Alcohol Hangover Biology, Physiology and Preventions

Alcohol can have various biological and behavioral effects on the body. People who consume alcohol to intoxication often experience what is known as a hangover. Hangovers result in unpleasant physical and mental symptoms including fatigue, headache, dizziness, and vertigo. While there are some suggested treatments to curb the effects of a  hangover, the best way to prevent a hangover from occurring is not to consume alcohol. Since the effects of most hangovers subside after 8 to 24 hours, time is the most effective remedy for alcohol hangover symptoms. Alcohol Hangover Hangovers are a frequent, though unpleasant, experience among people who drink to intoxication. Despite the prevalence of hangovers, however, this condition is not well understood scientifically. Multiple possible contributors to the hangover state have been investigated, and researchers have produced evidence that alcohol can directly promote hangover symptoms through its effects on urine production, the gastrointestinal tract, blood sugar concentrations, sleep patterns, and biological rhythms. In addition, researchers postulate that effects related to alcohols absence after a drinking bout (i.e., withdrawal), alcohol metabolism, and other factors (e.g., biologically active, non-alcohol compounds in beverages; the use of other drugs; certain personality traits; and a family history of alcoholism) also may contribute to the hangover condition. Few of the treatments commonly described for hangover have undergone scientific evaluation. Key Takeaways: Alcohol Hangover People who drink alcohol to intoxication may experience a hangover. Symptoms of a hangover include fatigue, headache, increased sensitivity to light and sound, red eyes, muscle aches, and thirst.Alcohol contributes to a hangover by causing electrolyte imbalances and dehydrtion, gastrointestinal disturbances, low blood sugar, and disruption of biological rhythms.Time is the best treatment for a hangover as symptoms diminish over 8 to 24 hours. The best cure for a hangover is prevention. A hangover is less likely to occur if a person drinks small, nonintoxicating amounts of alcohol.Consuming fruits and fruit juices is reported to reduce hangover intensity. Consuming bland foods with complex carbohydrates (toast) helps counter low blood sugar and relieves nausea.Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (ibuprofen) help to reduce alcohol associated headache and muscle aches. Antacids help alleviate nausea and gastritis. What Is a Hangover? A hangover is characterized by the constellation of unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that occur after a bout of heavy alcohol drinking. Physical symptoms of a hangover include fatigue, headache, increased sensitivity to light and sound, redness of the eyes, muscle aches, and thirst. Signs of increased sympathetic nervous system activity can accompany a hangover, including increased systolic blood pressure, rapid heartbeat (i.e., tachycardia), tremor, and sweating. Mental symptoms include dizziness; a sense of the room spinning (i.e., vertigo); and possible cognitive and mood disturbances, especially depression, anxiety, and irritability. Alcohol Hangover Symptoms Constitutional: fatigue, weakness, and thirstPain: headache  and muscle achesGastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, and stomach painSleep and biological rhythms: decreased sleep, decreased REM(rapid eye movements), and increased slow-wave sleepSensory: vertigo and sensitivity to light and soundCognitive: decreased attention and concentrationMood: depression, anxiety, and irritabilitySympathetic hyperactivity: tremor, sweating, and increased pulse and systolic blood pressure The particular set of symptoms experienced and their intensity may vary from person to person and from occasion to occasion. In addition, hangover characteristics may depend on the type of alcoholic beverage consumed and the amount a person drinks. Typically, a hangover begins within several hours after the cessation of drinking, when a persons blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is falling. Symptoms usually peak about the time BAC is zero and may continue for up to 24 hours thereafter. Overlap exists between hangover and the symptoms of mild alcohol withdrawal (AW), leading to the assertion that hangover is a manifestation of mild withdrawal. Hangovers, however, may occur after a single bout of drinking, whereas withdrawal occurs usually after multiple, repeated bouts. Other differences between hangover and AW include a shorter period of impairment (i.e., hours for hangover versus several days for withdrawal) and a lack of hallucinations and seizures in hangover. People experiencing a hangover feel ill and impaired. Although a hangover may impair task performance and thereby increase the risk of injury, equivocal data exist on whether hangover actually impairs complex mental tasks. Direct Alcohol Effects Drinking too much alcohol can damage your liver.   SCIEPRO/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Alcohol may directly contribute to a hangover in several ways, including the following: Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance: Alcohol causes the body to increase urinary output (i.e., it is a diuretic). Alcohol promotes urine production by inhibiting the release of a hormone (i.e., antidiuretic hormone, or vasopressin) from the  pituitary gland. In turn, reduced levels of antidiuretic hormone prevent the  kidneys  from reabsorbing (i.e., conserving) water and thereby increase  urine  production. Additional mechanisms must be at work to increase urine production, however, because antidiuretic hormone levels increase as BAC levels decline to zero during hangover. Sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea also commonly occur during a hangover, and these conditions can result in additional fluid loss and electrolyte imbalances. Symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration include thirst, weakness, dryness of mucous membranes, dizziness, and lightheadedness - all commonly observed during a hangover. Gastrointestinal Disturbances: Alcohol directly irritates the stomach and intestines, causing inflammation of the stomach lining (i.e., gastritis) and delayed stomach emptying, especially when beverages with a high alcohol concentration (i.e., greater than 15 percent) are consumed. High levels of alcohol consumption also can produce  fatty liver, an accumulation of fat compounds called triglycerides and their components (i.e., free fatty acids) in liver cells. In addition, alcohol increases the production of gastric acid as well as pancreatic and intestinal secretions. Any or all of these factors can result in the upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting experienced during a hangover. Low Blood Sugar: Several alterations in the metabolic state of the liver and other  organs  occur in response to the presence of alcohol in the body and can result in low  blood  sugar levels (i.e., low glucose levels, or hypoglycemia). Alcohol metabolism leads to fatty liver (described earlier) and a buildup of an intermediate metabolic product, lactic acid, in body fluids (i.e., lactic acidosis). Both of these effects can inhibit glucose production. Alcohol-induced hypoglycemia generally occurs after binge drinking over several days in alcoholics who have not been eating. In such a situation, prolonged alcohol consumption, coupled with poor nutritional intake, not only decreases glucose production but also exhausts the reserves of glucose stored in the liver in the form of glycogen, thereby leading to hypoglycemia. Because glucose is the primary energy source of the  brain, hypoglycemia can contribute to hangover symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, and mood disturbances. Diabetics are particularly sensitive to the alcohol-induced alterations in blood glucose. However, it has not been documented whether low blood sugar concentrations contribute to hangover symptomatically. Disruption of Sleep and Other Biological Rhythms: Although alcohol has sedative effects that can promote sleep onset, the fatigue experienced during a hangover results from alcohols disruptive effects on sleep. Alcohol-induced sleep may be of shorter duration and poorer quality because of rebound excitation after BACs fall, leading to insomnia. Furthermore, when drinking behavior takes place in the evening or at night (as it often does), it can compete with sleep time, thereby reducing the length of time a person sleeps. Alcohol also disrupts the normal sleep pattern, decreasing the time spent in the dreaming state (i.e., rapid eye movement [REM] sleep) and increasing the time spent in deep (i.e., slow-wave) sleep. In addition, alcohol relaxes the throat muscles, resulting in increased snoring and, possibly, periodic cessation of breathing (i.e., sleep apnea). Alcohol interferes with other biological rhythms as well, and these effects persist into the hangover period. For example, alcohol disrupts the normal 24-hour (i.e., circadian) rhythm in body temperature, inducing a body temperature that is abnormally low during intoxication and abnormally high during a hangover. Alcohol intoxication also interferes with the circadian nighttime secretion of  growth hormone, which is important in bone growth and  protein  synthesis. In contrast, alcohol induces the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the  pituitary gland, which in turn stimulates the release of  cortisol, a hormone that plays a role in  carbohydrate  metabolism and stress response; alcohol thereby disrupts the normal circadian rise and fall of cortisol levels. Overall, alcohols disruption of circadian rhythms induces a jet lag that is hypothesized to account for some of the deleterious effects of a hangover. Alcohol Remedies Medication can be used to relieve some symptoms of alcohol hangover.   Jamie Grill Photography/Getty Images Many treatments are described to prevent  hangover, shorten its duration, and reduce the severity of its symptoms, including innumerable folk remedies and recommendations. Few treatments have undergone rigorous investigation, however. Conservative management offers the best course of treatment. Time is the most important  component,  because hangover symptoms will usually abate over 8 to 24 hours. Drink Small Amounts of Alcohol: Attentiveness to the quantity and quality of alcohol consumed can have a significant effect on  preventing  hangovers. Hangover symptoms are less likely to occur if a person drinks only small, nonintoxicating amounts. Even among people who drink to intoxication, those who consume lower amounts of alcohol appear less likely to develop a hangover than those who drink higher amounts. Hangovers have not been associated with drinking beverages with a low alcohol content or with drinking nonalcoholic beverages. The type of alcohol consumed also may have a significant effect on reducing hangover. Alcoholic beverages that contain few congeners (e.g., pure ethanol, vodka, and gin) are associated with a lower incidence of  hangover  than are beverages that contain a number of  congeners  (e.g., brandy, whiskey, and  red wine). Eat Foods Containing Fructose: Other interventions may reduce the intensity of a hangover but have not been systematically studied. Consumption of fruits, fruit juices, or other fructose-containing foods is reported to decrease hangover intensity, for example. Also, bland foods containing complex  carbohydrates, such as toast or crackers, can counter low  blood  sugar levels in people subject to hypoglycemia and can possibly relieve nausea. In addition, adequate sleep may ease the fatigue associated with  sleep deprivation, and drinking nonalcoholic beverages during and after  alcohol consumption  may reduce alcohol-induced dehydration. Medications: Certain medications may provide symptomatic relief for hangover symptoms. For example, antacids may alleviate nausea and gastritis. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., ibuprofen or naproxen) may reduce  the headache  and muscle aches associated with a hangover but should be used cautiously, particularly if upper abdominal pain or nausea is present. Anti-inflammatory medications are themselves gastric irritants and will compound alcohol-induced gastritis. Although acetaminophen is a common alternative to aspirin, its use should be avoided during the hangover period, because alcohol metabolism enhances acetaminophens toxicity to the liver. Caffeine: Caffeine (often taken as coffee) is commonly used to counteract the fatigue and malaise associated with the hangover condition. This traditional  practice,  however, lacks scientific support. Source Alcohol Hangover: Mechanisms and Mediators. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-1/toc22-1.htm.