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A hangover is perhaps the most appropriate situation to describe the term “regret always comes late”. The reason is, you have to struggle with a series of "regrets" the next morning after partying, which are in the form of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, not feeling well, heart palpitations, to headaches. Worse yet, hangover symptoms can last all day. To get rid of this hangover, many people immediately drink coffee after waking up. But did you know that the after effects of drinking coffee will actually worsen your hangover symptoms?
What causes a hangover?
Hangovers are a side effect of the body's immune system being overwhelmed by alcohol levels that exceed tolerance limits. This usually occurs after you have had a large number of drinks in a row in a short period of time.
After consumption, one third of the alcohol liquid enters the stomach while the rest will empties into the small intestine before flowing into the blood towards the liver. The liver will then break down the alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which is toxic. Your body knows it's bad for you, so the acetaldehyde is burned instead of being stored as fat as it normally does.
It takes at least an hour for the body to be able to process a small portion of these toxic chemical compounds into acetate, a chemical compound that is safe for the body. If you consume too much alcohol in a short period of time, too much asealdehyde will build up in the body and damage the liver cells so that the liver cannot function properly to flush out toxins.
In addition, alcohol increases the production of dopamine that builds up in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that is responsible for transmitting signals from brain nerve cells (neurons) to other parts of the body. The increase in dopamine levels triggers a feeling of happiness and calm. But when you stop drinking, the remaining alcohol in your body triggers the release of other neurotransmitters that start to slow down brain processes. As a result, you start to feel tired, have blurred vision, and your body's reactions become sluggish.
All of these processes, coupled with the symptoms of dehydration that follow after drinking alcohol, causes a variety of hangover symptoms.
What is the effect of drinking coffee after drinking alcohol?
"Coffee can reduce the sedative effect of alcohol, giving the false impression that you are so drunk, but it's the same," said Thomas Gould, PhD, from Temple University, quoted from NYDaily News.
Coffee contains caffeine, a compound that works to stimulate the brain's central nervous system. Caffeine works inversely with adenosine, a naturally calming compound in the brain. Caffeine will hijack all the adenosine receptors in the brain so that the body's cells become more active, not relaxed. This makes the brain trigger the release of the hormone adrenaline which makes you more "awake" and excited.
So while the remaining alcohol in your body continues to make your brain work slower and "numb," your body actually feels more energized so you feel "sober." In fact, the effect of drinking coffee after drinking alcohol will in no way reduce the amount of alcohol in the blood. The effect of drinking coffee after drinking alcohol is only a "mask". You're still drunk, but just not aware of it. Hangover symptoms can get worse if not treated immediately.
Plus, drinking coffee on an empty stomach also has its risks. Caffeine can speed up your heart rate and increase blood pressure. This will make it easier for you to feel anxious and stressed. Plus, caffeine can make you commute to the bathroom, potentially triggering symptoms of dehydration, which can drain energy and cause hangover-induced headaches.
