We've all over-indulged on occasion and while you might feel like road kill right now, having one too many drinks is unlikely to cause lasting damage. But if you thought you were being fairly sensible last night and still woke up with a banging headache and the urgent need for a fried breakfast, you might be questioning your tolerance levels and wondering if your hangover is connected to your age. Alcohol is the most commonly consumed drug on the planet and yet most people don't know much about the consequences of over-intoxication.
We speak to medical doctor, journalist and author Dr Max Pemberton about what a hangover really is and why it seems to last longer the older you get:. Alcohol, like many drugs, is broken down detoxified in the liver. The liver breaks down approximately one unit of alcohol per hour.
While the liver is good at breaking alcohol down and removing it from the body, alcohol is a poison and over time it damages the liver if it's consumed in large enough quantities. Alcohol is a poison and over time it damages the liver if it's consumed in large enough quantities. While it is broken down in the liver, alcohol also works on the kidney as a 'diuretic' — it makes them produce a lot of urine.
This is then excreted and is why people who have been drinking alcohol go to the toilet often and also why their urine can be very pale — it's more dilute because they are making more of it than usual. For a long time it was thought that a hangover was simply the result of dehydration because of the diuretic effect of alcohol.
It was puzzling, therefore, why some people still experienced a hangover even if they drank a lot of water before going to bed and therefore replacing all the fluid they had excreted.
In fact, newer research has shown that although alcohol does dehydrate you, that's not the only cause of a hangover. Molecules called 'congeners' such as methanol and acetones are formed during the fermentation process and when alcohol is broken down and are present in drinks in varying quantities.
In large quantities they have an effect on the endings of nerves, making them very sensitive. This is why people feel very 'delicate' the next morning — with sensitive skin, headaches and not liking the light. The national guidelines around alcohol consumption are intended to reduce the risk.
The official guidance used to be different for men and women but have recently changed so that the recommendations apply to both men and women equally. Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week and to spread your drinking over 3 or more days. Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
It is also advised to spread your drinking over three or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week. That being said, the authors themselves admit that very few well-designed scientific studies have ever been conducted on the subject, so it is more than possible that some of these unproven treatments might work.
There is some evidence that vitamin B6 taken before drinking can be mildly helpful. An anti-inflammatory drug called tolfenamic acid has been shown to be somewhat helpful when taken during alcohol consumption. While this drug is not available in the U.
However, when combined with alcohol they might increase the risk of stomach bleeding. Staying well-hydrated with plenty of water is helpful. Gatorade or other fitness drinks may be better than water alone, but there is no scientific proof.
A chemical called N-acetyl-cysteine may be useful in detoxifying the body from acetaldehyde buildup, but this too is an unproven treatment. Light exercise may be helpful, provided you stay well-hydrated. Your liver is often an unsung hero, fulfilling over jobs without complaint — follow these five tips to avoid liver disease and keep yours running at maximum efficiency. Health Home Conditions and Diseases Headache. How does alcohol affect the brain and the rest of the body? How little is enough to make an impact the next day?
How long do the effects last? Are there any effective treatments? Avoid further dehydration by drinking liquids other than alcohol! Avoid acetaminophen Tylenol at all costs — it can overtax your already hard-working liver, leading to dangerous swelling or even liver failure.
The very best prevention of a hangover? The best cure? Read more. Others, like dehydration, are side effects. During the hangover vasopressin snaps back to a higher level than normal, although there appears to be no correlation between that, or indeed any other drink-induced hormonal imbalance, and the severity of the hangover. The delayed onset of a hangover means that the metabolic products of ethanol are prime suspects. A study in Japan found that people with inactive genes for making enzymes that break down acetaldehyde, a highly reactive by-product of ethanol, ….
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