10 mitos sobre las resacas

La música es animada, la compañía es fantástica y las bebidas van bien. Realmente bien. Sin embargo, no te das cuenta porque te lo estás pasando muy bien. Y cuando te das cuenta de que probablemente has bebido demasiado, no te importa. Porque ahora estás borracho. Borracho. Demasiado borracho. A la mañana siguiente te arrepientes de tus acciones porque te despiertas con un fuerte dolor de cabeza , malestar estomacal y sed insaciable. Sí, tienes una resaca desagradable .

En los EE. UU., las resacas costaron $224 mil millones en 2006 debido al ausentismo relacionado y al bajo desempeño laboral, según los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades. Y curiosamente, son los bebedores leves a moderados los responsables de la mayor parte de este costo, no los bebedores problemáticos [fuente: Wiese et al .]. Si alguna vez has tenido resaca, tus amigos probablemente te hayan dado muchos consejos sobre cómo mitigar sus desagradables efectos. O tal vez todos discutieron formas de prevenir la resaca antes de comenzar la fiesta. Pero, ¿cuánto de este consejo es sólido y cuánto es solo un rumor? Antes de que te dirijas a tu próxima bacanal, sigue leyendo para conocer la verdad frente a la ficción cuando se trata de resacas.

1. La deshidratación causa resacas
2. Solo los bebedores compulsivos tienen resaca
3. Hombres y mujeres corren el mismo riesgo
4. El vino o la cerveza es una opción más segura
5. Comer alimentos absorberá algo de alcohol
6. Tylenol disminuirá la resaca del mañana
7. Una ducha fría o un café solo te aliviarán
8. El 'pelo del perro' borrará tu dolor
9. Los remedios herbales curan la resaca
10. Las resacas no son gran cosa

Es cierto que puedes deshidratarte si consumes mucho alcohol. Beber alcohol te hace orinar más, lo que a su vez te deshidrata. Sin embargo, no es la deshidratación en sí lo que causa la resaca. Después de una noche de borrachera, puedes beber unos cuantos vasos de agua y rehidratarte por completo, y aun así despertarte con un dolor de cabeza terrible y dolor de estómago. Esto se debe a que varios factores se combinan para crear una resaca, principalmente una caída en el nivel de azúcar en la sangre (que puede causar temblores, cambios de humor y debilidad), exceso de irritación estomacal (dolor de estómago, náuseas y vómitos), mala calidad del sueño (que lo cansa) y sangre dilatada buques (aquí viene el dolor de cabeza) [fuentes: National Public Radio , Nordqvist ].

Es posible que la gente le diga que beba mucha agua antes de empezar a beber, por ejemplo, o que alterne bebidas alcohólicas con agua. O si te olvidas de hacerlo, te pueden recomendar que tomes un gran vaso de agua antes de acostarte. Estar deshidratado puede causarle mareos y sensación de sed, así que definitivamente beba un poco de agua antes de acostarse y cuando se despierte, pero sepa que no es la fuente de su resaca.

Beber en exceso, o beber una cantidad excesiva de alcohol en poco tiempo, es definitivamente una forma de casi garantizar una resaca al día siguiente. Sin embargo, ciertamente no tienes que ser un bebedor compulsivo para experimentar uno. De hecho, algunas personas pueden tener resaca después de un solo trago. ¿Cómo es esto posible?

Que tengas resaca después de beber depende de numerosos factores, incluido el tamaño de tu cuerpo y tu sexo. El hombre promedio tendrá algún tipo de resaca después de beber de cinco a ocho tragos, mientras que una mujer solo tendrá que beber de tres a cinco para obtener el mismo efecto [fuente: Johns Hopkins Medicine ]. Además, su origen étnico puede influir en la probabilidad de que tenga resaca. Los japoneses, por ejemplo, tienden a desarrollar resacas después de beber menos porque sus cuerpos son genéticamente menos capaces de descomponer el acetaldehído , el principal subproducto del alcohol. ¿ Sufres de migrañas ? Entonces probablemente también sea más propenso a las resacas, al igual que aquellos que toman ciertos medicamentos que afectan el hígado .enzimas Irónicamente, aquellos que beben licor regularmente a menudo tienen menos probabilidades de emborracharse o sufrir resaca a la mañana siguiente [fuentes: Hudepohl , Johns Hopkins Medicine ].

