Session 11: Effective Ways To Recover From Night Out - Tips to Get a Rid of Hangover

What happens to your body during a hangover?
• Liver:
➢ Your liver can only detox the equivalent to one drink per hour. If you had more than one drink per hour, your body is playing catch up in an attempt to try to detoxify itself.
➢ Body Produces triglycerides (fat compounds) and free fatty acids, causing fatty liver
➢ Buildup of lactic acid follows behind fatty liver, hindering glucose production in blood, bringing us to talk about effects on brain.
• Brain:
➢ Glucose is the energy source for the brain.
➢ Hypoglycemia can mimic hangover symptoms (dizziness, fatigue, weakness, mood etc)
➢ Alcohol disturbs brains normal sleep cycle. Even while you are sleeping, it is not restorative.
➢ Alcohol has an effect on neurotransmitters, histamine, serotonin and prostaglandins.
o Results in vasodilatation, leading to headaches.
➢ Alcohol inhibits glutamate production- a stimulant that keeps us awake.
o When alcohol blood levels reach zero, body overproduces the stimulant, resulting in restless sleep and stomach irritation.
• Stomach and immune system:
➢ Alcohol increases production of gastric acid, causing irritation.
➢ Nausea may be caused directly from inflammation of stomach and intestines because of the alcohol
-OR- it could be a sign of withdrawal if alcohol is consumed in large amounts or regularly.
**(Other Symptoms of withdrawal: sweatiness, anxiety, shakiness). This is why bloody mary’s help ease hangovers
➢ Alcohol also upsets cytokines, which are your immune systems chemical messengers that can trigger acute inflammation (pain throughout body)
• Dehydration.
➢ Alcohol inhibits production of vasopressin, a hormone that controls fluid balance in body.
o This hormone normally causes kidneys to reabsorb water and electrolytes.
o Instead, alcohol causes you to ‘pop the seal’ and continue making trips to the restroom the night of, resulting in a headache the following day, electrolyte imbalances
➢ Because of this, consuming approx. 4 drinks (50g alcohol in 250mL water) causes the elimination of up to 1 quart (1,000mL) of water, leaving you dehydrated
• **Dark liquors are worse for hangovers, because they contain more congeners (biologically active compounds)