Too much alcohol: How does a hangover develop and what helps against it?

“Lift the jugs high!” is the call at least every twenty minutes at the Oktoberfest. Then beer, wine , champagne lands in the throats, sometimes even a schnapps. 470,000 liters of pure alcohol are served at the Wiesn, so it's no wonder that many visitors wake up with a hangover the next morning. But what is it actually?

What causes a hangover?

The chemistry of the hangover: A fun evening, a lousy morning: nausea Headache and jitters combined with a craving for fatty foods. Only ten percent of people are spared from a hangover. It's not the alcohol itself that causes the hangover, but the metabolites that result from its breakdown in the liver.

There, the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) converts ethanol – that is, drinking alcohol – into acetaldehyde. This substance, which is poorly tolerated by the body, is converted into acetic acid by another enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), and excreted into the bladder. enzyme

This occurs through delayed chemical processes, and the acetaldehyde with the nice formula CH3CHO has time to unleash its toxic effects. Paradoxically, the symptoms are worst when the body has completely broken down the alcohol.

What symptoms do you have with a hangover?

headache

The throbbing head is mainly due to dehydration. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, increasing urine output. At the same time, it suppresses the release of vasopressin, a hormone that Kidneys signals to retain fluid.

This fluid loss leads, according to US studies and MRI analyses, to a parallel decrease in cell-protective substances like creatine and aspartate, and our brain shrinks by 0.2 percent.

This may partly explain the irrational behavior of intoxicated people – and also leads to mild inflammatory reactions in the brain, which we perceive as headache When drinking alcohol, the blood vessels dilate, when the effect wears off, they constrict again – and the blood flow in the brain slows down, which also results in headaches.

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Headaches are primarily due to dehydration.

nausea

Similar to headaches, a number of bodily reactions play a role, which in the worst case may lead to the idea of having a bucket next to the bed. The breakdown product acetaldehyde is toxic and triggers inflammatory reactions that stimulate the vomiting center in the brainstem and prompt the body to Histamin auszuschütten, das unter anderem die Sekretion von Magensäure anregt.

Die Folge: Übelkeit und Magenverstimmung. Beim Abbau von Alkohol werden zudem basische Mineralstoffe (Magnesium, Natrium, Zink und Kalzium) verbraucht, was ebenfalls in Übersäuerung resultiert.

Schwächegefühl

Eine weitere Folge: Alkohol senkt den Blutzuckerspiegel, der üblicherweise von der Leber konstant gehalten wird. Die Energieaufnahme in den Nerven- und Muskelzellen wird dadurch gehemmt und man fühlt sich schwach auf den Beinen.

Im EEG konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass die Reduktion der elektrischen Aktivität noch 16 Stunden nach der Normalisierung des Blutalkoholspiegels besteht und psychomotorische Defizite u.a. beim Gehen mit sich bringen kann.

Müdigkeit

Klar, wer spät ins Bett wankt, kommt nicht unbedingt auf acht Stunden Schlaf. Dass man sich aber selbst ohne Weckerklingeln gerädert fühlt, liegt am Stresshormon Cortisol. Solange der Alkohol noch im Blut ist, hat er eine beruhigende Wirkung. Er regt die Produktion der sogenannten Gamma-Aminobuttersäure – kurz GABA – an.

This is a chemical messenger that ensures brain activity is inhibited and you fall asleep better. However, in the second half of the night, alcohol's breakdown products ensure that stress hormones like cortisol are released, which shorten the REM sleep phases in particular.

Too short dream sleep phases mean that you cannot sufficiently regenerate and recover during the night - and feel exhausted during the day. Night you cannot sufficiently regenerate and recover - and feel exhausted during the day.

© Daniel Reche

When hungover, one often develops cravings.

Craving

Alcohol is a poison with lots of calories: a wheat beer comes in at 230 kcal, a small glass of white wine at about 60 kcal. So the body has actually covered its calorie needs in an unhealthy way.

Nevertheless, those who have had too much to drink like to stand in front of the kebab shop at night or conjure up adventurous creations from supplies in their own kitchen in the morning. The explanation: alcohol on the one hand reduces the formation of the satiety hormone leptin, and on the other hand simultaneously stimulates neurons in the hypothalamus. , triggered when the body goes into starvation mode. The myth that fatty foods absorb alcohol persists. A honey sandwich is better. Fructose helps to break down the toxins.

To help the body break down as many toxins as possible, it is also recommended to drink two to four liters of liquid in the form of still water and mild herbal teas. And: get the circulation going again with a walk in the fresh air.