The most common hangover symptoms are dehydration, headache, and gastric discomfort, among others. Family and friends’ lunches and dinners and the celebration of the New Year cause alcohol consumption to increase and is almost always accompanied by the hangover of the following day, which occurs due to the sudden drop in the concentration of alcohol in the blood when a previous abusive consumption has been made .
María Sales Gilabert, member of the Mental Health Working Group of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen), points out that hangovers are aggravated if poor quality alcohol is consumed, since it contains more congeners, a substance that is it generates in the production of alcohol and it affects in different proportions depending on the drink consumed. The same happens when several types of alcoholic beverages are mixed, since there are more ingested congeners. In addition, the expert points out that white alcohol causes less hangover than dark alcohol, that is, it has fewer congeners.
Another factor that influences hangover is tobacco: people who smoke have a hangover since “both nicotine and alcohol increase the release of dopamine in the limbic system (linked to emotions and memory, among others) and that Together, they increase hangovers, “says Sales, who also explains that nicotine reduces sleepiness caused by alcohol, acting as a stimulant.
How to reduce its effects
Although the key to not having a hangover is not drinking , Sales Gilabert gives some recommendations to reduce its effects:
- Do not drink on an empty stomach.
- Avoid smoking while drinking.
- Eat fatty foods before drinking alcohol.
- Preferably eat
- Do not mix different types of alcohol.
- Take fresh fruit.
- Avoid mixing drugs and alcohol.
- Consume quality alcoholic beverages.
- Drink non-citrus sugary liquids, as citrus increases acidity.
Eating eggs and fresh fruit is also good against a hangover. Sales Gilabert indicates that according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the cysteine in eggs can interrupt acetaldehyde production, which could prevent the onset of headaches. On the other hand, according to a study by the Royal Society of English Chemistry, the fructose contained in the fruit can reduce hangover symptoms.
Myths about how to reduce hangovers
There are many myths that circulate about what works and what does not to end the hangover. Sales clarifies some:
Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen before bed
False . Mixing paracetamol with alcohol increases the liver damage caused by ethanol. On the other hand, ibuprofen aggravates gastropathy. Sales Gilabert advises drinking isotonic drinks rich in glucose and electrolytes to rehydrate . The expert also recommends vitamin B1, as it helps to eliminate neurotoxicity caused by alcohol.
Eating junk food the next day
False. This is also counterproductive, since eating fatty foods the next day would increase gastric discomfort derived from alcohol consumption. The expert indicates that the next day would be appropriate to drink electrolyte-rich isotonic drinks and light foods, preferably carbohydrates.
Drinking Coca-Cola makes hangovers go by sooner
False. Although Coca-Cola provides carbohydrates and glucose , the caffeine it contains is diuretic and, therefore, increases dehydration and gastric discomfort.
For a hangover it is good to drink a rod the next day
False. This typical statement in Spanish culture is another of the erroneous beliefs. All it does is delay the onset of some hangover symptoms.
However, among so many myths we also find truths . One of them is that taking a tablespoon of oil or milk before drinking alcohol prevents hangovers , since milk and oil slow down the absorption of alcohol and minimize it. On the other hand, many people think that it is good to take an omeprazole before drinking, however, the expert explains that not always. It depends on whether or not there is an esophagogastric pathology that can be aggravated by alcohol consumption.
