While the Monday night Belltown Bar Crawl was fun, today I give thanks for not having had four elaborate and, to varying degrees, sweet drinks last night (the Crawl involved one each at the Rob Roy [formerly the Viceroy], Brasa, Flying Fish, and Cafe Campagne). It did not make for a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Tuesday morning. Is the conventional wisdom that sweet drinks make for a worse hangover true? Anecdotally, I say yes. Mr. Golob, what does Science say?
UPDATE! Mr. Golob speaks truth to power in comments: Science agrees with conventional wisdom (and with Geni @8).
Photo of the Rob Roy.
I’m confused — you give thanks for not having had them, but you had a hangover from them?
Check the dates — the St-Germain Bar Crawl was April 21, making last Tuesday the Hangover Crawl. Today (I’m assuming) is blessedly St-Germain hangover-free.
Anecdotally, I say that consuming excessive sugar at night, even sans alcohol, makes me feel hungover the next morning; I agree with the conventional wisdom and await Sciene’s report.
*Science’s
@2, doh! I get it now.
Anecdotally, definitely consuming anything sugary with alcohol, or sugary alcohol, makes a hangover worse. But hangovers are basically a combination of dehydration and alcohol poisoning (depending on how much alcohol you actually consume). The best way to avoid a hangover (other than not drinking, of course) is to drink at least 8 ounces of plain water for each drink you consume.
Maybe sweet drinks contain more alcohol than you can taste, leading you to drink them faster and to drink more of them than you otherwise would. That’s my best guess anyway.
From a scientific review on hangovers, it seems as though low blood sugar is a major culprit in hangovers (in addition to the dehydration mentioned by Geni, liver damage, stomach fussiness and direct effects on the brain.)
Alcohol impairs the liver’s ability to release glycogen stores, allowing blood sugar to drop precipitously later. If you’re drinking sugary drinks, you’ll be pumping out insulin at the same time (also lowering blood sugar). Yuck.
The best treatment for this is, of course, sugar the next morning. Anything sweet or starchy should help.
Best hangover cure, now backed up by Dear Science–a delicious, homemade Mae’s cinnamon roll. Perfectly sweet AND starchy. You’re welcome.
Something greasy for breakfast, and as much Coke or Pepsi as you can get down (Ginger Ale if you’re having trouble keeping it there). If you haven’t started having to piss every fifteen minutes or more often, you’re still dehydrated. Tart juice works great, too — dilute cranberry or pomegranate or blueberry 50/50 with water and guzzle until you think you’re going to burst.
Better yet, drink that juice or soda WHILE you’re imbibing, not the next morning.
Interestingly, I’ve always had the best results treating overindulgence with a combination of juice and protein. Forcing down a couple of eggs, or even a slice of cold chicken, seems to help a lot.
Or there’s always Thai drunkard’s noodles.