4 Ways A Hangover Affects Your Body

This story was originally published on April 18, 2016. When it comes to alcohol, there's still a lot we don't know — for starters, how it even gets us drunk in the first place. But we think it's safe to say that hangovers are the worst. And even though hangovers look different on everyone, research from Alcoholic.org highlights four common ways bodies react to a night of heavy drinking. (For anyone out there currently nursing a hangover, the findings are presented in an easy-to-read chart below.) Let's start with the obvious: After a night of drinking, you just might need to vomit, since alcohol inflames your stomach lining and causes you to produce extra stomach acid. Even if you don't end up booting, you could be stuck with a major stomachache, or the dehydrating effects of alcohol could lead to diarrhea instead. Dehydration can also prompt a slew of other hangover symptoms, from dizziness to headaches. And low blood sugar levels (which can also accompany a hangover) may intensify these problems. Finally, drinking can disrupt your natural sleep cycle, which can leave you feeling groggy, exhausted, and weak. You might have noticed by now that these four effects of drinking often go together, but you may not necessarily feel all of them each time — if you manage to avoid vomiting, you may still be sleepy, thirsty, and/or dizzy. Unfortunately, there's no surefire way to recover from a hangover quickly. Your best bet is to try to make up for the sleep that you lost after that initial booze-fueled crash. Check out the whole infographic below.