Although hangovers are incurable there are remedies that don't include drinking more
By Katie Schleiss
One consequence of the college drinking culture, the hangover, has been widely experienced but is rarely understood. The infamous headache, nausea and fatigue are some of the widely experienced symptoms.
Biology professor Jacquie Van Hoomissen provided a more detailed explanation of exactly how alcohol affects the brain.
According to Van Hoomissen, alcohol alters the activity of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system in the brain. The GABA system is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, which means it can reduce neural activity in specific locations in the brain.
"Alcohol, along with other ingested drugs, has a very potent effect on the function of this system, which partially explains the alteration in a person's behavior after ingestion of alcohol," Van Hoomissen said.
According to information found on WebMD, an accredited health Web site, alcohol acts as a diuretic, increasing urination and dehydrating the body. Drinking water helps alleviate dehydration symptoms.
Junior Alyssa Reget said that she doesn't have any special recipe or concoction to take care of a hangover.
"I usually drink a ton of water the night of drinking. Then, if I'm still feeling a little groggy the next morning, I'll take two Advil and drink some more water because alcohol dehydrates you and it's important to stay hydrated," Reget said.
Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and only lingers in the stomach for a short period of time. Eating a meal high in fat can slow the body's absorption of alcohol, but only when consumed before or during drinking, according to information found on WebMD.
Consuming sugary drinks, like fruit juice or soda with alcohol, can also decrease hangover intensity. Fruit juice has more sugar than diet drinks, meaning mixing fruit juice with alcohol is a wiser choice. The headaches associated with excessive alcohol consumption are the result of both dehydration and the body's adjustment to dropping alcohol levels.
"A good piece of advice is to never drink in such excess that you would experience a hangover," Van Hoomissen said.
Incidentally, hangover symptoms peak when the blood alcohol level reaches zero. Consuming a small morning-after drink may alleviate the symptoms of the hangover temporarily, but it is ultimately a poor choice because the body has to adjust for decreasing alcohol blood levels eventually. Additionally, information on WebMD asserts that developing a habit of consuming more alcohol to mask the symptoms associated with alcohol withdrawal may lead to an alcohol addiction.
Another morning-after tip for nursing a hangover includes eating food of any kind. Eating and drinking will restore the body with the electrolytes that replenish the body and were lost during dehydration.
Toast is a great snack for alleviating the effects of a hangover because the charred part of the toast contains carbon. Ingesting charred toast has a similar effect as the procedure for people treated for alcohol poisoning in hospital emergency rooms. These patients get a potent carbon medication pumped into their stomachs. The burnt toast, with its flaky carbon crust, mimics the carbon medication and is a less extreme version of the treatment, according to information found on WebMD.
Sports drinks like Gatorade are particularly useful for restoring electrolyte balances and rehydrating the body. Washing two aspirin with a giant glass of water before going to sleep that night and again in the morning will help lessen the headache.
Coffee is a toted as a hangover cure, but in actuality coffee is a diuretic that can exacerbate dehydration and the caffeine can even make the hangover worse. Instead, sipping water and sports drinks will replace lost electrolytes and rehydrate the body.
According to information found on WebMD, painkillers can help with the throbbing head, too. Make sure to take aspirin medication, avoiding acetaminophen. Alcohol, especially when consumed during a binge-drinking episode, disrupts the liver's processing of acetaminophen and can lead to liver inflammation and damage.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to vomiting, passing out, shock, and even death. Alcohol poisoning is a serious medical condition and those who exhibit severe reactions such as multiple vomiting episodes, which decrease electrolyte levels to a dangerously low level, and passing out should visit an emergency room, according to information found on WebMD.
"As you can imagine, too much alcohol can lead to death because of its potent effects on neural function," Van Hoomissen said. "Alcohol alters function of the neurons in the brain and too much alcohol suppresses neuron function and can ultimately suppresses other vital functions, such as respiration and cardiovascular activity, which can lead to death."
Even a small amount of alcohol can cause the impairment of reflex skills and decrease mental function, so those who choose to drink should always plan to ride with a designated driver or take a cab.
