When you’re young, hangovers seem like an urban legend–do people actually get those? Unfortunately, as you age, you learn that hangovers are indeed a very real thing, and they can be devastating. While it’s best to avoid a hangover entirely, if you do find yourself dealing with one you’ll often find yourself asking the same question: how long is this going to last? Let’s take a closer look at the length of hangovers and what you can do to mitigate those troublesome symptoms.
The classic hangover symptoms last for about 24 hours, but depending on how much you had to drink, they can last up to 72. So what factors contribute to the length of a hangover?
The Amount You Drank
The most important contributing factor towards a hangover is, predictably, how much alcohol you drank. The more alcohol you consumed, the longer it’s going to take your body to process it and lower your blood-alcohol content, which means the longer your hangover will last. If you want to avoid a lengthy hangover, the best thing you can do is to drink less.
Hydration
One of the primary causes of hangover symptoms is dehydration. Since alcohol is a diuretic, the more you drink the more dehydrated you become. Not only that, but vomiting, a common hangover symptom, will also dehydrate you even more. Your hangover symptoms will continue until your body is properly hydrated again. This means that the less water you drink, the longer your hangover will last. To avoid a multi-day hangover, stay hydrated!
Shut Eye
A lack of sleep can seriously compound the severity of hangover symptoms. While it may seem that you fall asleep easily after a night of drinking, studies show that your sleep is actually less restful if you go to bed drunk. You are also far more likely to wake up several times throughout the night, making your sleep even worse. If you’re dealing with a horrific hangover, try taking a nap! The more good sleep your body gets, the better you are going to feel.
Gut Bacteria
Researchers are still learning the full potential of the myriad of bacteria that resides in our gut. So far, proper gut bacteria has been linked to things like mood, cognitive function and immune support. Alcohol consumption can actually throw off the bacteria ecosystem in your gut, leading to a weakened immune system and more. Do your gut a favor and give it some help repopulating that healthy bacteria after a lot of drinking by consuming foods high in probiotics.
Dark Alcohol
The type of alcohol you consume also contributes to how you’re going to feel the next day. Congeners are a byproduct of the fermentation process and have been directly linked to hangovers. There are significantly more congeners in dark alcohol than there is in lighter variations. This means that you are more likely to be dealing with a serious hangover after a night of whiskey than you are after a night of vodka. If you know you are going to be drinking a lot, take the time to carefully consider what exactly it is that you’re going to be drinking.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the severity of a hangover, but knowing what they are can help you avoid a lengthy one. You’re not in college anymore, which means you can’t drink like you are either. For the nights that you do try, make sure that you have Intelligent Drinking’s hangover mitigating supplement, Primer. Visit www.intelligentdrinking.com for more information.