Hangover (alcohol intoxication)

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Depiction of a "cat" on an ashtray, 19th century

A hangover or kitty (medical Veisalgia ) is colloquially the malaise and impairment of the physical and mental performance of a person as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. The triggering amount of alcohol varies from person to person and is sometimes dependent on the daily form. Scientists assume that a hangover can reduce performance for up to three days.

The word originally comes from the colloquial language of students in the 19th century and is derived from catarrh , which, however, cannot be compared with alcohol-related symptoms. The term is now also understood literally or z. B. graphically represented as a hangover . Katzenjammer, on the other hand, is the defused version of the word "Kotzen-Jammer" from Goethe's time.

Symptoms

A hangover mainly includes the symptoms of headache , nausea and vomiting, concentration disorders, increased tendency to sweat, stomach and muscle pain, depressive mood, etc., and a general malaise . A hangover is associated with a significant reduction in performance and leads to significant loss of work. In extreme cases, irritation of the gastric mucous membrane often leads to vomiting , combined with loss of appetite . Mental and motor skills are usually restricted (e.g. difficulty concentrating, slight tremors, restlessness and dizziness). Sometimes depressive moods, feelings of guilt and even anxiety occur. After excessive alcohol consumption, a temporary memory loss ("film tear") can occur - the person concerned can no longer remember processes and events.

causes

The main cause of the headache is the dehydration of the body caused by the alcohol and the resulting dysequilibrium (rapid withdrawal of substances from the blood). In addition, the denaturation and stimulation of the body's own proteins ( cytokines ) through acetaldehyde , an intermediate product in the breakdown of ethanol . The simultaneous consumption of nicotine with alcohol increases the headache. Oxidative stress, i.e. the formation of free oxygen radicals during the breakdown of alcohol, should also contribute to the development of hangovers, ultimately the fusel oil contained in all alcoholic drinks .

prevention

One possible hangover prevention is in particular to avoid large amounts of alcohol or to take breaks between consuming the corresponding drinks. In addition, when consuming alcohol, the body should be constantly supplied with water and also drink larger amounts of mineral-containing water before going to bed, since alcohol allows the body to excrete more fluid than is consumed. Therefore, water is withdrawn from the bloodstream , which can lead to headaches in the form of dehydration if the amount is appropriate . In addition, fatty foods should be eaten before or during alcohol consumption, as this slows down the body's absorption of alcohol (but does not prevent it). If the alcohol remains in the stomach for a longer time, some of it can be broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase . Sugar and carbon dioxide, on the other hand, accelerate the absorption of alcohol.

The choice of alcoholic beverages also plays a decisive role. In particular, fruit brandies and spirits stored in barrels such as whiskey, cognac or dark rum often contain particularly high amounts of poisonous accompanying alcohol . Many cocktails, sweet wines (especially mulled wine ) and alcopops can lead to hangover symptoms particularly quickly due to the interaction of alcohol and sugar mentioned above.

Antidote

Even if there are numerous home remedies such as the hangover breakfast to combat hangovers , their effectiveness has not been scientifically proven. Often one resorts to the headache on increased fluid intake and on the cooling of the head, z. B. back through cold packs . Stomach pain is usually combated with stomach teas such as lemon balm tea and the consumption of fatty foods. Also, an increased blood sugar level, which z. B. can be achieved through the consumption of sweet fruits, chocolate or honey, accelerate and support alcohol breakdown.

The motto “start with what you left off” implies the assumption that consuming more alcohol will reduce symptoms. However, this is to be viewed critically, as in principle the hangover is only postponed.

Symptomatic treatment of the headache can be done with pain relievers . The intake of acetylsalicylic acid such as aspirin carries an increased risk of gastric damage due to possible bleeding, especially under the influence of alcohol. Paracetamol is an additional burden for the liver to reduce alcohol. Ibuprofen is regarded as relatively uncritical.

