The scientific name for a hangover is veisalgia. As many people can attest, the most common symptoms are dehydration, fatigue and headache.
Drinking large amounts of alcohol affects our hormones, blood chemistry, sleep-wake cycle, and inflammatory chemicals and lead to the thoroughly crummy feeling known as a hangover, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Smithsonian Magazine said that drinking alcohol causes dehydration, because it acts as a diuretic, which in turn increases urine production.
Vasopressin, also known as the antidiuretic hormone, is responsible for helping the body reabsorb water. When alcohol enters a person’s bloodstream, the brain blocks the release of this hormone. This causes the kidneys to send too much water to the bladder, which is why when we drink alcohol we need to urinate more often.
What should be happening instead? The body should be reabsorbing that water to prevent dehydration.
The liver is also affected when a person drinks alcohol. As alcohol in the blood stream reaches the liver, it breaks down glycogen and turns it into glucose. Needed glucose then leaves the body through urination.
Glucose isn’t the only thing being sent from the body. Electrolytes like potassium and magnesium are also forced out. The problem is that all of these chemicals are needed to stay in your body to promote proper cell function.
As the body works to process the alcohol, it creates acetaldehyde as a byproduct. Acetaldehyde builds up in the blood as the liver breaks down the alcohol into a form that can be removed from the body.
That is not good. Acetaldehyde is worse for our bodies than alcohol. It is estimated to be 10-30 times more toxic, and causes symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
The liver is also responsible for building stores of glutathione. Glutathione is a natural stimulant in the body. When someone drinks a large amount of alcohol, glutathione is used up and starts to run out.
Toxic acetaldehyde can build up as the liver starts working overtime to create more glutathione, leaving the body more vulnerable to acetaldehyde.
After drinking alcohol, a person doesn’t sleep as soundly because the body is recovering from alcohol's depressive effect.
The body also tries to make up for lowered glutamine levels during the time the person was drinking, by producing more. Since glutamine is a stimulant, it disrupts the brain while the person is trying to sleep. Their brains can’t relax and get into a deeper sleep due to this excessive stimulation called “glutamine rebound.”
Hangover symptoms such as fatigue, stomach irritation and an overall feeling of illness are also attributed to this excessive production of glutamine overnight.
Johns Hopkins Medicine wrote that drinking alcohol affects your skin and heart activity as well. Alcohol consumption causes the blood vessels in skin to dilate, forcing the heart to work harder.
When you drink alcohol, it is absorbed through the stomach. That irritates the cells lining the stomach. But much more than simple irritation can happen.
The stomach releases hydrochloric acid after a person consumes alcohol. If you have enough hydrochloric acid, the brain gets the message via your nervous system that the contents of the stomach must be removed. This is what causes some people to vomit when they drink too much alcohol, wrote HowStuffWorks.com.
Sources:
"Johns Hopkins Neurology/Neurosurgery | The Headache Center | Hangover Headache." Johns Hopkins Neurology/Neurosurgery | The Headache Center | Hangover Headache. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/headache/conditions/hangover_headache.html
Perry, Lacy. "How Hangovers Work - HowStuffWorks." HowStuffWorks. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/drugs-alcohol/hangover.htm/printable
Stromberg, Joseph. "Your Complete Guide to the Science of Hangovers." Smithsonian. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/your-complete-guide-to-the-science-of-hangovers-180948074/?no-ist
Reviewed May 4, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith