Hangover: Considering a disease that affects so many people every year, it’s surprising that scientists don’t know more about it. What causes this? How can we make this less painful? And is it true that some unlucky people might get a two-day version?
Perhaps scientists—the vast majority of whom have suffered from hangovers themselves—believe that hangovers are temporary and self-inflicted, a condition that can be easily avoided by simply not drinking as much alcohol. Why study hangovers when there are so many terrible diseases that affect people through no fault of their own?
There is some truth to this: I want scientists to devote their efforts to researching treatments for malaria and Alzheimer’s disease, not the effects of alcohol abuse. But not everyone will simply quit drinking tomorrow, so it would be useful to know how best to deal with the consequences.
Costs and reasons
And I mean really useful: according to a 2019 report from the Institute of Alcohol Research, 42 percent of British workers went to work hungover or still drunk (so-called “presenteeism”, when you’re at work but only work indoors) . . the Bureau). part of your actual power). Using some assumptions, they estimate that this would cost the UK between £1.2 billion and £1.4 billion in lost productivity each year.
Considering the high cost (US data shows similar economic consequences of leaking water across an entire pond), you would think that serious effort had been made to understand the cat’s biology. Yet, as a 2019 scientific review article states, “little is known about the biochemical and neurochemical changes” that occur approximately ten hours after heavy drinking.
This 2019 article examines all the guesses and assumptions scientists have about what happens in a cat’s brain. Is this due to the toxic effects of certain “metabolites” into which ethanol breaks down as it passes through the body? Some researchers argue that acetaldehyde, the first product that breaks down ethanol, is “essentially poison” and that the body exposed to it causes heart palpitations and nausea.
In this context, some suspect that an immune response is involved. Of course, some studies have shown that during a hangover, levels of physical inflammation are higher and levels of cytokines—proteins that alert the body to respond to infection—are noticeably higher in the blood. This means that high levels of alcohol activate the body’s defense system in a similar way to a viral or bacterial infection, but it will take a lot more work to figure out exactly why this happens and whether we can do anything about it.
Why do I have such a hangover?
Finding out the causes of a hangover is one thing. But why do some people have worse hangovers than others? And is it true that some people suffer from the legendary “two-day hangover,” where they wake up on the second day after drinking and still feel the effects?
Apparently yes, but it’s rare: For most people (at least according to one survey), hangovers last between 14 and 23 hours, or about 18 hours after stopping drinking. The two-day version may sometimes occur, but there is no reason to believe that it is a distinct type of condition rather than just a very extreme, dizzying version of what almost everyone experiences.
Asking about “individual differences” in hangover severity is essentially the same as asking about a two-day hangover: what affects some unfortunates so much?
Age is one thing. You might think that, like most things that get worse with age, younger people would be more resistant to the effects of alcohol. But the opposite is actually true: Older drinkers are less likely to have such a severe hangover, even when taking into account that they drink less overall. Some researchers believe this may be due to decreased pain sensitivity with age.
Another important factor is likely genetics. A 2014 study of identical and fraternal twins found that more than 40 percent of the variation in hangover severity between people could be explained by differences in DNA. The study didn’t measure the actual duration of the hangover (as opposed to its severity), but since we know that any individual differences between people are actually at least partly due to genetics, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we found that People are sensitive to hangovers. Hangovers, very long hangovers, are usually due to a bad genetic hand.
Age and genetics are not factors we can change. But there are things we can control more. One of them is sleep. Research shows that people who report sleeping longer tend to experience shorter, less severe hangovers. It might be worth thinking about – even if it’s cold comfort when you have to be at work early the next morning (see box below for some other suggestions that have been made over the years on how to prevent hangovers and how to cure them ).
Quite boring
Unfortunately, we’re back to that “suicidal” act I mentioned above: given our astonishing lack of scientific understanding, the best advice you can give to prevent a hangover is to either not drink at all or abstain from drinking alcohol. Keep your alcohol consumption as moderate as possible.
Moderation, as they say, in everything. But as we approach the holidays and the mulled wine (and more) is flowing, it’s fair to ask: what’s so fun about it?
Preventing and treating hangovers: does anything work?
Drinking water. The well-known dehydrating effect of alcohol is likely a major contributor to hangover headaches. For this reason, drinking water either with or after alcohol is likely to relieve hangover symptoms.
Eat food. Everyone knows that you can’t drink on an empty stomach. Likewise, hangovers can be reduced by eating while drinking, which slows down the body’s absorption of alcohol.
Medicine from plants. In 2005, a comprehensive review of research in British Medical Journal said there was “no convincing evidence” that herbal supplements made from plants such as artichoke, prickly pear and milk thistle help prevent hangovers. Little has changed in that time, with the 2022 assessment reaching essentially the same conclusion.
Activated carbon. Many people online recommend activated charcoal tablets as a way to prevent hangovers. A researcher wrote a detailed theory on an online forum about why they might work. But despite the anecdotes, there is very little actual research to support this, and what there is (mostly studies from the 1980s) suggests that activated charcoal doesn’t help metabolize alcohol and therefore probably doesn’t make much of a difference .
IRN BRU. “Scotland’s other national drink” is often jokingly referred to as a hangover cure. Apart from the aforementioned hydrating properties, there’s no reason to think there’s anything special about it, although the sugar content may give you a few extra calories to help you get up.
Dog’s fur. Late Motörhead singer and bassist Lemmy was once asked by an interviewer how he dealt with hangovers, given his notorious alcohol abuse. “Boy,” he replied, “to get a hangover, you have to stop drinking.” And it’s true: if you keep drinking, you can at least take your mind off the hangover. But this only delays the inevitable: you’re not Lemmy, at some point you’ll have to stop drinking, at which point you might regret all that extra alcohol.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.