A hangover is a set of symptoms that you experience after drinking too much. It usually begins hours after you have stopped drinking. The most common hangover symptoms include headaches and dehydration. The intensity of your symptoms will depend on the amount of alcohol you had, your age, weight, and genetics. While alcohol is the primary cause of a hangover, other components in an alcoholic beverage can also contribute to it and make the symptoms worse.
Four Common Symptoms of a Hangover
Given below are four common symptoms of a hangover:
Headache
Headaches are one of the most common symptoms of a hangover. Alcohol dilates or expands your blood vessels. Initially, this can feel relaxing as your blood pressure decreases. But after a few continuous drinks, your heart will start to pump faster, and the blood vessels will expand enough to accommodate all the blood. This additional pressure on the blood vessels can lead to headaches. In some cases, the blood vessel dilation can be so severe that it leads to migraines.
Dehydration or Excessive Thirst
Alcohol is a diuretic. It can cause frequent urination and quickly drain your body of fluids and essential minerals and vitamins. Constant urination will cause excessive dehydration and make you feel thirsty. This is especially common if you are drinking in a hot environment that makes you sweat.
Nausea and Sluggishness
Excessive alcohol will make your stomach produce more acid and keep it from emptying. As a result, you will wake up feeling sick and nauseous the next day. If you have drunk too much, you may even begin to vomit the same day. Alcohol can also direct heavier blood flow to areas in your pancreas known as islets. This will make your pancreas produce more insulin leading to a drop in blood sugar levels. The drop in sugar levels will make you feel weak, tired, and exhausted.
Mood Swings
Drinking can have a major impact on your mood, especially if you have mental health issues or use alcohol as a coping mechanism. Fluctuations in your blood sugar levels can also lead to negative mood swings. You may experience anger and anxiety.
Other Symptoms of a Hangover
While the symptoms mentioned above are the most common, you may experience other symptoms as well when you are hungover like:
- Weakness
- Muscle aches
- Stomach pain
- Poor sleep
- Increased sensitivity to sound and light
- Dizziness and shakiness
- Inability to concentrate
- Rapid heartbeat
How to Treat Hangovers
While hangovers can make you feel sick and mess up your system, you can treat them by following a few basic steps.
Stay Hydrated
The first thing to do is to drink as much water as possible. Most of your symptoms could be caused by dehydration. The water will keep you dehydrated and will flush out all the toxins from your body. You can even try products like Hangover Hammer to help add essential Vitamins, electrolytes, and Folic Acid to your body and recover from dehydration quickly.
Eat
Your sugar levels can drop because of alcohol, leading to sluggishness and mood swings when you are hungover. Eating healthy carbohydrates and foods packed with vitamins can help treat the hangover. You can eat crackers, bread, fish, eggs, nuts, and avocados. You can even sip on a thin vegetable broth if you cannot keep food down.
Pain Medication
Pain medication, except for Tylenol, can help treat some of the hangover symptoms like headaches. You can take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs like Aspirin or Ibuprofen.
Avoid More Alcohol
Avoid alcohol when you are hungover. It will only worsen your symptoms or temporarily dull them till they come back again.
Do I Need to See a Doctor?
Typically, hangovers caused by a single night of drinking go away on their own. You must speak with your doctor if you feel that frequent, heavy drinking is leading to serious alcohol withdrawal, or your regular hangovers are beginning to affect your quality of life. Excessive drinking and frequent hangovers can lead to alcohol poisoning affecting your body’s normal functions like temperature regulation, breathing, and heart rate. You must contact your doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms:
- Constant throwing up
- Feeling disoriented
- Seizures
- Pale, bluish skin
- Heavy or irregular breathing
- Feeling abnormally cold
- Losing consciousness
How to Avoid a Hangover
While hangovers are common after you have had a little alcohol, they can be prevented. Given below are common ways to prevent a hangover:
- Drink less
- Drink slowly
- Choose the right drink
- Drink enough water
- Eat well
- Pace yourself when you drink