What is a hangover?

Answer 1

A hangover can have many symptoms. But from what I have understood, all of the symptoms are caused by your brain being dehydrated. So to lessen the chance of having a hangover, take aspirin or ibuprofen and drink as much water as you can stand right before going to sleep.

Good Luck

Answer 2

What is a Hangover?

The formal name for a hangover is veisalgia, from the Norwegian word for "uneasiness following debauchery" (kveis) and the Greek word for "pain" (algia) -- an appropriate title considering the uncomfortable symptoms experienced by the average drinker.

The common hangover includes some or all of the following:
Headache
Poor sense of overall well-being
Sensitivity to light and sound
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite
Trembling
Nausea
Fatigue
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Dehydration(dry mouth, extreme thirst, dry eyes)
Trouble concentrating
Anxiety
Difficulty sleeping
Weakness

The most common symptoms are headache, fatigue and dehydration, and the least common is trembling. The severity and number of symptoms varies from person to person; however, it is generally true that the more alcohol a drinker consumes, the worse the hangover will be.
It usually takes five to seven cocktails over the course of four to six hours to cause a hangover for a light-to-moderate drinker (a man who drinks up to three alcoholic beverages a day or a woman who drinks up to one). It may take more alcohol for heavier drinkers because of increased tolerance. Other than the number of drinks consumed, hangovers can be made worse by:

drinking on an empty stomach
lack of sleep
increased physical activity while drinking (dancing, for example)
dehydration before drinking
poor health
The reason for some symptoms isn't fully understood, but research has led scientists to have a pretty good understanding of the primary causes of a hangover. In the next sections, we'll find out what's going on in the body to cause these problems.

Answer 3

A hangover seems to be caused by severe dehydration combined with liver distress, caused by drinking alcohol. The liver (which filters toxins out of the body) can become overloaded with too much alcohol, and then seems to back up a bit and affect other systems (like the stomach, where the alcohol is coming from). Since alcohol is dehydrating (and lots of people are already not drinking enough water) you get headaches and all the other symptoms of severe dehydration as well.

Of course, drinking the same amout of water as you drink alcohol would mean that you are not further dehydrating your body (best to drink extra during the day before even). Remember that you need to take your weight in lbs, divide by 2 and that number in ounces is how much water you should drink to stay hydrated each day + ounce for ounce the same amount of water as alcohol you consume. ie:

150 lb person / 2 = 75

75 ounces per day and for every 4 oz of wine another 4 oz of water

The other factor is, of course, drinking in moderation.

Answer 4

When I was younger I had my first hangover in Europe. It is the worst sick you have ever felt. You just want people to leave you alone and all you can do is hung the toilet. The room is spinning and your stomach feels like it wants to crawl out of your body. If I had to be like that 24/7 or die I would choose to die. I got the hangover at the end of my trip, so I don't remember much about leaving, but I do remember the plane trip home and it was awfull dry mouthed and all. You can have fun without overdoing it. I learned my lesson the hard way. Never again for me.:)

Answer 5

Not nice:
It is your body reacting to the toxins you have put into it - usually alcohol. These toxins (different drinks have different toxins) have literally poisoned your body and it reacts. Vomiting is usual - your body trying to get rid of the thing poisoning it before it does more damage. Severe headache - from the lining in your brain swelling up and pressing against the grey bits. And a huge thirst - your body needs water to dilute and flush the toxins from your body. Stiffness, shakes, soreness and impaired vision - from the toxins that have stored in your muscles and cells. Hence loads of water to flush them.
Try not to poison your body to the point of a hangover - you still need your body to work for a while.

Answer 6

Nausea and headaches often caused by way too much ******* alcohol.
Can be identified by the ashtray in ones mouth,the vomit on last nights clothes,the want to never drink or eat again,the great dislike of sunlight, the undesirealbe urge to apologise to all the people you spent the night with, the stranger in your bed and need for a glass of water and many many asprin

"Where did we go,what did we do, who did we do it with and what did we have done to us?"
"Christ my head hurts I've got a proper bad hangover"
"I'm never drinking again"

Answer 7

hangover is the bodies reaction to shock dehydration. alcohol replaces the water in your blood stream.
this causes the muscles to ache because they are not getting water (including the brain).

to cure a hangover before you go to bed drink a 16-24 oz bottle of water. put another bottle of water and/or gatoride/poweraide next to the bed to chug as soon as you wake up. if you wake up to pee during the night get a drink of water or juice before going back to bed each time.

in the morning take 2 tylenol & chug the other bottle of water - then follow up with a breakfast which includes juice or watery fruit like oranges, grapefruit or melon.

Answer 8

Your body lost a lot of it's hydration. A good way to prevent a hangover is too drink gatorade (that's what i do) before you drink alcohol, and drink some in the morning. It helps keep your body hydrated. And you won't get hungover - promise.

Answer 9

It happens when you drink too much alcohol. When the alcohol wears off, your body is badly dehydrated, including your brain. (It also kills a lot of the brain cells). That is why your head will hurt so bad when you have a hangover.

Answer 10

hangovers occur when someone drinks entirely too much one night and does not get the rest they need to let their bodies recover...usually includes a nasty feeling stomache and headache...the headache comes from the fact that they are dehydrated from all of the alcohol...hangovers are NOT fun so be sure to only drink what you need don't push it and also be sure to drink plenty of water to prevent headaches!!