What could be better than going out and enjoy a night on the town with your best buds? Great laughs while tossing back a few certainly makes for some great times; however, when you wake up in the morning with a pounding headache and feeling like you have just been hit by a truck, you kind of feel like you want to crawl into a hole,yes this is hangover. You can’t help but curse yourself for agreeing to take that last shot (and the several before it).
What if there were a way that you could enjoy those adult libations without feeling like death the next day? Lucky for you, there is… But before we get to that, let’s talk about hangovers and find out exactly why they happen.
What is a Hangover?
You probably don’t need a full dissertation on the topic, but just to provide you with a brief overview, a hangover is a collection of undesirable symptoms that often develop after consuming too much alcohol.
As a general rule of thumb, the more alcohol you drink, the more likely you will be hit with a hangover the following day. However, there isn’t a specific amount of alcohol that leads to a hangover; sometimes, you might be able to drink a hefty amount without experiencing any adverse symptoms, and other times, you could wake up with a killer hangover after only having a drink or two.
Hangover Risk Factors
There are several factors that contribute to a hangover, the amount of alcohol you drink being just one of them. Other factors include:
- The type of alcohol you drink. Spirits that have a high concentration of congeners – toxic chemicals that are formed when alcohol is created, including isopentanol, acetone, and methanol – are known to cause wicked hangovers. Alcohols that have high levels of congeners include whiskey, tequila, and cognac.
- How much you’ve eaten. The less food there is in your system, the quicker your body will absorb alcohol. So, if you’ve eaten just a few nibbles before you drink, chances are you are going to be battling a nasty hangover.
- Not getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep effects virtually every bodily function, including your ability to handle alcohol. If you’re overly tired before you start drinking, the likelihood of a hangover is far greater than if you are well rested. Similarly, if you don’t get enough Zs after a night of drinking, you’re probably going to suffer more hangover-like symptoms in the morning. After drinking, your body needs a good amount of rest in order to recover. If you have to get up in early in the morning, it’s best to avoid drinking the night before.
- If you’re taking any medications, it’s definitely not a good idea to imbibe. Even common over-the-counter medications, like cold or allergy remedies, can interact with alcohol and cause a massive hangover. On top of that, mixing meds and booze can cause other harm to your body, such as liver damage.
- Being sick. If you are feeling under the weather, you probably aren’t going to feel much like drinking. However, if you have a slight cold, you still might feel up to having a few brews, glasses of wine, or mixed drinks. However, even if you are only feeling a bit sickly, you could end up having a massive hangover the next day. That’s because your immune system is already working to help you recover from your illness and can’t focus on helping you recovering from a hangover.
Symptoms of a Hangover
When you wake up after a night of drinking and feel like you’ve been put through the ringer, there’s no doubt that you are keenly aware that you have a hangover. However, since we want to make sure we thoroughly cover all the basics, we’re going to include a checklist of the most common symptoms that are associated with a hangover, which include:
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Shakiness
- Poor concentration
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Vomiting
- Increased heart rate
More severe symptoms of a hangover include:
- Intense vomiting
- Slowed or irregular breathing
- Skin that’s pale or blue in color
- Decreased body temperature
- Intense shaking
Why Hangovers Happen
Obviously, hangovers are the result of alcohol consumption. As mentioned above, there are several factors that increase the likelihood of a hangover. However, there are several reasons why hangovers happen at all, including:
- Alcohol can lead to dehydration, and when you’re dehydrated, you feel dizzy, sick to your stomach, and lightheaded – common hangover symptoms.
- Inflammatory responses. Alcohol causes an inflammatory response in the immune system, which can lead to several hangover symptoms, such as decreased concentration, confusion, and irritability.
- Irritated stomach. Alcohol boosts the production of acid in the stomach and makes it take longer for the stomach to empty its contents. Both of these things can lead to abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
- Low blood sugar. Lastly, alcohol can make your blood sugar drop, which can cause headaches, fatigue, anxiety, depression, irritability, and shakiness.
How to Avoid a Hangover
The best way to avoid a hangover is avoiding drinking altogether; but what’s the fun in that? You enjoy having a good time, kicking back and relaxing, and just getting silly. Drinking can be a lot of fun! But is there a way that you can avoid the dreaded hangover the next day? You’ll be delighted to know that there certainly is! In fact, there are a few ways that you can reduce the effects of a hangover – or completely avoid suffering from one at all.
Drink Up!
No, not another shot or mixed beverage; drink up some water! Between each alcoholic drink you consume, make sure you give yourself a break and drink a glass of water. You’ll prevent yourself from becoming dehydrated, which can reduce the chances of a hangover.
Eat!
Don’t forget to eat a well-balanced meal before you start drinking. And, snack while you’re drinking, too. Foods that contain healthy carbs and fats are the best way to prevent your body from absorbing alcohol too quickly.
Say No to Certain Drinks
Like we said above, certain types of alcohol are more likely to cause a hangover. Forego the whiskey, bourbon, or tequila and instead opt for vodka or a glass white wine.
Get Outside
Instead of staying cooped up inside, bring your party outdoors – and don’t forget to breathe in plenty of fresh air! It has been proven that oxygen increases the rate at which your body breaks down the toxins found in alcohol.
Get Plenty of Rest
Though you might be tempted to pull an all-nighter when you’re tying on a few, avoid the temptation stay up late and hit the sack instead. Your body needs to recover after drinking, and sleep allows your systems to shut down so that it can recoup and properly process the toxins found in alcohol.
Hair of the Dog
It might sound counterproductive, but if you feel like you are being hit by the hangover bug, pouring yourself a small alcoholic beverage the next morning could help you get over the hump. While there’s no science to back it, people have been using “hair of the dog” (as in the one that bit you) virtually forever as a hangover remedy. However, this is the last option we recommend, as it can lead to problem drinking. And, if you drink too much, it can make your hangover way worse. Of course, if you have to go to work or anywhere else, skip this remedy completely.
Try Some B4
If you really want to beat a hangover, forego the above-mentioned remedies and drink some B4.
B4 (What to Drink B4 You Drink) is a beverage that was specifically formulated to help protect you from the aftermath of imbibing those adult libations. This lightly carbonated beverage is a jam-packed with vital nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and other good stuff your body needs to combat the effects of the toxins that are found in alcohol.
B4 is the brainchild of Dave Larue, an expert in the alcohol industry. Larue has long dreamed of a way to get over the hangover hump. Together, he and John Mansour, a renowned pharmacist, who made the vision of creating a hangover remedy that actually works into a reality.
How does B4 help you avoid a hangover? It’s formulated with things like amino acids, electrolytes, antioxidants, and minerals – all things that can help your body recover from the effects of the toxins that are found in alcohol. All you have to do is drink a can of this lightly carbonated (and rather tasty) beverage before you start sipping your favorite adult drinks. Your body will be nourished with all of the goodness that the drink contains, thereby helping you avoid the harsh reality of a hangover.
If you really want to enjoy a night of drinking without experiencing a dreaded hangover, make sure you have B4 before on hand.
As a pharmacist, co-founder John Mansour has dedicated his life to studying the human body along with the vitamins and minerals that keep us ticking. With this body of knowledge, John created B4 with his business partner and spirits expert, Dave Larue. Together, they came up with something truly unique: a caffeine-free supplement that energizes for the night and fortifies for the morning, revolutionizing how we fight the aftereffects of drinking.
