Alas, you did it again didn’t you? You went out on a Thursday night knowing about that quiz you have tomorrow morning. You wake up at 8 am, Friday, with a brutal headache and the second you stand up, you feel as if you may vomit all of last nights memories. And then you remember that quiz you have to take in just a few short hours…. You have to get rid of this hangover, and fast.
Scientists are still unclear as to what actually causes a hangover, but they are getting close. According to Scientific American, “Patients with hangovers show changes in the blood levels of several hormones, which are often responsible for some of the hangover symptoms.” For example, there is a hormone called antidiuretic that is affected by alcohol. Once this hormone can not work efficiently, excessive urination occurs and the body dehydrates itself. Also, when your body is going through a hangover, it is actually going through alcohol withdrawal. During a night of excessive drinking, your brain is working quickly to develop a tolerance. So once this tolerance is disrupted after one has not consumed alcohol in a while, withdrawal symptoms take place.
Although the best cure to a hangover is time, there are other remedies. Drinking a beverage with a small amount of alcohol in it will postpone withdrawal symptoms temporarily. However, this is not the best idea because then an even worse hangover will occur later on. Sticking to the good old H20 is the best way to go because it is the most efficient when curing dehydration. In order to acquire energy, food is the answer. Easily digestible foods such as toast, soup, or rice can do wonders. The best way to get rid of a headache is to take Tylenol. Aspirin/Ibuprofen thin the blood stream (which alcohol does as well) and can cause seriously dangerous effects to your liver.
Still hungover? You’re not alone. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, “hangovers cost the U.S. alone some $224 billion a year in workplace productivity declines, drinking-related health care expenses, law enforcement, and motor vehicle accident and fatality costs”. Hopefully one day science will find a cure for hangovers but in the mean time, we will just have to keep pushing through it!
Kristen Robertson
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-search-of-a-cure-for-the-dreaded-hangover/
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1017_alcohol_consumption.html
I enjoyed reading this article. It actually taught me a lot of things about hangovers that I did not know. It is interesting to learn that during a hangover your body is actually going through alcohol withdrawal. While on this topic here is a link to a website that includes 9 common misconceptions about hangovers http://www.businessinsider.com/29-common-misconceptions-about-alcohol-2014-2
I found it very interesting that the recommendation is Tylenol over IBprofin; I was unaware of that and the liver damage that could occur with that. I came across this article that also gives 11 ways to ease a hangover. Check it out if you might ever need it!
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20452426_2,00.html
This article is funny and interesting. I read that some many remedies such as eating bread, drinking coffee, or even taking a cold shower can cure a hangover. When we would learn about alcohol consumption in school they told us these were all false and the only thing that can cure a hangover is time. I didn’t know that patients with hangover showed changes in blood levels, that’s pretty interesting. I never really understood why hangovers existed and how alcohol makes that happen. When you mentioned antidiuretic not working correctly, I didn’t know that caused urination leading to dehydration which is also part of a hangover. This post was pretty informative.
This probably won’t get me any points when it comes to comments because I have nothing intellectual to add, but the fact that hangovers are costing the U.S. 224 billion dollars is absolutely hilarious, and I just wanted to thank you for including that, even if your intent wasn’t necessarily to be funny.