The science behind hangovers
Many of us have experienced a hangover, the dreaded aftermath of a night of drinking far too much alcohol. There are many factors that contribute to the severity of a hangover, some may have it quite mild whilst others feel like they’re in a deep slump. In this post, I am going to touch on different elements that affect hangovers.
Impact on the sleep cycle
We know that alcohol consumption leads to dehydration and this causes physical effects that are commonly presented as tiredness and dry mouth. However, there are psychological effects, like increased anxiety and decreased concentration. Alcohol interferes with the circadian rhythm — known as our internal biological clocks — responsible for regulating the sleep cycle, further explained below. This disruption is responsible for the poor quality of sleep after a night out because the body spends less time in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is an important stage for the brain to rest and recover. As of this, it can be difficult to do tasks that require some concentrating with a hangover.
Type of alcohol
Congeners (like methanol) are a by-product in the different stages of alcohol production and these vary between beverages. This is plausible because different carbohydrates (or sugars) are responsible for the distinctive taste of different alcoholic drinks. Weishaupt (2021) and Mackus et al (2017) conclude that congener-rich drinks, which are darker (whiskey, red wine, and bourbon), cause hangovers that are more severe in comparison to drinks low in congener that are usually clear (vodka and gin). The concentration of these congeners are high in the bloodstream and so it takes longer to get rid this. The levels of congeners in the blood has been used as a marker to explain hangover severity in some studies; however, others oppose this and it suggests that it is due to the wide variety of factors that come to play.
Age
A feasible reason as to why we become more hangover sensitive is because our metabolism slows down as we grow older. This means it takes more time for the body to breakdown alcohol and flush away these toxins. However, alcohol-related hangovers do not always get worse with age; a study found that binge drinking is more common in younger groups than older and so, there is more alcohol derived toxins for the liver to metabolise. Verster et al (2021) reasoned that as pain sensitivity decreased with age, this increases the threshold for hangover-related symptoms.
Blood sugar
The morning you wake up, you may find yourself craving a sugary drink to quench your thirst and boost your energy levels from a poor night’s sleep. A heavy intake of alcohol results in a drop in blood sugar levels and has been linked with the hangover-related symptoms: fatigue and headaches. This is supported by a study where symptoms significantly improved when the participants were provided a sugary supplement. From this, we also know the importance of diabetics having something high in carbohydrates to bring their blood sugar back up.
Hangover ‘cures’
A large number of studies have helped in understanding how we can alleviate hangover-related symptoms. The most obvious remedy is taking painkillers and, as previously mentioned, getting some sugar in your system; however, vitamins supplements (like B1 and B2) are effective at making the symptoms less severe. For example, Berocca replenishes the body with vitamins that are lost and thus, aids with the body’s everyday functions — energy and cell production — making it easier for the body to ‘bounce back’. Another remedy that has been looked into is red ginseng, a drink made from a plant that has many health benefits including hangover relief. Studies in mice concluded that red ginseng helps produce more ethanol (alcohol) metabolising enzymes thus, aids the efficiency of flushing out toxins, as explained in the image below.
It should be reminded that these cannot prevent hangovers entirely, the safest bet at preventing hangovers is by drinking responsibly to ensure that our bodies do not suffer the short- and long-term health complications.
