Symptoms and causes of a hangover

Understanding hangover symptoms the morning after

 

 

After a night of heavy drinking, you may wake up feeling nauseous, vomiting, with a headache, a dry, pasty mouth, extreme tiredness, shaking, dizziness...

 

These are the symptoms most commonly associated with a hangover – and they can ruin many a day. 

 

 

 

 

Dehydration and hangovers 

 

Thirst, lack of energy, headaches on waking and dizziness are symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration and are often seen with a hangover.

 

That's because alcohol is a diuretic that dehydrates the body and causes a loss of minerals. This can be made worse by the side effects of drinking too much, such as sweating, vomiting and diarrhoea.

 

 

 

 

 

What causes a hangover?

 

It's important to understand the origin of the symptoms linked to drinking alcohol. Alcohol inhibits the release of the antidiuretic hormone. A reduced level of this hormone prevents water from being reabsorbed and increases urine production instead: that's why we say that alcohol is a diuretic, it dehydrates you. 

 

What's more, when you drink too much alcohol, your body is deprived of electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

 

In addition, the metabolisation of alcohol in the body generates free radicals, which increase oxidative stress on cells and cause inflammation. This oxidative stress and the body's inflammatory state are involved in the hangover mechanism and contribute to its symptoms.

 

So the dehydration caused by drinking alcohol has many consequences for the body. It slows down our body's responsiveness and the communication between the various cells.

 

To restore your hydration, it's important to drink plenty of water and to eat! 

 

 

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