Comments on: We Don’t Understand Hangovers http://www.sciscoop.com/prat-doesnt-understand-hangovers.html Scooping up science news and dropping it on your desk Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:03:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David Bradley http://www.sciscoop.com/prat-doesnt-understand-hangovers.html/comment-page-1#comment-6840 David Bradley Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:10:33 +0000 http://www.sciscoop.com/?p=3577#comment-6840 Water certainly helps, but whether it's effective through a rehydration mechanism, a dilution effect, or some kind of metabolic effect is not clear. Indeed, it's actually very difficult to drink sufficient to cause clinical dehydration, so it's definitely not the whole story. Yes, they do say that one should never mix grape and grain (wine and beer), but if that's the case...what's muesli all about? Water certainly helps, but whether it’s effective through a rehydration mechanism, a dilution effect, or some kind of metabolic effect is not clear. Indeed, it’s actually very difficult to drink sufficient to cause clinical dehydration, so it’s definitely not the whole story.

Yes, they do say that one should never mix grape and grain (wine and beer), but if that’s the case…what’s muesli all about?

]]> By: Neuroskeptic http://www.sciscoop.com/prat-doesnt-understand-hangovers.html/comment-page-1#comment-6839 Neuroskeptic Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:59:59 +0000 http://www.sciscoop.com/?p=3577#comment-6839 The only thing I've ever found to work to is lots of water alongside and after the alcohol. And in the morning, more water, and lots of painkillers. Clearly dehydration can't be the only explanation, but in my experience it's responsible for the worst of the suffering. but course I could be completely wrong about this. Actually, it would be interesting to research people's beliefs about alcohol. For example, there's the belief that mixing different kinds of drinks gets you drunk faster and leaves you with a worse hangover. I know plenty of intelligent people who swear this is true, but in my experience it's nonsense and I just can't see how it can be anything other than an urban myth... The only thing I’ve ever found to work to is lots of water alongside and after the alcohol. And in the morning, more water, and lots of painkillers.

Clearly dehydration can’t be the only explanation, but in my experience it’s responsible for the worst of the suffering.

but course I could be completely wrong about this. Actually, it would be interesting to research people’s beliefs about alcohol. For example, there’s the belief that mixing different kinds of drinks gets you drunk faster and leaves you with a worse hangover. I know plenty of intelligent people who swear this is true, but in my experience it’s nonsense and I just can’t see how it can be anything other than an urban myth…

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciscoop.com/prat-doesnt-understand-hangovers.html/comment-page-1#comment-6838 David Bradley Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:49:43 +0000 http://www.sciscoop.com/?p=3577#comment-6838 Yes, water, or lack thereof, does play a role in the development of a hangover, but it is not the whole story for everyone and the beneficial effects you and your friends observe doesn't necessarily home in on the actual causative agents. Indeed, it could be that you are simply diluting the residual alcohol in your gut rather than staving off a hangover by providing the metabolic medium for its processing. Yes, water, or lack thereof, does play a role in the development of a hangover, but it is not the whole story for everyone and the beneficial effects you and your friends observe doesn’t necessarily home in on the actual causative agents. Indeed, it could be that you are simply diluting the residual alcohol in your gut rather than staving off a hangover by providing the metabolic medium for its processing.

]]> By: wazza http://www.sciscoop.com/prat-doesnt-understand-hangovers.html/comment-page-1#comment-6837 wazza Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:56:11 +0000 http://www.sciscoop.com/?p=3577#comment-6837 You forgot the theory (espoused quite commonly amongst my friends) that the metabolization of alcohol requires large amounts of water, dehydrating the body, causing headaches, sticky mouth etc. I have found that a hangover can be reduced to nothing more than a slightly queasy stomach by drinking a lot of water before bed after a night on the town. You forgot the theory (espoused quite commonly amongst my friends) that the metabolization of alcohol requires large amounts of water, dehydrating the body, causing headaches, sticky mouth etc. I have found that a hangover can be reduced to nothing more than a slightly queasy stomach by drinking a lot of water before bed after a night on the town.

]]>