Cure Your Hangover

It is a known fact that during some holidays, everybody drinks more. New Year’s Eve is one of them, especially since people either get really excited about a fresh new start, or they feel lonely and want to forget about it and have some fun. All with the help of sometimes one too many drinks. But too many drinks often result in the worst hangovers, and you have to admit that almost every time you had one, you promised not to drink so much the next time. This holiday, the American Chemical Society promises to help you cure your hangover.

The researchers released a new series called Reactions, and one of the videos they posted on Tuesday was called How to stop hangovers. The title of the video promises a bit more than you expect, but some good hangover tips are given.

First of all, the effect of the alcohol on your body is explained in order for you to better understand how the hangover works. A liver enzyme called ADH breaks down the alcohol and then it transforms in into a toxin named acetaldehyde. The more you drink, the higher the levels of acetaldehyde in your body, which can lead to memory loss, tiredness and cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment refers to the problems a person faces when trying to remember things, concentrating, learning things and making decisions. Because eggs contain a lot of L-cysteine, which is an amino acid that breaks down the acetaldehyde, you are advised to eat some eggs when you wake up and you feel the effects of a hangover starting to show up.

Because this video describes the effects from a biochemical point, then you know for certain that the cures they offer will definitely work. Other advice from them include drinking a lot of water, eat a big meal before you start drinking and stop drinking at least an hour and a half prior to when you go to sleep. The alcohol is absorbed very quickly if your stomach is empty, so that big meal prior to the party should also be high in proteins and fat, because they take longer to digest and so you will have fun for a longer time.

A research done in 2008 revealed that congeners were a big contributing factor to the level of your hangover. Congeners are chemicals produced during the process of colors and flavors the drinks. The lower the levels of congeners in a drink, the less severe will be the hangover. Clear liquors like vodka or beer on the other side contain fewer congeners than the dark spirits as bourbon.

We hope that this will help cure your hangover, and who knows, maybe you’ll impress your friends at today’s New Year’s party with your valuable knowledge.

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