Hangover (Noun) - “A severe Headache or other after-effects caused by drinking Excess Alcohol”
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What a LOT of you (and I) have experienced many a time on this wonderful journey through life, be it on different social occasions, the regular weekly night out, birthdays, parties, college, or when your patriotism Skyrockets as you celebrate Mr.Patrick himself.
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Heres the 411 on Hangovers, What, How they work, and most importantly, what we can do to ease the self-inflicted suffering.
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Hangovers are mostly attributed to the alcohol's direct physiological effect, which they are, but also a cause of the removal of alcohol, the metabolites produced from alcohol, the behaviors associated with drinking (less sleep, less food, drugs, etc) and finally, personal tolerance and characteristics.
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Symptoms of Hangovers vary from person to person but usually include Constitutional (fatigue/weakness), Gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, induced dysbiosis), Sleep (Acts as a sedative but decreases restorative sleep), sensory (vertigo, sensitivity to light), Mood (anxiety, irritable), dehydration, low blood sugar, psychomotor & Sympathetic activity (Blood pressure, heart rate).
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The thing is All these symptoms of hangovers dont occur when Blood alcohol levels are high, but when they fall back to 0 which is why it's hypothesized that Hangovers are actually from withdrawal and also were putting the hair on the dog for a cure came from (f*$k that so much, wouldn’t recommend).
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Here are some tips which could help alleviate some of these hangover symptoms:
1- Most obvious, dont drink as much for as long. Longer and more alcohol consumption is the biggest influence on worse symptoms the day after
2- Hydrate Well before drinking and before bed and make sure you watch your electrolyte intake.
3- Aim to chose Drinks with lower Cogeners, these are biologically active compounds found in the fermentation and processing of certain drinks which enhance the intoxication effect. Darker drinks are usually higher in These such as bourbon, wine & brandy.
4- If you get bad headaches as a hangover, ensure you're hydrated and watch drinks higher in histamine such as Red wine.
5- Get some nutrient-dense foods and cruciferous veg in the next day which can help support phase 1 detoxification and also act as a prebiotic to help gut distress as alcohol induces transient microbiota dysbiosis (destroys good bacteria within the gut).
You could also go down the route of using external supplementation via NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) which can help with the production of Glutathione to support detoxification in the liver, supplement with Glutathione itself (liposomal for its most bioavailable and best-absorbed form), or using B-Vitamins to help However,
Very little of these have shown strong evidence to be helpful within research to date so your best bet is either
A) Dont get as Pissed when out (hard one but simple)
And/Or
B)Try not to mix your drinks too much and be conservative.
Happy Hangover,
Luke.
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