover. It may sound appealing, but can have adverse effects on your heart and blood pressure.
Liv52, an herbal remedy (Himalaya Drug Co., India) has been demonstrated to decrease the symptoms of a hangover. Another study showed that prophylactic use of pyritinol (similar to vitamin B6) reduces the symptoms of a hangover by about 50 percent.

Over the counter medications like acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen are frequently used by hangover sufferers, although their effectiveness has not been studied. Tolfenamic acid, a drug with similar pharmacological action, has been shown to ameliorate the symptoms of hangover.

warning for Hangover

The only thing that can absolutely guarantee a hangover will not occur is to avoid drinking. Most of us ignore this warning.

1. Ladies, don't try to act macho and compete with the guys. I am not being sexist here. Just that biologically speaking, men can tolerate more alcohol than women, even if they are of same height and weight.

2. Do not mix different types of drinks. Avoid drinking on empty stomach. Food in the stomach prevents rapid absorption of alcohol into the blood stream. Thus, the more food you have before and during drinking, the less the impact of alcohol. As much as possible, drink "clear" alcohols. One study showed that for the same amount of alcohol ingested, 33% of bourbon drinkers suffered hangovers, compared to only 3% of those who drank vodka. Brandy, red wine, tequila and rum are more likely to cause hangover than white wine, vodka and gin.

3. Dark or colored alcohols have small quantities of other toxic substances or congeners that are created during the fermentation process. Congeners are implicated in the causation of hangovers. These congeners include methyl alcohol, aldehydes, histamine, tannins, iron, lead and cobalt.

4. Drink plenty of water. Make sure to drink water or other fluids such as apple juice or Gatorade before going to sleep, in order to prevent dehydration.

5. Do not drink while using sauna. Saunas and alcohol do not mix well together andlead to increased health risk.