The grayer ... the bigger the hangover

Wisdom comes with age, but so does the severity of hangovers. Because the older you get, the worse the headache the next day. This has to do with your liver, your fluid levels, stress hormones and more.

We wrote about the above phenomenon earlier in the article: 'The older you get, the worse the hangover† In it we summed up the causes of those sturdy hangovers at a later age. Briefly summarized:

The liver

Because you have been around for a while when you are over 55, your liver works differently than the liver of a youngster. Less fast to be exact. An older liver has more difficulty processing alcohol than a young liver. Easy.

less moisture

An older body normally has less fluid than a younger body. Since alcohol also has the property to extract moisture from the body, you as an older person are more likely to be dehydrated than a younger one. And that lack of moisture is the main culprit behind the hangover.

More cortisol

Not everything diminishes as you get older. Cortisol production actually goes up. But that is not the intention… More cortisol (stress hormone) means more severe hangovers. Sorry.

Little variation

Since you know yourself well by now, you know that you should stick to that one type of drink. If you do go and have a drink for fun, then you have to pay for it the next day with all the misery that comes with a hangover. It is better to alternate with water…

Just perform

We can't really call this last note a 'cause' of such an excessive hangover. Not being able to sleep off your daze, because you lead a busy life in which the laundry, the errands, the work, the garden and the children don't do themselves: that's just bad luck. Your adult life calls you to order the next day, as the youngsters turn over in their beds one more time. Bah.