Do hangovers get worse as we get older?
26 November 2018
No Comment
Mine are certainly getting worse! And it turns out I’m not alone. A recent story on abc.net.au broke it all down, and the timing could not be better with silly season is about to kick off.
Apparently there are a number of reasons our hangovers feel more severe as we age, and why it takes longer to get over a big night.
A couple of key takeaways form the article:
- Older people tend to have more inflammation throughout their body than younger people, Professor Scholey said. Add the inflammatory effects of alcohol and its by-products to that low level of inflammation, and you might experience stronger hangover symptoms such as fatigue and nausea.
- As you age, your ability to metabolise alcohol drops. So, perhaps, you end up with more acetaldehyde in your body for longer.
- There’s also the argument that your tolerance to hefty doses of ethanol tails off around the age of 30. A Danish survey found people aged 18 to 29 years drank around the same amount as people between 50 and 59, but those aged in their 30s and 40s drank less