Physical Wellness

Science Explains How to Prevent Hangover after a Night of Drinking

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Jan 06, 2016 08:57 AM EST

We often feel more buzzed after a glass of wine than a glass of beer, ever wondered why? Champagne always hits faster than any other alcoholic spirit. "Some of the dizziness you can feel after champagne is due to both the brain getting [a little] less oxygen and also the [effects] of the alcohol at the same time," explains researcher Boris Tabakoff at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Tabakoff further explains that all the bubbles in a sparkling wine are made of carbon dioxide. This CO2 contends with oxygen in our body.

According to the Princeton University study on alcohol absorption, the increased carbon dioxide in your bloodstream "increases the pressure in your stomach, forcing alcohol out through the lining of your stomach into the bloodstream." This can elevate the alcohol absorption in the body, even if that happens momentarily.

The doctors suggest that the best way to avoid feeling heady, you should sip the wine slowly. However, if you want to prevent the hangover then switch your glass of bubbly with water and alternate this between each glass. This way you will be able to overcome the dehydration that happens due to drinking, says NPR. "What happens when you first start drinking," Tabakoff explains, "is that a hormone that controls your water balance, an anti-diuretic hormone, is suppressed." And this leaves us heading for the ladies' or men's room - which can precipitate a pounding headache in the morning. Tabakoff also explains that it is not only the dehydration that is at play when we get a headache next morning. "High levels of alcohol in the brain have fairly recently been shown to cause neuro-inflammation,

basically, inflammation in the brain," he says. He also said, "Food is very good for the purpose of slowing the absorption of alcohol."

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