The world's largest randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled hangover intervention study was carried out at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz with 214 test persons between the ages of 18 and 65 and published in the specialist journal BMJ Nutrition & Prevention. A mixture of plant extracts from acerola cherry, prickly pear, ginkgo, white willow and ginger root, which were combined with minerals and vitamins for the test, was tested. A placebo and a mixture that only consisted of minerals and vitamins were used as a comparison. The alcohol consumption of the participants in the experiment averaged around 1.6 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight. With a weight of 60 kilograms, this corresponds to around 2.5 liters of beer. The test subjects could choose whether they wanted to drink beer, shandy, white wine or white wine spritzer. Before and after drinking alcohol, they received a ready-made drink of the plant mixture, the mineral-vitamin mixture or the placebo. As it turned out, the test participants who received the plant cocktail made it through the best: Compared to the placebo group, the intensity of the headache was 34 percent lower and nausea was reduced by 42 percent, indifference or apathy fell by 27 Percent weaker off and restlessness showed a 41 percent reduction compared to placebo. These results showed statistical significance. In total, the study recorded 47 symptoms from thirst to tinnitus and photosensitivity to impulsiveness. The control group, which received only minerals and vitamins without the plant extract, fared roughly like the placebo group, which means that they could not record any positive effects.

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stephan L. Haas, Peter Feick, Manfred V. Singer: Hangover symptoms after alcohol consumption: epidemiology, risk factors and pathophysiology . In: Addiction . tape 52 , no. 5 , January 2006, ISSN  0939-5911 , p. 317–326 , doi : 10.1024 / 2006.05.05 ( hogrefe.com [accessed October 10, 2018]).
  2. ↑ Sven Siedenberg: “One speaks German” The fuss is spreading through comics. Stern , September 8, 2009, accessed April 3, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Stephan L. Haas, Peter Feick, Manfred V. Singer: Hangover symptoms after alcohol consumption: epidemiology, risk factors and pathophysiology . In: Addiction . tape 52 , no. 5 , January 2006, ISSN  0939-5911 , p. 317–326 , doi : 10.1024 / 2006.05.05 .
  4. ↑ Marith van Schrojenstein Lantman, Marlou Mackus, Aurora JAE van de Loo, Joris C. Verster: The impact of alcohol hangover symptoms on cognitive and physical functioning, and mood . In: Human Psychopharmacology . tape 32 , no. 5 , September 2017, ISSN  0885-6222 , doi : 10.1002 / hup.2623 , PMID 28750479 , PMC 5638093 (free full text).
  5. ↑ Celeste T. Tipple, Sarah Benson, Andrew Scholey: A Review of the Physiological Factors Associated with Alcohol Hangover . In: Current Drug Abuse Reviews . tape 9 , no. 2 , 2017, ISSN  1874-4745 , p. 93-98 , doi : 10.2174 / 1874473710666170207152933 , PMID 28176621 .
  6. ↑ Wheat beers cause bigger hangovers than Pilsener or Export. In her diploma thesis, the graduate examines the content of fusel alcohol in 60 types of beer. Science Information Service , May 27, 2003, accessed December 24, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Klaus Roth : The chemistry of the cat: Alcohol and its consequences. In: Chemistry in Our Time . 41, 2007, pp. 46-55, doi: 10.1002 / ciuz.200700409 .
  8. ↑ MH Pittler, JC Verster, E. Ernst: Interventions for preventing or treating alcohol hangover: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. In: BMJ (Clinical research ed.). Volume 331, Number 7531, December 2005, pp. 1515-1518, ISSN  1756-1833 . doi: 10.1136 / bmj.331.7531.1515 . PMID 16373736 . PMC 1322250 (free full text). (Review, English).
  9. ↑ Deutsche Apothekerzeitung, Volume 148, April 10, 2008, No. 15.
  10. ↑ Bernhard Lieb, Patrick Schmitt: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study on the nutritional efficacy of a food for special medical purposes (FSMP) and a dietary supplement in reducing the symptoms of veisalgia . In: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health . April 30, 2020, ISSN  2516-5542 , p. bmjnph – 2019–000042 , doi : 10.1136 / bmjnph-2019-000042 ( bmj.com [accessed May 18, 2020]).
  11. ↑ Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: Plant cocktail helps against the bad luck. Retrieved May 18, 2020 .