Health

When is a hangover an emergency?

During the holiday season, it may seem like opportunities to celebrate are everywhere, and alcohol is often part of the festivities. When it comes to alcohol, though, the key is moderation. Besides the long-term risks of ...

Health

'Hangxiety': Why some people experience anxiety during a hangover

The morning after a night of drinking is never fun if you've got a hangover. For most people, hangovers involve a headache, fatigue, thirst or nausea. But some people also report experiencing what many have dubbed "hangxiety"—feelings ...

Medical research

Why most hangover cures don't work but a few might help

Most of us know that horrible feeling of tiredness, headache, sweating, nausea and sensitivity to light—the dreaded hangover. For decades researchers have been exploring potential cures for hangovers induced by alcohol.

Health

Getting the handle on hangovers

How hangovers affect different people is not easy to predict according to a new Griffith University study.

Health

FDA warns companies illegally selling hangover cures

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to seven companies for illegally selling products they claim will cure, treat, mitigate, or prevent hangovers.

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Hangover

A hangover (pronounced /‎/ˈhæŋəʊvə //) describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, dysphoria, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the intoxicating effect of the alcohol begins to wear off. While a hangover can be experienced at any time, generally speaking a hangover is experienced the morning after a night of heavy drinking. In addition to the physical symptoms, a hangover may also induce psychological symptoms including heightened feelings of depression and anxiety.

Hypoglycemia, dehydration, acetaldehyde intoxication, and glutamine rebound are all theorized causes of hangover symptoms. Hangover symptoms may persist for several days after alcohol was last consumed. Approximately 25-30% of drinkers may be resistant to hangover symptoms. Some aspects of a hangover are viewed as symptoms of acute ethanol withdrawal, similar to the longer-duration effects of withdrawal from alcoholism, as determined by studying the increases in brain reward thresholds in rats (the amount of current required to receive from two electrodes implanted in the lateral hypothalamus) following ethanol injection. Dehydration is caused by alcohol's ability to inhibit the effect of anti-diuretic hormone on kidney tubules, which leads to a hyperosmolar state, which in turn causes shrinking of (by loss of water) the brain cells which causes hangover.[citation needed]

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