New research focuses on one of the most famous hangover myths: that when you mix drinks, it’s inevitable to wake up the next morning with a terrible headache and other unbearable symptoms.Â
We all know these unwritten rules about how we shouldn’t have beer after wine, but also we shouldn’t have beer before liquor. Because that’s how you end up with a massive headache that will make you curse your drinking self. It turns out that’s a hangover myth that’s been disproved by science recently, through a study. This research reaches a conclusion: the type of alcohol you consume doesn’t really influence your next-day hangover. It doesn’t really matter what kind of drinks you are having the same night. What’s important is how much you drink.
A theory that dates back to the 70s says that there are types of drinks which contain substances that enable your hangover. The compounds are called congeners. And they’re created during the production process of the alcoholic drink. The same theory says that whiskey, for instance, has more congeners that vodka. This new research, however, says that the compounds don’t have much of a say in the level of drunkness you end up reaching or the hangover you have the morning after.
This hangover myth has no science backing it
Being hungover and being drunk are directly influenced by the quantity of alcohol you consume during a certain time frame. A healthy adult body can only eliminate one standard drink (10 grams of alcohol) during one hour. If you drink more than your body can metabolize, then the alcohol will be turned into acetaldehyde. This is a quite toxic substance, that has a similar makeup as formaldehyde.
There is also something to watch out for, though! According to other scientific research, when we drink alcohol, there is a drop in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. This area relates to decision making and how poor your choices are. Which means that if you’re sufficiently inebriated, you’re more likely to drink so much more than you should. So if you start with a drink that has a higher alcohol content, you are more likely to then switch to something like beer, have way too much of it and get super drunk.
This means of course that you might be facing the mother of all hangovers the next day! So drink responsibly! And make sure you are not overeating!
Featured image by bridgesward from PixabayÂ
