Collegiate Times

The average person can metabolize or process about one drink every hour, which is the equivalent of 10 grams of alcohol. This amount is found in 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine and in one and a half shots of 80-proof liquor.

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning that it increases the rate at which urine is lost from the body. Robert Swift, chief of staff for research and education at Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center, says this leads to dehydration, the primary factor involved with the onset of hangovers.

Another speculative cause of hangovers is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, a common condition experienced after a long night of drinking. Swift says that consuming alcohol can cause temporary changes in the functioning of the liver, and may cause "fatty liver," the build up of fat compounds within the liver. Heavy drinking also causes a build up of lactic acid within body fluids. Both of these effects inhibit the production of glucose (blood sugar). Glucose is the brain's main source of energy and a low supply may be responsible for typical hangover symptoms like headache, an inability to focus and dizziness.

Alcohol's ability to make a person pass out is no secret. However, in the Alcohol Research and Health journal, Smith writes that a large amount of the fatigue experienced during a hangover is in fact caused by alcohol's disruptive effects on sleep. While falling asleep may seem quite easy after a night of drinking, sometimes even accidental, alcohol-induced sleep is usually of poor quality. An intoxicated person spends less time in the rapid eye movement stage of sleep, and since alcohol relaxes one's throat muscles, snoring may occur more frequently. A person may also periodically stop breathing throughout the night, a condition hreferred to as sleep apnea, which can reduce the level of oxygen that reaches the brain. So, what if some people, or more realistically, most people, consider a hangover to be a small price to pay for enjoying themselves the night before?

There have been many attempts to find the perfect cure for the common hangover, including taking a cold shower, jogging, drinking coffee and even drinking another beer to take the edge off. Although the only thing that appears to be completely effective is waiting it out, there are some ways to prevent hangovers or at least lessen their severity. First, the rate at which alcohol is consumed and how much is consumed plays a role in the level of intoxication and the resulting hangover. Fifteen to twenty-five percent of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach before it even reaches the intestines, but if food, especially some that is rich in fat, is present in stomach while drinking, the absorption rate of the alcohol will be much slower.

"Although water may dilute the alcohol content in the body, most people can't fit more water on top of all the alcohol already consumed," said Kathy Hosig, associate professor human nutrition, foods and exercise. However, drinking a glass of water for every other alcoholic drink consumed, or even drinking a large quantity of water before falling asleep, will likely lessen dehydration and may make a hangover less incapacitating the following morning.

Hangovers seem to be an inevitable consequence of binge drinking, but understanding some of the science behind them may help you drink smarter to prevent a bad hangover from while still having a good time. If not, well at least you have an idea about why your head hurts.