Happy nights, sad mornings: How to prevent a hangover?

Headache, vomiting, dizziness, irritability and fatigue are the main hangover or hangover symptoms that usually occur after a night of excessive drinking. Something that many will certainly feel after celebrating the long-awaited carnivals, after a 2-year break.

The amount of alcohol that causes a hangover varies from person to person. How much alcohol consumes, the greater the risk of getting sick from it. For example, some people may get a hangover after just one or two alcoholic drinks, while others will need to drink more. This could depend on the speed with which the liver metabolizes alcohol, because the enzyme system works at a different speed in each person.

But what is it that causes a hangover? According to some people studies, the reason is simple: alcohol it has a strong diuretic effect, so in excessive amounts it causes increased urination and dehydration. And this is exactly what causes all the above symptoms.

As for the duration of the “hangover”, experts claim that it depends on every person and the type of alcohol consumed.

Can it be prevented?

Different scientific studies and the vast majority always concluded that there is not reliable medicine to remove or prevent hangovers. For example, a group of British scientists from King’s College London published research in magazine about addictions, after analyzing more than 20 alleged hangover cures. Their conclusion was quite categorical: “Our study found that the evidence for these anti-hangover drugs is of very low quality and requires more rigorous evaluation,” said lead author Dr. Emmert Roberts.

Despite the fact that, according to various studies, they do not exist scientific evidence which support a number of popularly recommended remedies to deal with or prevent hangovers, some of the most well-known are:

1. Drink slowly, alcoholic beverages and good nutrition are very necessary. If you are a small person, the effects of alcohol consumption are greater than for a larger person.’

There are many home remedies for hangover relief that some say are perfect. Here are a few to consider:

2. Drink a glass of water between drinks that contain alcohol. This will also help reduce dehydration.

3. White drinks are less likely to cause hangovers. Although all types can cause a hangover, the chances are lower with white drinks (gin, vodka…) than with dark ones (rum, whiskey, cognac…), because they contain fewer substances called congeners. You shouldn’t mix different types of drinks either.

4. Do not take paracetamol or anti-inflammatories to prevent a hangover. Keep in mind that taking paracetamol in combination with alcohol can damage your liver, and the use of anti-inflammatory drugs can further irritate the stomach lining.

5. Get enough sleep.

6. Avoid sun exposure. Although sun exposure does not directly affect your body’s ability to process alcohol, it can make you more susceptible to dehydration.

What not to do to fight it?

And if you’re one of those people who can’t do anything to prevent a hangover, here’s what you can do to deal with your hangover symptoms:

1. Without drugs: taking paracetamol and alcohol increases liver damage caused by ethanol. On the other hand, ibuprofen would worsen digestive problems. See also: Beware of mixing alcohol and medicines.

2. Junk food: rich food in fats, gastrointestinal discomfort resulting from alcohol abuse (swelling, burning…) will increase the next day. It is better to avoid them and replace them with soups.

3. Keep drinking: There are those who have a concept drink the next day to “cut” the hangover and that’s the worst, all it achieves is postponing the moment of the appearance of one of the symptoms.

4. drinks cola or with caffeine: They do not help at all, the caffeine they contain increases dehydration because it is a diuretic and stomach problems because it increases acid secretion. On the other hand, bubbling fluids open the pylorus, increasing passage gastrointestinal alcohol and its absorption in the small intestine.

There are various popular tips to avoid that hangover, hangover, mouse or hangover, as it is called in various Latin American countries, but the best way to avoid it is to avoid alcoholic beverages.