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Alcohol is a diuretic (causing loss of fluid), which results in a loss of essential salts such as potassium and magnesium. Blood-sugar levels are also disrupted and toxins from the intake of alcohol can remain in the body for several hours after drinking has ended. This general loss of essential salts and dehydration leads to a hangover.
A hangover is a kind of drug withdrawal, the result of sinking blood-alcohol levels which affect the brain after high levels have been reached. This is also why drinking alcohol the morning after a night of drinking temporarily delays the hangover and, in the end, only makes matters worse.
Causes & Development
The type of alcohol you drink does make a difference. The darker, sweeter drinks have more congeners (complex organic molecules of which methanol is one). Therefore brandy, sherry, red wine and whiskey will give you more of a hangover than will white wine or vodka. Cheap, poorly-refined spirits are more likely to give you a hangover.
Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of hangover vary, but usually include headaches and mental fogginess, thirst, weakness and trembling, sensitivity to noise, irritability, and a general feeling of misery. The stomach feels queasy and nauseous because alcohol irritates the stomach lining.
Treatment & Prevention
Drinking more alcohol ("hair of the dog") actually does work to an extent. This is because ethanol in alcoholic drinks blocks the breakdown of methanol to formaldehyde and formic acid. It is, however, a very bad way of dealing with hangovers because of the strain it puts on the liver and stomach. It also puts off the hangover to a later time which, when it does arrive, can feel even worse.
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Signs, symptoms & indicators of Susceptibility to Hangovers:
Risk factors for Susceptibility to Hangovers: | | | | | Diet |  Dehydration | The most obvious source of headaches due to hangovers is dehydration caused when alcohol suppresses anti-diuretic hormone. This hormone normally orders the body to conserve water, but alcohol dulls the command, causing people to lose far more water to urination than they take in with the alcohol.
The body reacts to the open floodgates by borrowing water from other organs, such as the brain. As a result, the brain shrinks. While that may not cause pain by itself, the brain has a covering called the dura that is connected to the skull by pain-sensitive filaments. Deformation of the dura can cause the headaches that come with a hangover. |
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Habits |
Lack of Sleep| | Lack of sleep increases susceptibility to hangovers. |
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Nutrients |
Magnesium Requirement| | It is possible that some of the hangover symptoms related to alcohol are in part due to magnesium depletion. |
Vitamin B1 Requirement| | A deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1) makes it harder for your body to break down alcohol. Interestingly, beer contains a good amount of thiamine, but as vitamin B1 oxidizes the alcohol out of the blood in the liver, thiamine is used up and must be replaced. |
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Organ Health |
Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement| | Acetaldehyde is a toxic substance produced in the body from alcohol and is one of the impurities found in cheap wine and 'moonshine' spirits. Some researchers believe that an acetaldehyde buildup is the cause of hangovers. If the liver's detoxification pathways are impaired, aldehydes can, instead of being converted to the next intermediate product, build up to harmful levels and cause damage since they are often more toxic than the original substances from which they are derived.
