Scientific Tips For Battling Hangovers Ahead of the Holiday Season
Christmas drinks
In order for one’s Christmas to be truly merry, and new year to be happy, one might want to remember how to cope with celebration aftermath.Only 5% of the population has a natural resistance to hangovers. The unfortunate 95% have to face the ‘morning after’ consequences of heavy drinking. However, despite the fact that some factors impacting the severity of hangovers are more or less inevitable, modern science can offer some tips on how to ease this condition.Let’s begin with invariable factors like sex and age. Young females are less susceptible to hard hangovers than young males, an online survey of 761 Danish alcohol consumers indicates. Another finding is that a hangover’s severity declines with age, but it’s not currently known why these differences exist.Another aspect is human psychology. Anxiety, depression and stress usually accompany severe hangovers due to a “negative bias” – the tendency to see things in a gloomy way. Hangovers exacerbate this negative bias, forcing some people to feel even worse than others.Another psychological trait associated with severe hangovers is a high level of pain catastrophizing – the extent to which person emphasizes the negative experience of feeling pain.
How to Avoid Hangovers?
Unsurprisingly, the best way to avoid hangovers is to completely abstain from alcohol. If this is not an option, consider drinking less often. Recent research indicates that consuming alcohol develops “reverse tolerance”, meaning the more often you drink, the more severe hangovers get.If you drink socially, it can be a good idea to experience hangovers together. Another study indicates than sharing your pain with your friends strengthens the social bonds between you.Additionally, keeping your stress levels low and taking care of your general well-being is also handy when you want to avoid a severe hangover and everything that comes with it.
