According to government advisors, a binge session involves drinking at least double the recommended limit – so that’s women consuming six or more standard units of alcohol in a single day, and men eight or more . I bet that’s scared you. Six standard units is two large glasses, not the amount normally associated with mooning in city centres. So go easy this Christmas, and pace yourself. You already know that excessive alcohol consumption is inadvisable, whatever the time of year. And on top of the numerous health issues, just the thought of a horrible hangover should be enough to put you off.
Despite the temporary high you might briefly experience on a binge, alcohol is a depressant, and not just because you wake up with a vague memory of having made a total fool of yourself. It profoundly affects the central nervous system interfering with neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. The result can be fatigue and poor cognitive function.
As well as disrupting neurotransmitters, alcohol also leads to fatigue by causing you to fall asleep the ‘wrong’ way. After too much drink, you are prone to fall quickly into a deep sleep, by-passing the first stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. As the alcohol wears off you come out of deep sleep, and quite possibly wake up too. This is usually in the middle of the night, unfortunately. Without the usual six to seven cycles of REM sleep, you will not wake feeling refreshed. Instead, you’ll feel tired and sluggish.
The symptoms of a hangover are believed to be the consequence of the effect of acetaldehyde, produced from ethanol, and dehydration, which causes shrinkage of brain cells. Humankind has been looking for a cure for the awful malaise which is a hangover for as long as we’ve been imbibing. I am often asked to recommend a hangover cure. I can’t, partly because I’m not given to peddling magic bullets but also because there aren’t any. In 2005 the British Medical Journal published an examination of all the serious trials of hangover remedies, both pharmaceutical and natural, including borage, artichoke and prickly pear. Sadly, no evidence of any effectiveness was found. Prevention is the only cure, in this case. Here’s what you can do:
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Drink plenty of water before, during and after consuming alcohol.
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Don’t drink on an empty stomach – the effect is too swift for any damage limitation.
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Stick to clear drinks (coloured drinks contain chemicals called congeners which can worsen the symptoms of a hangover).
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Stop drinking alcohol several hours before going to bed, to give your liver time to process the alcohol and lessen the symptoms in the morning.
Other than that, have a merry old time – without the pain and suffering.