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Hangover

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A hangover or veisalgia is the unpleasant physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of other drugs. The most common reported characteristics of a hangover are feelings of extreme thirst (dehydration), feelings of being more tired than usual, nausea and headaches.

Symptoms

An alcohol hangover is associated with a variety of symptoms that may include dehydration, tiredness, headache, nausea, weakness, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, irritability, sensitivity to light and noise and trouble sleeping.

Causes

Hangovers are multi-causal. Ethanol has a dehydrating effect (such substances are known as diuretics), which causes headaches, dry mouth, and lethargy. Dehydration causes the brain to shrink away from the skull slightly. This triggers pain sensors on the outside surface of your brain which causes the headache. This can be mitigated by drinking plenty of water during and after consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is also a metabolic poison, and its impact on the stomach lining probably accounts for nausea.

Another factor contributing to a hangover is the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde by the liver by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. This metabolite is probably more toxic than alcohol.

Finally there are various nervous effects. The removal of the depressive effects of alcohol in the brain probably account for the light and noise sensitivity. It is also thought that the presence of other alcohols (such as methanol and fusel oils), by-products of the alcoholic fermentation also called congeners, exaggerates many of the symptoms; this probably accounts for the mitigation of the effects when distilled alcohol, particularly vodka, is consumed.

The amount of congeners in the drink may also have an effect. Red wines have more congeners than white wines, and some people note less of a hangover with white wine.

Some people believe that sugar (often found in sweet cocktails) worsens hangovers.

Nicotine poisoning can often worsen hangovers, as smokers tend to smoke much more than usual while under the influence of alcohol.

Genetics also plays a part, as some people seldom, if ever, suffer hangover symptoms no matter how much they drink.

The psychosomatic nature of hangovers shouldn't be ignored either. If people expect a hangover, they tend to feel one.

Cures

Common folk medicine has a wide variety of hangover cures. Indeed there appear to be nearly as many ways of curing hangovers as there are of getting drunk in the first place. Essentially all of these hangover cures have one major thing in common, which is that they are nowhere near as effective at curing a hangover as alcoholic drinks are at getting you drunk. A good hangover cure should replace essential nutrients lost by the body while counteracting the influence of residual poisons; very few cures do both at once.

A popular rhyme goes "Liquor before beer, you're in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker."

Among the more common proposed cures are:

  • drinking a sports drink (not an energy drink) such as Powerade or Gatorade, usually watered-down a bit to rehydrate and replenish lost nutrients in the body
  • drinking a large amount of water before going to bed, and during the night, for rehydration (a little water is much better than none)
  • eating mineral-rich foods, like pickles or canned fish
  • drinking pickle juice, the solution in which cucumbers were pickled, in the morning (a staple hangover remedy in Poland)
  • eating anything substantial, especially before going to bed, to "soak up" the alcohol in the stomach (pizza, sandwich)
  • drinking some (not too strong) coffee (although caffeine itself may induce dehydration)
  • orange juice, which is rich in vitamin C
  • cabbage leaves or tomato juice
  • Irn Bru, is commonly regarded as a remedy in Scotland and the UK.
  • cysteine, which is available as the over-the-counter supplement N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is known to assist in processing acetaldehyde, best taken while already drinking and/or before going to bed. (Egg yolk is also rich in cysteine, and it is notable that many hangover folk remedies or morning-after breakfasts incorporate eggs.)
  • The later stages of the consumption of alcohol cause more of a negative effect than the first; by consuming more alcohol the body begins processing the newer alcohol bringing a temporary relief from the effects of a hangover (see hair of the dog)
  • taking a vitamin B1 (thiamin) supplement before going to bed
  • The Ulster Fry (popular in Northern Ireland), an Irish Breakfast or a Breakfast Roll, a meal that is an all day breakfast.
  • Coca Cola, otherwise known as "Black Aspirin" (popular in Australia), also "The Red Ambulance" (Ireland); the caffeine, bubbles and sugar can be easier to hold down than pure water.
  • Taking a shower and oscillating between extreme cold and hot temperatures
  • day/night cold and flu tablets

In 2003, the fad hangover cure was a Russian pill, sold in Russia as Antipokhmelin (Anti-Hangover), and marketed as RU-21 in the USA. It is also known as the KGB pill due to its supposed use by the KGB to allow spies to keep a clear head while drinking.

More recently, a 2004 clinical study suggested that taking prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) fruit extract several hours before drinking can significantly reduce certain hangover symptoms, including nausea. The authors theorize that the extract may work by suppressing the body's natural immune reaction to congeners.

Makers of competing hangover remedies containing activated carbon (charcoal), such as Chaser or Hangover-stopper, claim that it prevents absorption of congeners in the first place (which scientists speculate is possible, though so far untested). [1]. Extracts from the kudzu vine are currently being touted as cures.

In a review of the medical literature on hangover cures by researchers led by Max Pittler of the Peninsular Medical School at Exeter University, they reported in the 24 December 2005 issue of the British Medical Journal the following conclusion: "No compelling evidence exists to suggest that any conventional or complementary intervention is effective for preventing or treating alcohol hangover. The most effective way to avoid the symptoms of alcohol induced hangover is to practice abstinence or moderation." [2]

A well known joke on the subject of hangover cures goes as follows: Q: What is the best thing for a hangover? A: Heavy drinking the night before!

See also

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