Science talk: Hangovers

Maybe this is cliche for a Friday, but I want to think about hangovers. We're right in the crux of football season, the Jets are still playing and I haven't had the chance to celebrate my 28th birthday so this weekend is starting to look like the perfect storm. But I want to go deeper than just saying "dude...I feel like s**t" or "dude...you look like s**t." Most readers of this blog (dare I say all?) have been hungover at some point in their adult life and most of us attribute it to being over-served and dehydrated, so in the interest of cracking an egg of knowledge on a winter Friday, I decided to drill a little desk research.

Quick fact: The formal name for a hangov­er is veisalgia, from the Norwegian word for "uneasiness following debauchery" (kveis) and the Greek word for "pain" (algia) -- an appropriate title considering the uncomfortable symptoms experienced by the average drinker.

Common symptoms: (really glad anxiety is on this list because that's my go-to)

• Headache
• Poor sense of overall well-being
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Trembling
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Dehydration(dry mouth, extreme thirst, dry eyes)
• Trouble concentrating
• Anxiety
• Difficulty sleeping
• Weakness

OK. I haven't told you anything you don't already know. But here's a fascinating paragraph from How Stuff Works that sheds some new light:

W­hen alcohol is consumed, it enters the bloodstream and causes the pituitary gland in the brain to block the creation of vasopressin (also known as the antidiuretic hormone). Without this chemical, the kidneys send water directly to the bladder instead of reabsorbing it into the body. This is why drinkers have to make frequent trips to the bathroom after urinating for the first time after drinking.

According to studies, drinking about 250 milliliters of an alcoholic beverage causes the body to expel 800 to 1,000 milliliters of water; that's four times as much liquid lost as gained. This diuretic effect decreases as the alcohol in the bloodstream decreases, but the aftereffects help create a hangover.

The morning after heavy drinking, the body sends a desperate message to replenish its water supply -- usually manifested in the form of an extremely dry mouth. Headaches result from dehydration because the body's organs try to make up for their own water loss by stealing water from the brain, causing the brain to decrease in size and pull on the membranes that connect the brain to the skull, resulting in pain.

The frequent urination also expels salts and potassium that are necessary for proper nerve and muscle function; when sodium and potassium levels get too low, headaches, fatigue and nausea can result. Alcohol also breaks down the body's store of glycogen in the liver, turning the chemical into glucose and sending it out of the body in the urine. Lack of this key energy source is partly responsible for the weakness, fatigue and lack of coordination the next morning. In addition, the diuretic effect expels vital electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium, which are necessary for proper cell function.

Now we know - biologically speaking - why we feel like death the morning after, so is there anything else to consider?

YES! Different kinds of alcohol have different levels of "congeners" which are byproducts of the fermentation process. Dark types of alcohol (red wine, whiskey, tequila, etc.) have a great concentration of congeners and thus, make your hangover more intense. Lighter types of alcohol (vodka, gin, white wine) have lower concentrations and don't crush you as severely.

Also:

Because different alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, liquor) have different congeners, combining the various impurities can result in particularly severe hangover symptoms. Additionally, the carbonation in beer actually speeds up the absorption of alcohol. As a result, following beer with liquor gives the body even less time than usual to process the toxins.

Last thing to note: Glutamine rebound...aka worst rebound

After a night of alcohol consumption, a drinker won't sleep as soundly as normal because the body is rebounding from alcohol's depressive effect on the system. When someone is drinking, alcohol inhibits glutamine, one of the body's natural stimulants. When the drinker stops drinking, the body tries to make up for lost time by producing more glutamine than it needs.

The increase in glutamine levels stimulates the brain while the drinker is trying to sleep, keeping them from reaching the deepest, most healing levels of slumber. This is a large contributor to the fatigue felt with a hangover. Severe glutamine rebound during a hangover also may be responsible for tremors, anxiety, restlessness and increased blood pressure.

All that matters, all I hope you take away from this piece, is that you now know which parts of your body to be angry with when you're hungover.