The Science of the Hangover
11 December - 14 mins
Podcast Series
Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill
It’s that time of year when the big nights out collide with the biological reality of the morning after… and Professor Luke is here to explain exactly what’s going on in your head, your liver and your rattled nervous system.
Hangovers are ancient — literally. Chimps get tipsy on fermented fruit, so our ancestors were drinking alcohol millions of years before the first Christmas party. Humans began brewing around 10,000 years ago… and the first hangover probably arrived right on cue.
Luke breaks down why hangovers feel so grim: the acetaldehyde formed when alcohol is broken down in the liver; the dehydration caused by alcohol acting as a diuretic; and the rebound in neurotransmitters like...
Series Episodes
