Hangover: what you were afraid to ask

Questions of how to beat a hangover and why it arises, suffered even the ancient Romans. So what information is provided millennial experience in dealing with these physical punishment.

What actually causes a hangover?

The simplest explanation - the body spends huge resources on the elimination of alcohol. This process is comparable to the unloading of cars - after a whole night of work, even the most powerful loader will feel overwhelmed.

Hangover - this is a tired body after "unloading wagons." Well, if you were taught in school chemistry, you know that there is a certain amount of methanol to ethanol, which breaks down in the body to formaldehyde and formic acid. The latter - a real poison.

Where does the dry trees?

Indeed, to absorb a variety of liquids through the night and in the morning to feel in the mouth the Sahara desert - one more paradox. Under the influence of alcohol the body's ability to absorb water decreases sharply, that is, all of it comes out of our body, without stopping. Anyway, that carry water with a sieve.

Why hangover we do not remember much about yesterday?

Yes, experience depression and anxiety. In fact, throwing all the resources on removing poison our bodies pay the price.

While alcohol is expelled from the blood, waste is generated - cytokine molecule. A receptors, which they perceived to be very much in the hippocampus, the brain regions responsible for memory. And this populous get-together of cytokines in the brain makes us forget everything and even experience nausea.

Where are the lucky ones who have no hangover?

Surely someone of your friends during parties boasted resistance hangover. They, of course, no one believed, but in vain. As many as 28% of drinking alcohol in the morning does not suffer. For that let them thank the ancestors and the environment.

It is proved that a combination of genetic and environmental reasons can give such an effect. And those who are going through hard hangover, most likely in the genus were chronic alcoholics.

But the hangover pass, and health will remain?

No. Scientists have identified a link between pathophysiology hangover and decreased integrity of the white matter of the brain. In other words, when after a while you start to lose memory and difficulty to concentrate on complex tasks, count how many times did you have a hangover.

What to eat to feel better?

Well, if you ask this question, so not all bad. Usually thought of eating unbearable during a serious hangover. But scientists are advised to eat more carbohydrates to restore blood sugar levels.

Why age wake up after a party harder?

Just your body spends resources to combat a hangover faster than it can restore them. And the older you are, the less they. Although a clear link between age and degree of suffering from a hangover is not proved yet. But the problem is that the research is almost always carried out only on the young people.

Is there a cure?

The oldest known cure a hangover - is "like with like". You drink in the morning, and it seemed to become easier.

But imagine what is happening in the body: withdraw the poison that came before, no time, because the cell fills the new portion of alcohol. The body is poisoned twice as strong.

But the ancient Romans as a medicine offer scrambled eggs owls. The Assyrians did drug of bird beaks and myrrh. Mongolian soldiers with the hangover ate pickled ram's eyes. You can try, but really effective cure for hangover has not yet been invented.