After a night of guzzling slosh, waking up isn’t the most pleasant experience. As the eyes peel apart, the feeling of a massive dehydration headache and a curdled stomach sets in; your hungover.
Causes Of A Hangover
There is only one cause for a hangover; you. You are the only reason that your hungover.
Moving on…
What Is A Hangover?
A hangover is a many layered onion.. When alcohol is consumed, the body is depleted of vital salts, fluids, and vitamins. Furthermore, when alcohol is processed in the liver, enzymes produce a by-product called acetaldehyde. This substance is toxic and causes you to feel very ill.The combination of acetaldehyde and the low supply of nutrients causes the body to become dehydrated and cognitive function to plunge.
Hangover Symptoms
The most common symptoms of a hangover are fatigue, drowsiness, dehydration and upset stomach. Other symptoms include (but are not limited to) depression, anxiety, sensitivity to light and sound, vomiting, muscle aches and irritability. Sounds like a good time, doesn’t it?
Intensity Of The Hangover
The intensity of the hangover depends on the BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of the drinker and the type of liquor consumed. The more alcohol you drink, the greater the hangover and visa versa.
Aside from the amount of alcohol consumed, hangover severity depends on the amount of congeners that the liquor contains.
Congeners
Congeners are toxic substances created during the fermentation process. These toxins are distributed throughout the body whilst the liver is processing the alcohol and are thought to play a role in the duration of the hangover.
Being aware of the “amount” of congeners certain types of liquor contain can help you make a better decision when choosing what to drink. The more congeners in the liquor, the worse your hangover will be.
Darker liquors such as red wine, whiskey and brandy tend to have the most congeners, while light colored liquors have the least. In terms of price, more expensive bottles have less congeners because they go through a meticulous distillation process which filters out a high percentage of the toxins.
How To Get Rid Of A Hangover
First of all, the only way to avoid a hangover is to not drink at all. With that said, lets look into how to cure them.
1. Drink lots of water — Water will help to replenish the fluids that you lost during your drunken stupor. Gatorade is also helpful because it hydrates and replenishes lost electrolytes.
2. Eat eggs — Eggs contain the amino acid cysteine which will help to clean the grime out of your liver. Eggs also contain a decent helping of protein which will get your metabolism going which will shorten the duration of the hangover.
3. Eat bananas — Bananas will restore minerals, such as potassium, to the body, increasing cognitive function.
4. Eat a bacon sandwich — A study in the UK proved that bacon sandwiches will effectively reduce a hangover by restoring amines in the body and jump starting your metabolism.
5. Marijuana — Marijuana is an analgesic, which means it reduces pain. While it is not a “cure” for the hangover, it will reduce symptoms.
How To Make Your Hangover Worse
1. The hair of the dog that bit you — It is a common misconception that by drinking again in the morning, the hangover will subside. This is not true. Drinking more will only put the hangover off until later, making it last longer and you feel worse.
More Information
Alcohol Hangover – http://biology.about.com
Sources:
Causes Of A Hangover – http://www.drinkfocus.com
Medical Marijuana, Analgesia – http://www.cannabismd.net
Bacon Sandwich Really Does Cure A Hangover – http://www.telegraph.co.uk