It is probably the metabolism of methanol to formaldehyde and formic acid that caused the symptoms of the hangover. Quick methanol metabolizers suffer more. This is reinforced by the fact that the types of drinks associated with more severe hangovers contain higher levels of methanol. [Hangovers: Not The Ethanol, Perhaps The Methanol, British Medical Journal, January 4, 1997;14: pp.2-3]
All types of alcoholic drinks contain some methanol, a substance blamed for the worst hangovers. Whiskey, cheap red wine, fruit brandy and other dark spirits contain the most methanol, sometimes as much as 2% by volume. Vodka and other clear drinks contain the least. In the liver, methanol takes 10 times longer than ethanol to break down. |
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Recommendations and treatments for Susceptibility to Hangovers: | | | | | Botanical |  Ginger Root| | Both ginger and the homeopathic remedy Nux vomica can help to quell nausea the morning after. Either make ginger tea by infusing freshly grated root ginger in hot water or swallow a 1,000mg supplement. |
 Evening Primrose Oil| | If the smallest amounts of alcohol are troublesome the next morning, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in evening primrose oil will often help. |
Banana| | If you can stomach it, bananas help to replenish many essential salts. |
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Diet |
Increased Water Consumption| | Drink lots of water - at least twice the amount of water to alcohol. |
Not recommended:
 Sugars Avoidance / Reduction| | Take some form of sugar; alcohol lowers your blood sugar levels. |
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Drug |
Not recommended:
Aspirin| | By all means take some pain relief tablets, but avoid aspirin as the alcohol has probably already made your stomach lining sensitive. |
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Habits |
 Increased Sleep| | A few hours of sleep can work miracles. Don't drive until you have fully recovered. Just because you've slept after a drinking session doesn't mean you're sober. Nothing can speed alcohol out of the body so don't kid yourself that a strong coffee will do it (it's more likely just to help replenish a little fluid). |
Tobacco Avoidance| | Smoking intensifies the problems of a hangover because of the additional toxins and further dehydration. |
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Homeopathy |
Homeopathic Remedies| | Both ginger and the homeopathic remedy Nux vomica can help to quell nausea the morning after. Take one 6C or 12C tablet every three or four hours. |
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Mineral |
Magnesium |
Nutrient |
DMAE| | DMAE decreases the incidence and severity of hangovers in people who consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Subjects in one study reported freedom from the depression or headaches associated with hangovers. |
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Physical Medicine |
Cold Applications (Cryotherapy)| | If time allows, catching a short nap in a darkened, quiet room with an ice bag or cold compress on your forehead can work wonders. The cold compress helps constrict the vessels in your head and reduce the headache. |
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Vitamins |
Vitamin B-Complex| | The B-vitamins help to calm and strengthen the nervous system, reduce the toxic effects of alcohol and stop cravings for more. |
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) |
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Preventive measures against Susceptibility to Hangovers: | | | | | Botanical | Chlorella| | A Japanese study showed that taking 4-6gm of chlorella before consuming alcohol can prevent hangovers 96% of the time, even after a night of heavy drinking. |
Silymarin / Milk Thistle| | Milk thistle is renowned for its ability to support and stimulate the liver, the organ primarily responsible for ridding the body of alcohol. Some recommend taking 500mg of milk thistle before embarking on a long night of drinking, and if the session is particularly heavy, taking 350mg three times daily for a couple of days thereafter. |
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Diet |
Alcohol Avoidance| | The only sure-fire method of prevention is the obvious - abstinence! |
Increased Calorie Consumption| | Alcohol tends to go very quickly through the intestines if drunk on an empty stomach, inducing the drop in blood sugar that makes one feel light-headed and drunk, and then keeping it low throughout the night and into the following day, resulting in a major hangover. Do not drink any alcohol until your stomach contains food. |
Caffeine/Coffee Avoidance| | Caffeinated coffee and cola drinks are an area of controversy. These may upset your stomach but on the other hand the caffeine will assist with vessel constriction. If you're used to a morning coffee, it may help. Coffee or tea can make your hangover twice as bad by dehydrating your body. Herbal infusions such as dandelion tea, or a fruit smoothie, or even simply hot water, will be much kinder to your body. |
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KEY | | Strong or generally accepted link |  | | Proven definite or direct link | | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended | | | May have adverse consequences |
GLOSSARY
Chlorella
A freshwater, nutritive, single-celled green algae superfood; a regenerative tonic, blood builder, anti-viral, anti-biotic, and anti-carcinogenic that enhances the immune system. It facilitates heavy metals being removed (chelated) from the body.
Crave (Craving, Cravings)
To have a strong desire for; to feel the need for.
Diuretic (Diuretics)
An agent increasing urine flow, causing the kidneys to excrete more than the usual amount of sodium, potassium and water.
Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA)
A downline metabolite of linoleic acid, an Omega-6 oil.
Gram (gm, gms, Gramme, Grammes, Grams)
A metric unit of weight, there being approximately 28 grams in one ounce.
Hangover (Hangovers)
A commonly used nonmedical term for the disagreeable physical effects following excessive consumption of alcohol (or the use of other drugs).
Herbs (Herb, Herbal)
Herbs may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerites (glycerine extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts). Unless otherwise indicated, teas should be made with one teaspoon herb per cup of hot water. Steep covered 5 to 10 minutes for leaf or flowers, and 10 to 20 minutes for roots. Tinctures may be used singly or in combination as noted. The high doses of single herbs suggested may be best taken as dried extracts (in capsules), although tinctures (60 drops four times per day) and teas (4 to 6 cups per day) may also be used.
