Most of us know just how terrible a hangover can feel, but very few of us actually understand why we feel that way, this is the ultimate breakdown

“I’ll never drink again!” This is a claim many of us have made the morning after a raucous night whilst struggling to see in the blinding light, along with a headache and a queasy stomach that really isn’t happy with you.

Unfortunately the severity and number of symptoms varies from person to person, however it is generally true that the more alcohol you consume, the worse the hangover will be. It can also be made worse from drinking on an empty stomach; lack of sleep or else increased physical activity whilst drinking, such as that table dancing that is making you cringe round about now.

However, different types of alcohol can result in different types of hangover symptoms. This is because some types of alcoholic drinks have higher concentrations of fermentation by-products known as congeners.

The simplest way of remembering what drinks are going to make you feel like death the next morning, are those alcoholic beverages that are typically darker in colour. The darker the colour generally means the more congeners. So drinks such as brandy, whisky and red wine will cause a heavier hangover than clear or white drinks such as white wine, vodka and gin.

Since different alcoholic drinks have different congeners, combining the various impurities can result in particularly severe hangover symptoms; it is also why you get drunk much faster if you change your drink during the course of the evening.

On a more biological level, alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning that once the ‘seal has been broken’ you’ll continue to pay the bathroom a regular visit after every drink because of the effect of alcohol on the body.

Another fact that women will be proud to hear is that although body weight is a factor when it comes to the effect of alcohol on the system, women generally have less acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione, the enzymes that breaks down alcohol in the liver. This ultimately causes a more severe hangover because it takes longer for the female body to break down alcohol than in men.

Wandering why you woke up feeling fatigued and generally exhausted? This is because alcohol inhibits glutamine, one of the body’s natural stimulants. When you stopped drinking and crawled into the sweet embrace of your bed, your body tried to make up for lost time by producing more glutamine than it needed. This resulted in over stimulation of the brain whilst you were trying to sleep, preventing you from reaching the deepest, most healing levels of REM sleep.

While it’s debatable as to whether a hangover may be good for you, philosophers would argue that it deters you from drinking too much the next time. Until you decide to take up philosophy, ensure you eat before going out and make sure that you remain hydrated during the course of the evening with other liquids other than those containing alcohol. Cheers!

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