If anyone has ever drank a lot on any particular night, then they probably know that the morning brings with it a horrible experience known as a hangover. However, a hangover is actually a way to categorize and lump together several symptoms that one experiences after drinking too much. This short series, ‘All About Hangovers’, will go over the causes and effects of a hangover, and how exactly it can be damaging to your body. After all, a hangover is essentially your body’s way of telling you to not drink so much…
What causes a hangover?
Although everyone knows that a hangover is caused by drinking so much, it’s important to recognize exactly why this occurs, and why it is unhealthy to drink such high amounts. Drinking alcohol causes an individual’s blood sugar to fall. Although this reduction in energy is often offset by the alcohol, momentarily, the blood sugar reduction will remain once it wears off, which means that the stomach and metabolism will work much slower. Alcohol also causes a person to become dehydrated, which will make other symptoms more pronounced. On top of all of this, alcohol tends to irritate the immune system, which will cause it to flare up, unnecessarily.
Physical symptoms of a hangover
The most immediately notable symptoms that a person experiences when they are hungover are physical. Extreme headaches are very common during hangovers, as well as other mental inhibitors, such as dizziness and nausea. This is due to the fact that, as the alcohol begins to leave the blood system, the body is going to be incredibly slow at replenishing the body’s blood sugar. As this happens, aches in your muscles and bones are quite common, as well as digestive issues, such as diarrhea and vomiting, due to slow digestion. You may also want to hold off on kissing your hungover partner, as well, as hangovers also cause hypersalivation, which produces incredibly bad breath.
There are times when a hungover person may actually be experiencing physical symptoms that are far more severe, such as respiratory problems or blacking out, as well as non-stop vomiting. These symptoms mean that an individual may be experiencing alcohol poisoning, which can be incredibly dangerous, and even deadly, in some cases.
Continued in Part 2.