Homeopathy (Homeopathic)
A system of medicine based on the belief that the cure of disease can be effected by minute doses of substances that, if given to a healthy person in large doses, would produce the same symptoms as are present in the disease being treated. Homeopathy employs natural substances in small doses to stimulate the body's reactive process to remove toxic waste and bring the body back into balance.
Hormones (Hormone)
Chemical substances secreted by a variety of body organs that are carried by the bloodstream and usually influence cells some distance from the source of production. Hormones signal certain enzymes to perform their functions and, in this way, regulate such body functions as blood sugar levels, insulin levels, the menstrual cycle, and growth. These can be prescription, over-the-counter, synthetic or natural agents. Examples include adrenal hormones such as corticosteroids and aldosterone; glucagon, growth hormone, insulin, testosterone, estrogens, progestins, progesterone, DHEA, melatonin, and thyroid hormones such as thyroxine and calcitonin.
Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.
Magnesium
An essential mineral. The chief function of magnesium is to activate certain enzymes, especially those related to carbohydrate metabolism. Another role is to maintain the electrical potential across nerve and muscle membranes. It is essential for proper heartbeat and nerve transmission. Magnesium controls many cellular functions. It is involved in protein formation, DNA production and function and in the storage and release of energy in ATP. Magnesium is closely related to calcium and phosphorus in body function. The average adult body contains approximately one ounce of magnesium. It is the fifth mineral in abundance within the body--behind calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Although about 70 percent of the body's magnesium is contained in the teeth and bones, its most important functions are carried out by the remainder which is present in the cells of the soft tissues and in the fluid surrounding those cells.
Metabolism (Metabolic, Metabolize, Metabolizes, Metabolizing)
The chemical processes of living cells in which energy is produced in order to replace and repair tissues and maintain a healthy body. Responsible for the production of energy, biosynthesis of important substances, and degradation of various compounds. Also defined as the sum total of changes in an organism in order to achieve a balance (homeostasis): Catabolic burns up, anabolic stores and builds up; the sum of their work is metabolism.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
Mineral (Minerals)
Plays a vital role in regulating many body functions. They act as catalysts in nerve response, muscle contraction and the metabolism of nutrients in foods. They regulate electrolyte balance and hormonal production, and they strengthen skeletal structures.
Nausea
Symptoms resulting from an inclination to vomit.
Nervous System
A system in the body that is comprised of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, ganglia and parts of the receptor organs that receive and interpret stimuli and transmit impulses to effector organs.
Potassium
A mineral that serves as an electrolyte and is involved in the balance of fluid within the body. Our bodies contain more than twice as much potassium as sodium (typically 9oz versus 4oz). About 98% of total body potassium is inside our cells. Potassium is the principal cation (positive ion) of the fluid within cells and is important in controlling the activity of the heart, muscles, nervous system and just about every cell in the body. Potassium regulates the water balance and acid-base balance in the blood and tissues. Evidence is showing that potassium is also involved in bone calcification. Potassium is a cofactor in many reactions, especially those involving energy production and muscle building.
Stomach
A hollow, muscular, J-shaped pouch located in the upper part of the abdomen to the left of the midline. The upper end (fundus) is large and dome-shaped; the area just below the fundus is called the body of the stomach. The fundus and the body are often referred to as the cardiac portion of the stomach. The lower (pyloric) portion curves downward and to the right and includes the antrum and the pylorus. The function of the stomach is to begin digestion by physically breaking down food received from the esophagus. The tissues of the stomach wall are composed of three types of muscle fibers: circular, longitudinal and oblique. These fibers create structural elasticity and contractibility, both of which are needed for digestion. The stomach mucosa contains cells which secrete hydrochloric acid and this in turn activates the other gastric enzymes pepsin and rennin. To protect itself from being destroyed by its own enzymes, the stomach’s mucous lining must constantly regenerate itself.
Thiamine (B1, B-1, Thiamin, Vitamin B1)
A B-complex vitamin that acts as a coenzyme necessary for the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose, which is burned in the body for energy. It is essential for the functioning of the nervous system.
Last updated: Jun 28, 2009
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