Natural science Analyzing the hangover: What does alcohol do to the brain?
It takes six minutes for drunk alcohol to reach the brain. However, it takes many hours for it to be broken down again. What happens in the process can cause a rude awakening.
30.12.2024, 06:30
30.12.2024, 08:43
SDA
New Year's Eve is often alcohol-fueled. In the brain, the accelerator and brake pedals are depressed at the same time, explains Martin Morgenthaler, Senior Consultant at the Neurology Clinic at the Westpfalz-Klinikum in Kaiserslautern. Drunk alcohol reaches the brain after just six minutes. Alcohol has a dampening effect in most regions of the brain, as Morgenthaler explains. Cell processes are slowed down, especially the transmission of stimuli, i.e. communication between cells. Those affected perceive this as follows: "My reaction decreases, I get dizzy, my vision deteriorates, I can no longer assess situations correctly."
Processes of the mitochondria, the power plants of the cells, are also slowed down - and this is intensified when alcohol is consumed together with nicotine. As a result, the energy supply to the cells deteriorates.
Drinking until the movie breaks
The extreme of such attenuation is the proverbial film break. This is when the transfer from short-term to long-term memory no longer works, explains the doctor. "From a medical point of view, a film rupture is amnesia for things that I am currently experiencing." In extreme cases, the memory of the entire night can be lost. "The probability of this happening increases the faster and the more alcohol I consume." It is also greater when alcoholic drinks are mixed up or combined with other drugs.
In some regions of the brain, alcohol has an activating effect. "That's why we then have this euphoric effect and are a little more disinhibited because neurotransmitters such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin are released," explains Morgenthaler. This can lead to a state of intoxication that you want to have again and again.
Accelerator and brake at the same time
The interplay of mainly dampening and occasionally activating effects causes a lot of confusion in the brain. "In principle, it's like stepping on the accelerator and brake at the same time. The whole balance that has to be in place is completely thrown off."
The punishment follows the next morning at the latest: a buzzing head. According to the doctor, one reason for this is that acetaldehyde is produced when alcohol is broken down. This alters the body's own messenger substances, resulting in the formation of free oxygen radicals - which causes headaches. In addition, every alcoholic drink contains methanol, the breakdown of which produces formaldehyde and formic acid, which also cause hangover symptoms.
First better sleep, then worse
"A second point is dehydration," says Morgenthaler. Alcohol, like coffee, increases the frequency of going to the toilet. Restless sleep is also typical after a night of drinking. Alcohol initially promotes sleep. "That's why many people drink in the evening - it stops them brooding a bit and helps them get to sleep," says the neurologist.
"But this reverses at night." The toxins produced during the breakdown of alcohol keep waking you up and you have to go to the toilet more often. "Many people also feel thirsty, wake up and have a very fractional sleep." According to Morgenthaler, alcohol also influences deep sleep, which then no longer encompasses all regions of the brain. The frontal lobe in the brain remains active. As a result, people tend to have negative dreams.
All in all, it is therefore hardly surprising that you often feel tired and exhausted the next day. People who alternate water with an alcoholic drink often suffer less, as Morgenthaler says. And one trick even helps one hundred percent: start the new year alcohol-free.
