Dry mouth, pounding skull and a nausea that creeps in when you make the slightest movement. You may have heard that hangovers get worse with age. Perhaps you have felt it on your body too. But is it true – and if so, why? – There is a very short and simple answer, and it is – yes, he is getting worse. This is confirmed by senior researcher in substance abuse and mental suffering, Jørgen Gunnar Bramness. Not what it once was – After I turned 23, I noticed that my body is no longer what it once was. That’s what student Maria Venstad (25) says. She says she gets more tired and fatigued after a trip in the city now than before. – The golden age was probably between the ages of 17 and 21. But now that I’ve turned 25 it’s only going down, so it’s possible it will get even worse. Why do we get hangovers? When you drink, the brain initiates reactions to master the alcohol. When the alcohol wears off, the brain is still working on the counter-reactions it set in motion while you were drinking. It is this change in the brain that I experience as a hangover. The body decays – Physically, we decay from the time we are in our 20s until we die. Not very encouraging, but true, according to Bramness. The body works more slowly the older we get. It also means that the alcohol and percussion are converted more slowly. – It gets worse and worse. If you drink as a 70-year-old the same as when you were 18 and a student, you will get a much worse hangover. – I feel extra hungover Magnus Gjerstad (23) himself believes that he is starting to drink, and feels that the hangover is worse than before. – Now I have become so old that my joints start to hurt when I wake up in the morning. Previously, the 23-year-old woke up the following day and thought “what a nice and new day”. But lately the pipe has taken on a different sound. – Now I think “damn, now I have to lie down for a few hours to recover”. – It has gone down sharply, so I dread the years to come. Now I drink much less often and it feels like you get extra drunk. Magnus Gjerstad (23) knows that the hangover is worse than before. Photo: Nora Garnes Flatjord It is not necessarily age that plays a role Chemist Alexander Sandtorv is the author of the book “Fylla har skulda”. There he enters the world of alcohol with a scientific eye. – People in their 30s and 40s talk about the hangover getting worse all the time. It is a truth that is established among people. But Sandtorv does not necessarily think that it is physical factors that determine how drunk you become. – We know that something that affects how severe the hangover is, is life situation. While you, as a 19-year-old, can spend the day after that, those who are a little older have more obligations. – Maybe you have a job, children or other obligations that mean you have to get up. Then the hangover feels worse. Chemist Alexander Sandtorv. Photo: Emil W. Breinstein All these obligations may mean that you don’t drink as often. – Then the body doesn’t get used to it either and the hangover feels worse. But 19-year-old Jakob Furhovde-Aaerefjord says he has had enough of drunken Sundays, despite having few obligations. – I have been quite a bit drunk. Then I get a really bad headache and am not willing to do anything at all. – Maybe he gets worse with age, but I think it’s probably more about how much he drinks. 36-year-old Eivind Sandholtbråten Hagen is among the 30-40-year-olds who think hangovers get worse with age. – Now I have a 2-year-old in the house who means that I don’t drink as often, then the hangover feels worse. Eivind Sandholtbråten Hagen knows the hangover especially when he doesn’t drink as often. Photo: Karoline Opsal He explains that the day after now contains a more intense main task, in addition to a poor appetite. – I would say the best age for a hangover was 26-27. Can a hangover be alleviated? – Yes, then you have to drink a little less, says Bramness. Not surprising, but apparently effective. Both Bramness and Sandtorv agree on one thing: – All hangover cures have one thing in common – and that is that they don’t work. If you wake up with a hangover, there is little you can do to be cured. Explainer video about party myths that people have submitted on Instagram.
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Does it get worse with age? – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
