A guest blog, written by Ben Bunting. BA(Hons), PGCert – Exercise and Nutrition.
A hangover is the unpleasant aftermath of heavy drinking, which includes fatigue, headache, dry mouth, nausea, and vomiting.
Hangovers are generally caused by excess alcohol consumption. As a person consumes alcohol, alcohol’s effects are felt most profoundly in the brain.
Alcohol is metabolized to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) within minutes of consumption after entering the bloodstream. Acetaldehyde is then metabolized to acetate by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).
Acetaldehyde can be toxic to the central nervous system at high levels of concentration over extended periods of time.
Furthermore, it can make us feel sick and tired because it builds up in our bodies when we drink too much or too often.
But what is it exactly, other than a headache, lethargy, and nausea?
The Journal of Clinical Medicine describes a hangover as a combination of mental and physical symptoms. That’s pretty open to debate, but most will agree while hangover symptoms may vary between people, a general feeling of illness and tiredness is common.
The most common symptom is generally a headache, and the cause of this is due to dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic which means that it promotes water and sodium loss through increased levels of urination. This is because alcohol inhibits the production of vasopressin – a hormone that stops the kidneys from producing liquid.
This, coupled with excess fluid intake means that your visits to the toilet are more often and longer, excessive fluid and sodium losses, notwithstanding other nutrients, dehydrate the body and the brain which often results in that pounding headache.
Other causes of hangovers are low blood sugar which can be caused by drinking too many liquids without food, liver damage with subsequent release of toxins into the bloodstream, and acetaldehyde accumulation in red blood cells with subsequent release into the brain tissue.
For those who are partial to a tipple, especially around the holiday season, the hangover is probably a guaranteed accompaniment.
During the day after the night out you are more likely than not craving fluids, this could be water or sugary pop, and we don’t need to tell you why being hydrated is important.
Considering that your excessive urine during your night out expelled many vitamins and minerals, a good option would be an effervescent tablet that can help restore these lost nutrients, these are designed for athletes who sweat a lot during exercise.
Depending on how active you are during the night; you could be walking from bar to bar and then dancing until the early hours, and if this is the case, you probably need to replace some carbohydrates to help your muscles recover, you could pair this with a protein source as well.
When you’re nursing your headache and sore muscles, you may also suffer from a bit of brain fog, if you do there have been a couple of common nutrients that can help restore your cognitive functioning.
The Journal of Clinical Medicine also identified the following nutrients as being particularly effective at helping remedy those aforementioned mental and physical symptoms. These are:
Both nutrients are involved in the breakdown of ethanol and acetaldehyde which contributes to a reduced hangover.
Therefore, while caffeine-laden drinks and ‘junk’ foods are often prescribed, it is these two nutrients that show the most promise. So, why not stock your cupboards and fridge for some of these food sources so you’re prepared in the morning?
Typical foods that contain high amounts of zinc include:
Foods containing high amounts of B3:
A nice and restorative breakfast could be a poached egg and baked beans on toast with a rasher or two of trimmed and grilled bacon, again accompanied by a glass of milk (flavoured or not) or at least water.
Something a little lighter could include peanut butter on toast, and a milkshake. This way you’re getting fluid, carbohydrates, and protein plus other nutrients and electrolytes which offers superior re-hydration.
Alternatively, Mexican-style beans with avocado on toast could work wonders for those following a plant-based diet.
If the thought of eating puts you off first thing in the morning after the night out, then you could opt for a multivitamin supplement which is often cheap and convenient.
Furthermore, there’s a relatively unknown herbal remedy that also beats the drum to the tune of hangover relief.
The herbal plant extract is called Hovenia Dulcis Thumberg, and while you’ve probably never heard of it, it is widespread throughout the US, New Zealand, Australia, and West Asia.
This extract is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory…everything you need when suffering from a night of excess.
These benefits are outlined by an article published in the Molecules Journal of 2021 where it is described as,
“The whole plant extract is helpful in the hangover syndrome, decreasing alcohol concentration in blood, promoting clearing of alcohol and elimination of free radicals and avoiding dysfunction linked to alcohol abuse.”
It isn’t unusual to get cravings for foods when we are hungover that we may not normally consume. Clearly, we know that if we are thirsty, we are dehydrated and need to take on liquids. However, cravings for sugary beverages or milkshakes are the body’s way of restoring those carbohydrates.
Additionally, that long-standing ‘fry up’ breakfast also makes sense, the foods included such as bacon, sausages, eggs, and beans are high in zinc and vitamin B3 plus that protein to repair muscle damage suffered after a night on the dancefloor.
However, we can make it healthier. Grill instead of frying foods, ensure the fat is trimmed from bacon and those sausages have the highest meat content possible.
Alternatively, you could go completely meat-free with the other options offered. If you are feeling especially nauseous, a vitamin containing zinc and B3 is ideal and washed down with plenty of water, milk (if you can stomach it) or sports beverages including other nutrients and electrolytes that are vegan friendly.
Let’s not also forget the Hovenia Dulcis Thumberg herbal extract, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects are just what your body needs after a thorough intoxication process often experienced during the Christmas season.
So, there you have it, when you think you’ve tried everything to relieve those symptoms, there are three sources backed by science.
