Hangovers

Many people have experienced a hangover at one time in their lives after enjoying a few too many adult beverages. You know the feeling – headache, exhaustion, nausea, lack of focus, etc. But do you know what hangovers do to our bodies?

• Alcohol directly irritates the stomach and intestines, causing inflammation of the stomach lining and delayed stomach emptying, especially when beverages with a high alcohol concentration are consumed.
• High levels of alcohol consumption can also produce a fatty liver, an accumulation of fat compounds called triglycerides and free fatty acids in liver cells. Alcohol also increases the production of gastric acid as well as pancreatic and intestinal secretions.
• Because alcohol leads to a fatty liver, the buildup of lactic acid usually follows, which can inhibit glucose production in the blood. Not eating sufficiently enough due to nausea can also inhibit glucose production. Glucose is the primary energy source of the brain, so hypoglycemia can contribute to hangover symptoms such as fatigue, weakness and mood disturbances.
• Although it’s known as a depressant, alcohol actually has counter-active sedative effects on the brain. Alcohol inhibits glutamate production, a stimulant whose job is to keep us awake. However, when our alcohol blood-levels reach zero (i.e., hangover), our body reacts by overproducing this stimulant, resulting in broken sleeps as well as stomach irritation.

So next time you over imbibe, understand that insider your bodies the alcohol is doing more than just giving you a headache the next day.