Why you have a hangover and the other doesn't

You wake up with a pounding head. Your stomach turns one more time and your tongue sticks demonstratively to your palate. You look at your phone with one eye. What you see is a running selfie of your friend with whom you went a little too far yesterday. How can he do that and do you just want to stay curled up in your bed like a hedgehog? Here we explain why some people are affected by a hangover and others are not.

Not now of course, but you may have experienced something similar in the past. You will experience a pleasant evening together with your buddy, sister, cousin, colleague, neighbor or anyone else. The atmosphere is good and the drinks go well. Before you know it, the party is over and you'll be heading home. A little shaky, but happy, you roll into your bed.

The next day you have to pay for all this fun with a hangover. Hey bah. But you think shared sorrow is half sorrow. And you assume that your party buddy isn't feeling too well either. But what is your surprise: your friend says that he feels 'good ass': 'Just got back from my workout', 'Going to my aunt's now' and 'Tonight at the movie with so-and-so'. While you really partied together last night.

Reasons for yes/no hangover

You and your step buddy share a lot. But not your predisposition to hangovers apparently. There can be several reasons for this.

Trained yes or no

Fact: People who drink alcohol regularly are just used to it a bit more. Their bodies can handle the alcohol better. If, other than that splurge last night, you're not a big drinker, then a night of drinking will hit you hard.

Type of alcohol

You like sweet mixed drinks, wine and shots, your friend just drinks beer. There is a good chance that your hangover is undeniable the next day and that your friend does indeed still have the energy to exercise. Even if you stick to pure alcohol, a hangover will feel less intense the next day.

Sporty or not

If you regularly work up a sweat, your body will be in better condition. Your organs also benefit from this. In a sporty person, the alcohol is broken down faster. So you feel better faster.

Cold or not

Were you on the dance floor with a bad cold? Then this can also be a cause, so that you suffer more from the alcohol than usual. Thanks to that cold, you have less fluid in your body. This increases the alcohol percentage in your blood faster. After all, there is less water in your blood to mix the alcohol with.

Man or woman

It shouldn't matter if you're male or female, but alcohol does make a distinction. As a rule, women can tolerate alcohol worse than men, because women generally have more fat than muscle. And muscles contain more water than fat. So women generally have less water in their bodies to mix the alcohol with.