Why is today's hangover worse than when you were in your early 20s?
Putting your foot in the jack and stuffing your mug from time to time may be wonderful, but the hangover the next day will always make you promise it was the last time you drank. But have you noticed that over the years the hangover seems to get worse? Or that you drink less but still get drunk?
There are several reasons for this, and it is not necessarily your body's fault: your own way of life influences. According to a survey published in 2013, the "break" point between a "good" drinking life and a more intense hangover life occurs on average at age 29.
It turns out that youth really brings a little more inconsequence. At 25, shortly after leaving college, this is the moment we drink the most in our lives - again, that's an average. Thus, we are used, at that time, to bend the cup, suffering less the impacts of drunkenness.
As adult obligations begin to come, we naturally tend to decrease the amount of alcohol we consume weekly. As a result, we become less tolerant of excess. There is also the fact, of course, that aging itself takes its toll, metabolizing alcohol less rapidly in your bloodstream. The result is a more intense and longer hangover the next day.
The liver is responsible for metabolizing 90% to 98% of the alcohol you drink. The rest is eliminated in urine, breathing or sweat. With age advancement, the liver slows down to process the amount of drink you drink.
Another factor is that age usually comes with a greater accumulation of body fat. And the fatter you are - regardless of age - the less you get from the enzyme dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol in your stomach and makes it easier to dilute. Thus, you concentrate more alcohol in the blood, becoming less tolerant to its effects.
So be smart at this Carnival: If you're 30, drink less to be as or equal to the state you would be in the past. Your body will thank you on time. And your mind will thank you the next day.
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