Hangovers: prevention and recovery tips

You can tell that the person who wrote this part of Proverbs had a hangover story to share. Hangovers do feel like viper poisoning too. They are a constellation of awful symptoms from nausea and headache to exhaustion and low mood. The table below lists the symptoms of hangover from this article.

Why Do Hangovers Feel So Bad?

When too much alcohol poisons our system, we end up with:

• Dehydration

• Electrolyte imbalance

• Gastrointestinal disturbance

• Low blood sugar

• Increase in plasma serotonin and histamine levels

• Sleep and biological rhythm disturbance

• Central nervous system disregulation

• Acetylaldehyde toxicity

• A reaction to other byproducts of fermentation

• And possibly Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome. (These symptoms are nausea, vomiting, tremor, sweating, anxiety, headache and sensory disturbances).

All of this is pretty awful stuff, so we should

Just Take Pain Relief Right?

No. Taking paracetamol or anti inflammatory medications is really not a good idea!

Alcohol irritates the stomach and intestines, causing inflammation and delayed stomach emptying, it also increases the production of gastric acid as well as pancreatic and intestinal secretions. This is why some people have upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting when hungover. Anti-inflammatory medications are also gastric irritants so will make your stomach upset worse.

Also, alcohol and its components are broken down in the liver, the liver happens to be where paracetamol is metabolised. When the two are taken together this can cause toxicity and lead to liver damage.

Antacids are the only effective hangover medication. They can be taken to alleviate gastritis and nausea.

other antacids are available of course

So. How Do we Reduce the Effects of Alcohol Then?

With the caveat that this is not a large area of study and few treatments have been rigorously investigated; mainly on rats, here is some

Low Quality Evidence

A small study found that taking Vitamin B and Zinc the day before drinking resulted in less severe hangovers. Another small study found nashi pear juice consumed before drinking lowered blood alcohol levels. These effects were also small. A study of 25 men found those who drank red ginseng extract after alcohol felt better than those who just drank water. And caffeine was shown to reduce headaches associated with alcohol consumption. In rats..

Better Evidence

The type of alcohol you drink makes a difference - clear liquors, such as vodka and gin are thought to cause hangovers less frequently than dark ones such as red wine, whiskey or tequila. This is thought to be because darker liquors have compounds with metabolites that are harder for the body to break down.

I'm not telling you to drink fancy vodka. I just liked the bottle

Fruit or fruit juice is thought to help the body metabolise alcohol faster while fizzy drinks are thought to speed up the amount of alcohol going into the bloodstream.

This might mean that a vodka orange is gentler on the system than a vodka lemonade.

Snacks or a meal with alcohol counteract the effects of low blood sugar, slow alcohol absorption and help reduce stomach irritation. And, pairing each drink with a glass of water will help to reduce dehydration.

Sticking to a standard drink an hour gives your liver time to process the alcohol your body is consuming. A standard drink contains about 10 grams of alcohol. This is the amount your body can process in one hour. A standard drink is smaller than you might realise. This infographic shows a glass of wine is 1.4/1.5 standard drinks.

Rest

The only cure for a hangover is time. The body has a lot of work to do. It needs to clear toxins; rehydrate; heal your gut, immune system and central nervous system.

If you decide to drink. Also plan to rest and take it easy the day after.

I hope that this little reminder helps you to get through this party season without a hang over. Because hangovers really do bite like a snake.

xx

P