Did you have fun celebrating International Beer Day yesterday? Did you try lots of the beers we recommended? Awesome!
Oh, sorry. We’ll try to keep it down a little.
We forgot to tell you about the occasion that is “celebrated” the day after International Beer Day: International Hangover Day. How appropriate, right?
How did this happen to you? There are a lot of old wives’ tales out there regarding hangovers, so we want to help you out a little today (and in the future) so you can understand what’s going on in your body when a hangover hits.
One of the major reasons your head is probably pounding right now is dehydration. How can you be dehydrated if you spent the night drinking beer? When alcohol enters your bloodstream, your body blocks the creation of vasopressin, which is the antidiuretic hormone. Without vasopressin, your kidneys are just sending the water in your body straight to your bladder instead of soaking it into the body. This can result in many, many trips to the bathroom over the course of the evening. When you woke up this morning, you were extremely dehydrated and your internal organs started to steal water from your brain (how rude!) and give you a headache.
Drinking too much alcohol can also mess with your sleep. You may have had trouble getting to sleep last night, and when you finally did, you proceeded to wake up a million more times throughout the early morning hours. Not getting enough REM sleep can make your brain cloudy and turn you into a generally miserable human being for the rest of the day.
How can you avoid hangovers in the future? You can’t completely avoid them, but you can certainly try your best. First of all, don’t drink like an idiot. Consume alcohol moderately and responsibly and your chances of a hangover greatly decrease. Have about 8oz of water after each alcoholic drink – this will help keep you hydrated and also prevent you from drinking too much alcohol. Also, try not to mix different types of alcohols and grab a bite to eat before you start drinking.
Sorry about your hangover – better luck next time!