Hangover: What Causes It and How to Deal with It
When you wake up feeling like your head’s been pounded by a hammer, your mouth is dry as sand, and your stomach is staging a rebellion—you’re dealing with a hangover, a set of unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that follow drinking too much alcohol. Also known as alcohol hangover, it’s not just a punishment for partying—it’s your body’s reaction to how alcohol breaks down and what it leaves behind.
The real culprit isn’t just the alcohol itself. It’s what happens after you drink. Your liver turns alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic mess that makes you feel awful. Then there’s dehydration—alcohol blocks a hormone that tells your body to hold onto water, so you pee more than usual. That’s why your tongue feels like cardboard and your eyes feel sunken. You also lose electrolytes, which messes with your nerves and muscles. And don’t forget the sleep disruption. Alcohol might knock you out fast, but it ruins the deep, restorative sleep you need to recover.
Some people swear by greasy food or more alcohol the next morning (the "hair of the dog" myth), but science says otherwise. What actually helps? Water. Rest. A simple meal with potassium and sodium—like a banana and a bowl of broth. Over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen? Be careful. Your liver is already working overtime. Mixing it with alcohol, even hours later, can be risky. And if you’ve ever wondered why some folks drink the same amount and feel fine while others are out cold? That’s genetics, metabolism, and body weight playing a role. Some people break down alcohol faster. Others are more sensitive to its byproducts.
You’ll find posts here that dig into how alcohol triggers migraines, why certain drinks hit harder than others, and what medications like trazodone or melatonin might help with sleep after a night out. There’s also advice on managing nausea, dealing with anxiety the next day, and how diet can ease gut irritation from drinking. This isn’t about avoiding alcohol—it’s about understanding what’s really going on inside your body when you overdo it, and how to bounce back smarter.
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