The hangover, or veisalgia, evokes a state of discomfort due to excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Before an evening that promises to be a bit drunk, we tell ourselves that, of course, we will be reasonable in terms of alcohol consumption. What precautions should you take to stay wise and not drink despite common sense? How to manage the day after consumption.
Veisalgia is also frequently accompanied by tachycardia (runaway heartbeat), Orthostasis (drop in blood pressure when you get up), cognitive impairment, and visual and spatial confusion. Although there is no more alcohol in their blood, the person suffering from veisalgia is truly impaired physically and psychologically.
What happens in the body when you drink too much alcohol?
1. Digestion and elimination of alcohol
Alcohol is transformed by the liver into various chemical compounds, including ethyl aldehyde or acetaldehyde, a substance that can cause nausea, vomiting, sweating, etc., when the body saturates with it. It can take up to all day for the body to convert acetaldehyde into acetate, a substance with much less unpleasant effects.
Digestion of alcohol requires enormous effort on the part of the liver. When at its peak, the liver can remove about 35 ml of pure ethyl alcohol in an hour, equivalent to almost a beer, a glass of wine, or 50 ml of vodka. Therefore, it is better not to give it more work by consuming too high-fat foods. These are why it is also not wise to take more alcohol to get over a hangover. It would be entering a vicious circle from which it would be difficult to escape without damage.
During alcohol intoxication and the nostalgia that follows, the body experiences acidosis, which means that the body has more trouble than usual in maintaining the acid/base balance necessary for its integrity.
Hence the advice to avoid consuming drinks or acidifying foods (orange juice, meats, etc.) and to choose carbohydrates, more alkalizing (bread, crackers, etc.). Note that caffeine and acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin® or generic) are acidifying.
2. The dehydration
While it struggles to digest alcohol, the body suffers from dehydration. Hence the recommendation to drink plenty of water when consuming alcohol and in the hours that follow. To counter the effects of dehydration, it is advisable to take mineral salts (tomato or vegetable juice, salted broth, etc.) to replace lost electrolytes and restore balance as quickly as possible. It is also helpful to note out that caffeine also causes dehydration, which increases physiological distress.
What makes the hangover even harder to endure
1. The color of alcohol
Various other substances, called congeners, enter into the composition of alcoholic beverages. Some of these can contribute to the multiple symptoms associated with a hangover. However, these substances are more numerous in colored alcoholic beverages (red wine, cognac, whiskey, dark or dark rum, etc.) than in clear ones (white wine, vodka, juniper, white rum, etc.)
2. Noise and light
Spending prolonged periods in a smoky, noisy place and under flashing or bright lighting can worsen a hangover’s symptoms after a party.
How to Prevent hangovers
1. Eat foods high in fat
Before a boozy party, eat foods high in fat. The fat in food slows the absorption of alcohol. It protects the digestive tract tissues against inflammation caused by the acids produced during the digestion of alcohol.
2. Drink slowly
Try to drink as slowly as possible throughout the party; limit yourself to one alcoholic drink per hour.
Drinking water at the exact time as alcohol
Keep a glass of water near you to quench your thirst. Take water, juice, or a soft drink between each drink of alcohol. Likewise, when you get home, take one or two large glasses of water before going to bed.
3. Eat during the party
Take breaks to eat a little: carbohydrates and sugar, in particular. On the other hand, avoid consuming foods that are too salty.
4. Avoid mixtures
Avoid mixing different alcoholic drinks; you’d better stick to one type of drink throughout the party.
5. Choose your alcohol
Choose white wine rather than red, white spirits (vodka, juniper, white rum, etc.) rather than colored ones (cognac, whiskey, dark or dark rum, etc.). Avoid sparkling alcoholic beverages and cocktails that contain soda or soft drinks. Tiny bubbles accelerate the effects of alcohol.
6. Avoid cigarette smoke
Avoid spending several hours in a row in a smoky, noisy place with flashing or flickering lights.
Remedies to hangover
1. Drink water (a lot)
First and not most little advice: when drinking alcohol, you need to hydrate simultaneously. Between two glasses of wine, do not hesitate to rinse your mouth with a glass of water, and before going to bed, try to drink two large glasses to dilute ethanol.
2. Recharge with mineral salts
Water is essential, but the day after a drunken night is not the only thing your body needs. Rely on sodium-enriched drinks that will recharge the batteries and mineral salt levels.
3. Pick on fruit
In case of a hangover, the fruits will be salvation. These are Tina Ruggiero’s theory, a qualified nutritionist and mixologist in her spare time, which recommends consuming fruits, solid or in juice.
Rely on squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice that will bring out sugars and vitamins to invigorate you.
4. Swallowing potassium
You have already seen that water is needed, but potassium is also required. If the appetite is at the rendezvous, enjoy a banana or an avocado.
5. Try the caffeine shot
I know that it is difficult to get out of bed with a hangover. We do struggle to ourselves and prepare a shot of caffeine. According to nutritionists, coffee used to narrow swollen blood vessels in the head that cause pain.
6. Try not to think about it
Probably easier said than done: specialists, as a result of drunkenness, recommend forcing yourself not to think about it and live your day as it should have been without too much alcohol: take a shower, eat a snack, get some air. Listen to your desires and follow them.
7. Do not try miracle hangover remedies
There are dozens of herbal and other less natural “miracle” remedies to make the hangover go away. Distrust: According to nutritionists, the vast majority of these “remedies” have no natural effect on hangovers.
8. Return to bed
Despite all our efforts, are the pain and fatigue still there? Going back to bed! The natural cure for a hangover(veisalgia) is time. So a few more hours of sleep can only help.
9. Stop drinking alcohol
Last but not least: more alcohol. The myth of cold beer when you wake up is… just a myth!
