A HEADACHE, A mouth that’s drier than the Sahara, exhaustion, and – if you’re really unlucky – a heavy dose of nausea. The morning after a few drinks too many is always a tough time, especially if you have work or social plans looming.
The most recent Irish alcohol consumption survey statistics show that while we consume alcohol less frequently than many of our other European counterparts, we tend to consume above average amounts on the occasions that we do drink. In short, us Irish are well used to hangovers.
While you’re no doubt familiar with the symptoms of a hangover, have you ever thought about exactly what’s going on in your body after a night of drinking? Read on for the nitty-gritty…
Blood alcohol content, or BAC, is the most commonly used measure of alcohol’s effect on the body. As you drink, your liver is working to metabolise alcohol at the rate of about 15 mg, or one standard drink, per hour. If you’re drinking alcohol faster than your liver is breaking it down, you’re on a fast track to feel the negative effects, both at the time of drinking and the next day.
Scientists reckon the hangover zone starts when your blood alcohol content hits 0.1%, although for some people it can be a couple of drinks earlier, at around 0.07%. Someone with 0.1% BAC will display classic signs of drunkenness, like drowsiness and slurred speech, at the time of drinking.
Everyone’s metabolism works at different rates, and just like some people can eat what they want and remain at the same weight, some people can drink more than others without feeling drunk or getting a hangover. Again, this ties in with blood alcohol content, as it’ll take longer for some people to hit the 0.1% mark than others.
According to the most recent HSE statistics, over two-thirds of Irish drinkers (64.3%) consume six or more standard drinks on a typical drinking occasion, which is grounds for a hangover whatever way you look at it.
If you’ve ever woken up from a night out feeling absolutely fine, only to have the mother of hangovers hit you a couple of hours later, you’re not alone. Hangover symptoms are generally at their worst around 12 – 14 hours after your blood alcohol content first hits 0.1%. Once you stop drinking, your BAC slowly drops, and once it hits zero you’re in peak hangover zone. That’s when symptoms like headaches, nausea, dry mouth and low concentration take hold.
As well as raising your blood alcohol content, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more, so if you’re not spacing your drinks out with water, you can expect to wake up dehydrated too, which brings its own hangover-like symptoms. Add that to the fact that alcohol impairs your ability to get into a proper REM sleep, leaving you groggy and low in energy, and you have the recipe for a pretty grim next-day experience if you don’t take precautions.
Blood alcohol content, dehydration and a bad night’s sleep aside, scientists believe there may be another reason for hangovers: inflammation. Researchers in South Korea first hit on this idea back in 2003, when they noted that hangovers were accompanied by an elevated level of cytokines, small proteins secreted by cells that have an effect on the interactions between other cells. Cytokines are usually produced as an immune system response to ward off infection, and when they’re present at higher-than-usual levels, they can lead to symptoms like nausea, headaches and fatigue.
If you’re drinking on an empty stomach, your blood alcohol level could reach the 0.1% hangover zone in anywhere from 30 – 75 minutes. Start with a full stomach though, and it’ll potentially take up to three hours, as the alcohol is being absorbed into your bloodstream slower. In another plus, eating a meal before drinking could help your body to metabolise alcohol slightly faster, due to the increased activity of liver enzymes. The same rule doesn’t apply to food eaten directly after drinking though, as once your blood alcohol content has peaked, you just have to wait for your liver to do its job.
There’s no quick fix to cure a hangover once it starts, but you can get your safeguard up with the help of Lifeline Hangover Defence and Lifeline Hangover Defence for Wine. Available in SuperValu, Centra and leading pharmacies, Lifeline is a vitamin and mineral based supplement designed to help defend against hangover symptoms before they kick in. See more on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Always drink responsibly. Visit drinkaware.ie for information.
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