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The Hangover - King of self-inflicted
ailments
One of mankind's greatest achievements has been
said to be the discovery of alcohol and all that
it brings with it. The success of many wild parties
and nights to remember (or forget!) has not always
been due solely to the music - in most cases,
a certain amount of alcohol will have contributed
to the atmosphere of celebration. Anyone who has
celebrated to excess, however, will know all too
well the effect this has the next day. Of all
the self-inflicted minor ailments known to the
western world, the hangover is one of the most
common and, unfortunately, one of the most 'miserable'
that we have to deal with.
What is a hangover?
When you have a drink, the alcohol is broken down in the liver by an enzyme
called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) into a substance called acetaldehyde -
a toxin. The acetaldehydes are then flushed out of your body through your
urine and your sweat. This is a natural means of dealing with a foreign substance
which is toxic to the body. Research suggests that it is the acetaldehydes
that give you the worst hangover symptoms like nausea, dizziness, a fuzzy
head, and all-over aches and pains. Congeners are another sort of toxin that
can also add to the severity of a hangover. These are impurities created
during the fermentation process in some types of alcohol. Low quality wines
and many dark liquors tend to have high levels of congeners. The rule of
thumb is the darker your drink, the more congeners - and so the worse the
hangover.
Dehydration is both a major cause and a symptom
of hangovers. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means
it increases urination. The more alcohol you
drink, the more water your body loses. Your liver
and kidneys need water to process the alcohol,
so when you lose water, your body struggles to
rid itself of toxins and instead of flushing
them out, circulates them around your bloodstream!
Most people can easily cope with small amounts
of the toxins created by breaking down alcohol,
and may not notice the effects the next day.
However, ingesting more alcohol than your body
can break down and flush out efficiently means
that your body has effectively been both poisoned
and severely dehydrated, leading to a hangover
and long day ahead of you.
Coping with a hangover
There are several things you can do to relieve the pain of the various symptoms
that present themselves the morning after the night before.
- Tiredness. Sleep under the influence
of alcohol is of extremely low quality and
so, although you may have been asleep for many
hours, you may wake up feeling just as tired
as when you went to bed. Rest is the only thing
that will truly cure this symptom, however
if you are unable to get more sleep, then a
supplement containing B vitamins can help sustain
energy levels throughout the day by replacing
many of the vitamins and minerals lost as a
result drinking excessive amounts. These are
available from your local pharmacy. Try to
avoid mental and physical exertion and making
any important decisions when you are hung over.
If you really had a big night, there may still
be alcohol circulating throughout your body.
This means that you may even still be legally
'drunk', so do not attempt to drive a car or
operate machinery until you are feeling 100
per cent again.
- Dehydration. Alcohol causes dehydration,
as the water lost through increased urination
also contains valuable salt and minerals. You
can replace these by drinking plenty of bland
liquids such as water and soda water. Some
isotonic drinks are now available in most shops,
which replace lost salt in the body. There
is evidence to suggest that fructose, a natural
sugar found in fruit juice, helps the body
to process alcohol faster, so try to drink
some fruit juice too. Thin vegetable-based
broth is also a good source of vitamins and
minerals (including salt and potassium), to
top up the body's depleted resources.
- Aches and pains. Over-the-counter
painkillers will help to cope with the pain
of headaches and muscle cramps. Paracetamol-based
remedies are preferable as aspirin may further
irritate the stomach and increase nausea and
sickness. However, you should not exceed the
recommended dosage of paracetamol, as when
the liver is overwhelmed by excess alcohol
it is less able to metabolise paracetamol,
which could potentially lead to liver damage.
If in any doubt, ask your pharmacist which
is the most suitable painkiller for you.
- Toxins. Do everything you can to flush
toxins out of your body. Your body may signal
to you that it wishes to eject toxins by making
you feel nauseous. Drinking lots of water helps
with flushing out toxins as well as combating
the dehydration. Supplements like Milk Thistle
extract or a supplement containing the amino
acid cysteine are often used to help the liver
deal with the toxins circulating throughout
your body. These supplements can be taken before
retiring for the night after a night out or
can be taken with a meal the next day. Delay
taking paracetamol until 'the morning after
the night before', as by this time, the liver
will not be so overwhelmed with alcohol and
will be better able to metabolise the paracetamol
(as explained above).
Prevention
As always, prevention is better than cure! There are several things you can
do to help limit the effects of a hangover if you know that you will be having
a few drinks.
- Eat a meal before you start drinking. Food
helps to absorb alcohol, giving the body more
time to process it and reducing the risk of
a hangover.
- Limit yourself to one drink per hour. The
body can process alcohol at a rate of about
15ml per hour, the equivalent to approximately
one small can of medium strength lager.
- Drink plenty of water. This counters the
dehydrating effects of alcohol. Intersperse
alcoholic drinks with water to avoid the 'morning
after thirst'.
- Avoid drinks that contain large amounts of
congeners, as these tend to cause more severe
hangovers. Generally, these are dark-coloured
drinks such as red wine, brandy, and port.
Limitations
The recommended daily alcohol allowances for men and women are different. Men
are able to drink slightly more than women as they generally have a greater
body mass. As a result their bodies contain more water and therefore the
alcohol is more diluted in a man's body than a woman's, so it is able to
move out of the system more quickly. Men are advised not to drink more than
3 - 4 units per day and women should not exceed 2 - 3 units per day (between
2 and 3 per week when pregnant). However if you consistently drink your maximum
allowance for each day, it can pose serious problems to your health. Equally,
if you refrain from drinking alcohol at all or only ever drink in moderation,
then your risk of developing alcohol-related problems will be lower.
Different drinks contain different levels of
alcohol, so it is important to know how much
a unit is in various types of alcoholic drink
in order to be able to measure your alcohol consumption.
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1 Unit is equal to:
- 1 Small Glass of Wine (125ml)
- ½ of a Pint of Ordinary Strength
Lager
- ¼ of a Pint of Extra Strength
Lager
- 1 25ml Single Pub Measure of Spirits
- 1 Single Measure of Aperitif
- 1 Small Glass of Sherry
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Finally
Finally, remember that drinking responsibly can be enjoyable and is compatible
with a healthy lifestyle. Drinking responsibly depends upon knowing your
limits and sticking to them. If you know of anyone who may have trouble realising
where their limits lie, try contacting the following organisations for more
advice:
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