Whilst a weekend of drinking wouldn’t phase a lot of young adults, with the knowledge that sleep, water and a decent meal will cure them the following morning, with age comes the dreaded two-day hangover.
For many people in their thirties and above, the consequences of a big night don’t just derail any plans for the next day—stomach issues, headaches, blurred vision and anxiety can linger for days, if not weeks.
The phenomenon, which has been dubbed the ‘two-day hangover’ has been experienced by many––with the longest hangover on record lasting over a month.
Most clinical studies to date aiming to reveal the science behind the phenomenon suggest that hangovers typically peak around 17 to 19 hours after drinking.
But, up until now there has been very little research into how hangovers affect older individuals, with the majority of research being carried out on university students.
Professor Joris Vester, who runs an Alcohol Hangover Research Group from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, argues that the severity of a hangover has little to do with alcohol tolerance, and more to do with lifestyle factors such as exercise and sleep.
Whilst many people will experience symptoms characteristic of a classic hangover, including headache, nausea, and dehydration, Prof Vester says hangovers are actually a lot more complex, identifying 47 characteristics of the phenomenon.
According to Prof Vester, these include a lack of interest, enthusiasm and concern––known as apathy––sensitivity to noise and light, and at its most extreme, suicidal ideation.
It wrecks your heart, batters your brain and poisons your liver – yet millions of us still kid ourselves that the odd glass of wine or pint is harmless
And as we get older, our tolerance for alcohol decreases
Professor Sam Royle, a hangover expert at the University of Salford, added that hangovers are the result of the immune system’s response to alcohol.
‘As we get older, our immune system becomes less effective and we become more sensitive to inflammation, which could explain more severe and longer-duration hangovers’ he told The Telegraph.
In general, the liver can only process one drink per hour, with anything more than that rapidly increasing blood alcohol levels. And no matter how hard we might try, nothing can speed up the process.
Excess alcohol lingers in the blood, and repeated binges force the organs into overdrive.
Fat builds up, the liver inflames, and scarring develops. Left unchecked, this becomes cirrhosis, which can kill.
According to Professor Ann-Katherine Stock, a neuroscientist at Dresden University of Technology, because of the way the body processes alcohol, hangovers may be worse in people whose immune system is ageing faster.
In particular, she said people with underlying inflammatory conditions may feel hangovers more severely as it can take the liver several days if not weeks to recover if the existing damage is already severe.
She said: ‘You might end up with a rather large inflammatory response to smaller amounts of alcohol and take longer to dissipate that inflammation back down to normal, potentially lengthening and worsening the hangover.’
Another potential theory as to why hangovers seem to get worse with age is that liver function progressively deteriorates over time.
The enzymes produced by the liver to break down alcohol––alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase––become less efficient as the body ages.
‘This leads to slower alcohol metabolism and thus an increased duration of exposure that is likely to elevate the inflammation associated with drinking,’ Pof Royle explained.
There are also other factors which drive the dreaded two-day hangover, including sleep quality and brain health.
Whilst many people swear by a nightcap to help them drift off, alcohol significantly disrupts the different stages of sleep the body needs to feel well rested––meaning that people who already find it difficult to fall asleep will find it harder to recover.
Higher levels of inflammation can also wreak havoc on the brain, making it harder to process information and perform simple tasks.
Prof Stock warned: ‘While we enjoy it, alcohol is toxin, which when consumed in large amounts, causes a form of damage to your cells known as oxidative stress.’
Prof Royle added that because chronic inflammation drives neurodegeneration, regular lengthy hangovers could increase the risk of cognitive decline––associated with diseases like dementia.
But, the good news: even cutting back to NHS guidelines can protect the liver, boost brain health and keep the dreaded two-day hangover at bay.
According to Prof Stock, whilst hangovers cannot be completely avoided if someone is drinking alcohol, keeping hydrated may help ward off hangover-related headaches.
A regular workout routine, good sleep schedule and lowering inflammation in the body by managing stress can also help reduce the negative effects of a hangover.
And whilst there are a number of potential hangover cures at various stages of clinical trials, experts are hesitant to say that one day there will be a panacea for the two-day hangover.
‘Some of the interventions being studied may reduce the severity of some symptoms, but they may not be effective in treating others,’ Prof Royle said.
‘While immune responses and inflammation are a primary cause of hangovers, they are not the only thing going on.’
Alcohol is one of the biggest causes of preventable disease. It costs the NHS £3.5 billion a year and was responsible for 10,470 deaths in the UK in 2023. In the US, 95,000 adults die each year from excessive drinking.
The NHS recommends no more than 14 units a week – the equivalent of six pints of beer or 10 small glasses of wine.
But experts stress there is no guarantee that this will help you avoid a hangover.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .