How to Not Get a Hangover When Drinking? – Do Not Mix Drinks!

How to not get a hangover when out with friends, drinking? Avoid mixing drinks. Learn why this could harm you in more ways than you can imagine.

Should or should you not mix alcoholic beverages? Will the hangover be worse later? Read on for these answers based on what the research tells you.

Many of us have seen someone who drinks beer, then wine, then whiskey. And you’ve probably wondered if it is convenient to mix alcoholic beverages and if this can make your hangover worse.

Learn what is it and why a hangover happens and, finally, learn why mixing drinks is not a good idea.

What is a hangover?

A hangover is a set of symptoms and signs that can occur in people after drinking too much alcohol.

The first question that comes to mind when reading this is: how much is too much? The answer is not simple or it is not precise, since there is no mathematical rule that says how much alcohol a person can drink without having a hangover.

There are people who claim that they suffer less or do not suffer the consequences with certain drinks. This depends on your level of tolerance to alcohol.

Hangover symptoms can vary from drinker to drinker. Among the most common are the following:

  • Dizziness: feeling that everything is spinning, although it can occur even before the hangover itself begins.
  • Nausea and vomiting: with heartburn.
  • Excessive thirst that does not calm down easily.
  • Dryness and pastiness in the mouth that can be aggravated if, in addition, tobacco is consumed.
  • Severe headaches.
  • Difficulty maintaining continuous sleep and decreased ability to concentrate in study or at work.
  • Sensitivity to light and noise.
  • Altered mood: irritability, irascibility.

Hangover symptoms are the consequence of high levels of alcohol concentration in the blood.

Is it true what they say about mixing alcoholic beverages?

According to the most ingrained belief among people, the fact of mixing different types of alcoholic beverages makes the drunkenness greater and the hangover worse the next day, both in intensity and duration. There are even those who think that so that this does not happen or feel less, the order of the factors is essential. But is this true? Does it have any scientific basis?

Let’s see what the studies say about it. An investigation published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition sought to determine whether the combination of beer and wine, or even the order of consumption, influenced the intensity of the hangover.

The study involved 90 subjects of both sexes aged between 19 and 40 years. The results allowed to conclude that neither the type nor the order of the alcoholic beverages consumed significantly affected the hangover. However, some symptoms (such as vomiting) turned out to be strong predictors of the intensity of it.

In another study, however, it was found that some darker liquors and beverages can make hangovers worse. This is due to the higher concentration of so-called congeners, which are natural compounds present in liquor and which give it its organoleptic characteristics (flavor and color).

The role of congeners

Drinks with high congeners, such as bourbon, are more likely to cause severe hangovers, impairing neurocognitive performance and causing sleep disturbances. This suggests that mixing clear drinks (such as white rum, vodka or gin) would produce less severe hangovers.

However, it is not the mixing of drinks that causes the problem, but the greater presence of congeners and the degree of alcohol that these drinks usually contain. On the other hand, recent studies indicate that mixing alcohol with energy drinks can be an extremely harmful practice.

Why do hangovers really happen?

Most people start with soft drinks (beer) and then move on to strong ones. The taste and perception of the drinks is affected when you mix them.

Studies on the effects of mixing alcoholic beverages on hangovers are not very abundant. However, the various investigations carried out allow us to infer which are the most determining factors in terms of its intensity.

For starters, the primary factors in a hangover are dehydration and hormonal imbalance (especially aldosterone and cortisol), as well as blood sugar level. This explains few drinks are enough for some people to get a hangover.

Second, hangovers are caused only by drinking too much alcohol or, in other words, they are a consequence of the degree of concentration in the blood. The higher the alcohol concentration, the stronger the hangover. And the faster we drink, the more we get drunk and the more hangover we will have. An adult can eliminate the amount of alcohol in a cocktail in one hour.

Likewise, the possibility of suffering a hangover inscreases due to some factors. These factors can make it more severe, among which we have the following:

  • Drinking without having consumed food.
  • Using other drugs or substances, including nicotine.
  • Drinking several days in a row.
  • Lack of hydration.
  • Lack of sleep.

How to not get a hangover?

If we want to avoid the effects of a terrible hangover, as well as all the possible consequences of alcohol consumption, it is advisable to drink in moderation and responsibly.

In this regard, we must take into account the following recommendations if you want to learn how to not get a hangover:

Being a teetotaler is the most foolproof way to prevent hangovers and the consequences that alcohol brings.

However, it is not necessary to abstain completely, but to be moderate in quantity and pace. One drink in an hour, few drinks in one night.

While you’re enjoying a glass of alcohol, make sure you drink water simultaneously, preferably with lemon.

Do not drink on an empty stomach and never do so on an empty stomach.

The hangover sends us a notice

When you have a hangover, it is very likely that various physiological and psychological functions are affected, from your digestive system, the sense of balance, sleep and memory to the ability to concentrate.

There’s an effect on your abilities and skills, including interpersonal and social. For this reason, it is difficult to carry out various tasks, as well as the risk of accidents and even conflict with the people around you increases.

And despite how unpleasant they can be, hangovers are the body’s signal to stop drinking or do so in moderation. After a strong hangover, many take a little distance from substances.

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