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by Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS I went out last night with some friends and had a really great time. Well, truth be told...I had a little too much good of a time. And then somehow between the time I went to bed last night and the time my alarm jolted me back to reality at 7 AM this morning....my "really great time" had deteriorated into a really miserable "Dear G-d I promise never to drink again if you'd only stabilize the room for a few minutes so that I can get up and go to work" time. Hmmm... funny that. But, honestly, it was a bit surprising to me that I felt so lousy this morning. Because I didn't drink all that much and I really wasn't all that tipsy. Why then did I get "the mother of all hangovers?" Therefore, the physiologist in me felt that as I public service I would do a little blogging (and quite honestly, some self-protective research) about the causes of hangovers and (more importantly) ways of preventing them in the future. So here goes... What Causes A Hangover? An overload of toxins - Hangovers are the result of alcohol consumption exceeding the body's ability to metabolize the toxins found in the alcohol itself (ethanol, congeners) -- or involved in the breakdown of the alcohol by the liver (acetaldehyde). Getting dehydrated - Booze is a diuretic. The more you imbibe the more water you lose. The liver and kidneys must have sufficient water in order to process hooch. So not drinking enough water before, during and after is a major culprit in a painful "morning after the night before". What you drink - According to The British Medical Journal, the worst alcohol choices in terms of potential to cause hangovers are (in descending order): brandy, red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin and vodka. Darker alcohols, young wines and cheap hooch are also to be avoided. Drinking on an empty stomach or not eating enough before a night of celebrating. How To Avoid A Hangover? (And where I probably messed up) One of the sources I read actually said "don't drink"...Geez.. why didn't I think of that? Okay what else have you got? Eat a Substantial Meal, Particularly Starches. I had a small goat cheese salad and a couple of grilled shrimp for dinner - my bad. Next time I go out with my wild and crazy buds, I'm carbo-loading on some pasta and bread. Drink a glass of water for each glass of alcohol. I don't think I had more than a glass of water all night. DUMB!!!
Drink a lot of water (or better yet, Gatorade), take a multi-vitamin(because B vitamins and vitamin C are particularly helpful in reducing the effect of alcohol -- and eat a carbohydrate snack (such as toast with jam) before hitting the hay. No, I didn't do this either. Just went to bed. Okay, well at least now my "mystery hangover" is no longer such a mystery. Basically, I did everything wrong -- and believe me, I paid for it!! So, I'd like to raise a glass (of bottled water tonight, believe me!!) and toast to your avoiding your next hangover by learning from my stupidity. Bottoms up!! Disclaimer: The information contained in this
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