Remember your early 20s? After a few too many drinks, you’d wake fresh as a daisy, ready to tackle work, run a marathon, pen a bestseller. But, as we slip into later life, our hangovers become incapacitating. Pounding headaches, nausea and hangxiety (read our piece on what that is here) can all turn up after just a couple of tame pints at the pub. Even choosing what to watch on Netflix becomes a chore.
It’s not just your imagination though - there is some science behind it. According to physicians, as you age, your body’s metabolism slows down and that doesn’t just mean the inevitable waistline expansion. Your body no longer metabolises certain things, including alcohol, as well because your liver doesn’t work quite as efficiently as it did when you were 21.
Enzymes in your liver begin to process alcohol by breaking it down into acetaldehyde, a toxin commonly thought to be a contributor to hangover symptoms. From there, enzymes break the acetaldehyde down into non-toxic acetate. But, here’s the thing: your liver can only do that so fast, and it gets slower as you age. So, in effect, acetaldehyde hangs around in your body for longer, getting pushed into your bloodstream – and increasing that grim hungover feeling.
Of course, there are other factors at play. Your genetics are important – we all have those annoying friends who ‘don’t get hangovers’, at any age – as is the quantity you drink and how often. And, perception matters. You might recall that you didn’t get hangovers when you were younger, but was that really true? Your hangovers may be more about feeling anxious and having low productivity rather than nausea and headaches.
Earlier in life, feeling rubbish after a big night out with mates almost feels like a badge of honour. Yet over time, the novelty wears off. And, when combined with increased responsibilities like high-pressured jobs or childcare, hangovers genuinely are worse - and longer - than they used to be as you take longer to recover.
Want to know why we get ‘hangxiety?’ Read all about it here.
