If you are planning a boozy bank holiday, new maps will reveal exactly what is in store for your body. Scientists analysed reports from hungover young adults to create a detailed picture of how their bodies felt the day after drinking.
Consistent Patterns of Discomfort
They discovered a consistent pattern – people tend to feel more pain and discomfort in their head, chest, and stomach following a heavy night. Meanwhile, their legs, lower body, and hands felt much weaker and as if they had less energy.
The team also found that heavier drinkers tend to feel hangovers more intensely – but it did not stop them from continuing to go out boozing. Within the group, aged 18 to 35, the older participants felt the effects of drinking more keenly than their younger counterparts.
Topographical Maps of Hangover Sensations
'Topographical maps revealed hangover-related activation in the head, chest, and abdomen and deactivation in the lower limbs,' the researchers wrote in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 'These findings challenge the common assumption that hangovers function as a natural deterrent to subsequent alcohol use.'
For their study, the researchers from UCLouvain in France asked 34 young adults who were regular heavy drinkers to fill in questionnaires about their boozing habits and how often they get hangovers. Over the course of several weekends, after a night of drinking, they were asked to rate how drunk they had been, how bad their hangover was, and how well they had slept. They were also asked to use a smartphone tool to colour in a body outline, indicating areas where they felt more sensation such as pain or pounding, as well as less sensation such as weakness or numbness. Pressing harder in certain areas indicated they were feeling a stronger sensation there.
From this, the team created a map which showed hangovers have a clear 'body pattern', meaning people tended to feel hangovers in similar places. Diagrams show the head, chest, and abdomen lit up in red and yellow, indicating a high 'activation' score signifying discomfort. Meanwhile, the lower body is a cooler blue, showing it felt number the next day.
'Activation clustered in the torso, abdomen, and head overlaps with symptoms such as heart pounding, thirst, and headaches,' the team wrote. 'Whereas deactivation, prominent in the abdomen, limbs, and hands, aligns closely with nausea and weakness.'
Severity and Age Factors
They found a strong link between the intensity of bodily sensations and how severe they reported the hangover to be. However, their drunkenness levels the night before did not necessarily predict how bad they felt the next day. Meanwhile, stronger hangovers did not seem to stop people drinking, challenging the idea that hangovers naturally put people off alcohol.
Unfortunately for Millennials, participants in their 30s appeared to feel the effects of a hangover more than their 18-year-old counterparts. 'Older participants reported significantly greater intensity of bodily sensation,' the team wrote. 'This may point to metabolic and physiological differences in ethanol processing and recovery, likely contributing to prolonged recovery times among older participants.'
Hangover Recovery Tips
- Start with hydrating foods like soups, broths, and fruit.
- Combine lean protein with vegetables to support metabolic recovery.
- Add fermented foods like kimchi or miso for gut health.
- Pair indulgent items with nutrient-rich sides to improve overall balance.
Last year, researchers revealed the top hangover foods based on their nutritional quality. They found meals rich in fluids, fermented foods, lean protein, and vegetables can help speed up recovery following too many glasses of wine. However, heavy, greasy, and sugary dishes worsen hydration and can trigger energy crashes. The team, from health and nutrition app Lifesum, ranked 10 countries by the nutrients of their go-to hangover meals. While Japan came in first place with a revitalising miso soup, the UK's favourite Full English placed bottom of the table.
What Drinks Cause What Hangovers?
Dark Spirits: Muscle Aches and Severe Nausea
Dr Zenon Andreou, a GP and online doctor for Asda Online Doctor by ZAVA, said that by drinking a lighter spirit like vodka, gin, and light beers, you are consuming fewer congeners with each glass. Congeners are a by-product of the fermentation process that goes into making darker drinks like dark rum and whiskey, red wine, and brandy. With 15 years of experience sourcing, trading, and learning about wine and spirits, Steve King, managing director at Bottled and Boxed, an online alcohol retailer, said that these darker spirits can prolong your symptoms of a hangover because your body has to break down both the alcohol and the congeners. Congeners have been known to make symptoms such as headaches, muscle aches, and nausea more severe. Dr Andreou added that they can be toxic, which means they interfere with your body's cell functions, hindering the body's ability to repair itself the next morning.
Red Wine: Headaches
Red wine headache is a type of hangover specific to red wines, with some people experiencing nausea and migraines within just 15 minutes of drinking a glass. The darker wine has natural substances called tyramine and histamine which can cause the restrictions of blood vessels in the body, leaving you with a headache in the morning, says Dr Andreou. He added: 'These substances are sometimes up to 200 per cent higher in red wine than white wine, which is why you might feel worse after a night of drinking red.' Kerry Beeson, Nutritional Therapist at Optibac Probiotics, said organic red wine might be a better alternative. She said: 'Alcohol can reduce friendly bacteria levels in our gut but so too can those foods that tend to go hand in hand with alcohol – high sugar, high fat, and heavily processed – creating a double whammy assault on the gut and the friendly microbes that live there. However, choosing organic red wine which has shown to be beneficial in small quantities.'
Mulled Wine: Dizziness, Shakiness, and Fatigue
Although mulled wine has a lower alcohol content, when over-consumed, the natural and added sugars in mulled wine can spike your blood sugar levels rapidly, which can also cause headaches the next day. This is due to hyperglycemia, or reactive hypoglycemia, an over or under-compensation of glucose in your bloodstream. And, as a result, can lead to unpleasant side effects such as dizziness, shaking, and fatigue. Celebrity nutritionist Yalda Alaoui said that calories vary enormously depending on the choice of alcohol you are opting for – and that affects how you feel the next day. While a 125ml glass of wine contains around 125kcal, dry champagne averages around 95kcal, a sugary glass of mulled wine averages at 235 calories each, causing sugar cravings and a worse hangover the next day. She says: 'I recommend staying clear of sugary alcoholic beverages and opting for dry wine or champagne to minimise the disruption on blood sugar levels and reduce cravings after consumption. The bonus with vintage wines is that they contain bacteria which might be beneficial for your gastrointestinal health.'
Too Much of Any Alcohol: Dehydration
Dr Kathryn Basford, also a doctor for Asda Online Doctor by Zava, explained the making of a hangover and the science behind it. She said: 'When you drink, alcohol enters the bloodstream and inhibits the body's production of vasopressin, a pituitary gland hormone which tells the body to retain water in the kidneys. Without this, water goes directly to the bladder (which is why drinkers make lots of visits to the loo) and leaves the body dehydrated. The headache that often signals the hangover is the brain's reaction to this loss of fluid, while the nausea and lack of energy that accompanies the headache is the body's response to low blood sugar levels and the loss of the minerals and electrolytes which help the body to function properly. The more you drink, the more likely you are going to feel these effects, and the longer you might take to recover.'
Tequila: 'No Hangover' If You Don't Go Overboard!
Tequila is often considered the go-to drink for people on a night out, says Dr Andreou. Pure, quality tequila made from 100% agave goes through a different type of fermentation process which means fewer sugars and congeners are inside the drink to make you feel so bad the next day. He said: 'When consumed in moderation and alongside water to keep you hydrated, you may be able to wake up the next day almost hangover free.'
