Friday 28 December 2018

AVOID THE HANGOVER ‘HELL’



In the run-up to the festive season celebrations, many of us are likely to be exposed to plentiful supplies of alcohol. In the presence of such temptation and, urged on by friends and colleagues to ‘have another one’, many of us will be inclined to indulge a little too freely, resulting in a whopping great hangover.

Personally, whether intentional or not, and despite having had more than my fair share of hangovers in the past, I find it hard to understand why anyone would drink in sufficient quantities to make themselves ill.

With the exception of my 60th birthday (the hangover was a mistake, honest!), the last time that I was drunk was on Boxing Day 1974. I was ill for three days and swore that I would never be so again. This is no mean achievement for someone in the food and wine business, where I frequently taste up to 20 or 30 wines at a time.

A hangover is your body’s reaction to drinking too much alcohol, and of course, the best way to avoid a hangover is to limit how much you drink – easier said than done.

Research is limited, and there is no known cure for a hangover, because the exact causes are poorly understood. It is thought that the body experiences specific hormonal and immune responses during a hangover that trigger different symptoms.

Drink/drive laws have become much tougher in recent years, and rightly so. The alcohol limit for drivers in England is 80 mg. of alcohol per 100 ml. of blood. In Scotland, and on the continent, the limit is even more stringent.

This limit does allow a man of average height and weight to drink up to four units of alcohol (two pints of normal-strength beer or two double whiskies) and remain within the law, whilst women can drink three units (a large glass of average strength wine).

It takes an average adult about one hour to process one unit of alcohol, but this varies from person to person. Lecture over.

Dehydration is one of the keys reasons for feeling rough after a night out on the town.
Although dehydration it is not the only cause of a hangover, it does contribute to symptoms such as increased thirst, fatigue, headache and dizziness. It is thought that selecting drinks that are low in ‘congeners’ may also help reduce the incidence and severity of hangovers.

Congeners are substances, other than the desired type of alcohol (ethanol), produced during fermentation. They include small amounts of other chemicals that are responsible for much of the taste and aroma of distilled alcoholic beverages, and also contribute to the taste of non-distilled drinks.

Finally, get plenty of sleep, as excessive alcohol consumption can cause sleep disturbances and may be associated with decreased sleep quality and duration.

While a lack of sleep does not cause a hangover, it can make it worse.

ARTICLE FEATURED IN SOMERSET LIVING - JAN 19