Si eres mujer, ten cuidado. Es más probable que te reciban con un dolor de cabeza palpitante, dolor de estómago y algodón en la boca el día después de beber que un hombre, incluso si tienes la misma altura, tamaño y peso. ¿Cómo puede ser esto?

Men's bodies contain a higher percentage of water than women's bodies -- 55 to 65 percent for men, 45 to 55 percent for women -- which helps dilute any alcohol they consume [source: Cornell University]. Men also have more gastric alcohol dehydrogenase in their bodies, an enzyme that helps metabolize alcohol. This means men are able to break down booze when it's still in their stomach -- before it reaches their bloodstream and starts affecting their blood alcohol concentration, or BAC.

Another contributing factor? Women have a higher percentage of fat in their bodies. And fat can't absorb alcohol. Finally, female hormonal changes can affect their BAC. Studies show women will maintain their peak degree of intoxication longer than normal if they're taking oral contraceptives and during the week before they menstruate. All of these factors combined mean a woman will pretty much always become more intoxicated than a similarly sized man, even if she ingests a smaller amount of alcohol [sources: Cornell University, Hudepohl, WebMD].

Many people swear it's better to drink wine or beer than hard liquor. There's even a little ditty to help you remember what to do when you might want to drink several different alcoholic beverages in one evening: "Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, never fear." So many misconceptions!

First, you can get drunk on any type of alcohol -- wine, beer, hard liquor and diet cocktails. And it doesn't matter in which order you've consumed them, it just matters how much total alcohol you've ingested into your system. That being said, there are a few things to keep in mind:

If only this were true! How nice it would be to be able to drink as much as you wanted, then negate any nasty aftereffects by downing a juicy burger or some hot, salty fries. (Is that why we like a greasy spoon after a night of drinking?) Food can definitely help prevent a hangover. But you have to eat before you start drinking for this to occur. If you've eaten first, your stomach will be busy digesting your meal once you start knocking them back.

Fatty foods like pizza take the longest time to digest and are your best choice. Any alcohol you ingest will thus reach your bloodstream more slowly. This means you'd have to drink quite a bit of booze and/or drink for a long time to become drunk and develop a hangover. Haven't eaten much since lunch? Then it won't take too many martinis to become inebriated. Rather than gobbling down some tacos or pancakes afterward, though, it's best to drink some water before turning in for the night [source: Hudepohl].

There are two errors in this common-but-mistaken belief. First, you should never take acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol) when you've been drinking. Acetaminophen is an over-the-counter pain-relief medication that is processed by your liver -- the same organ responsible for metabolizing any alcohol you consume. After a lot of heavy drinking, since your liver is busy metabolizing the alcohol, any acetaminophen you take (whether Tylenol or a prescription drug containing it like Percocet or Darvocet) is processed by a different metabolic pathway, which can become toxic. You may experience liver inflammation, swelling and even permanent damage. It's much safer to take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as aspirin or ibuprofen [sources: Cicetti, Hudepohl].

But don't take that aspirin or ibuprofen right after drinking. That's the second mistaken notion. When you take one of these medications, it provides the most relief over the next few hours, when you'll likely be asleep and not feeling any pain anyway. Far better to take the pain reliever in the morning. Both of these drugs, by the way, will combat both headache pain and any inflammation in your body [source: Peterson].

You had one too many last night. You're exhausted and hungover and just can't get out of bed this morning. But it's time to get going, you have to be somewhere. One of your friends starts making a pot of strong coffee while the other turns on the shower, cranking the dial to cold. Without further ado you're shoved into the shower for a few minutes, then handed a cup of hot coffee. This will surely chase away your hangover and get you up and at 'em.

It's true a cold shower and hot, caffeinated coffee might perk you up a bit. But neither one will cure that hangover. That will only happen once all of the alcohol is out of your system and your body resets itself. Drinking coffee, by the way, could actually make your hangover worse. Alcohol dehydrates you, and coffee exacerbates dehydration since it's a diuretic . So swap out the coffee for water, especially if you've been vomiting, which is yet another cause of dehydration [sources: Peterson, WebMD].

In medieval times, people believed that if you were bitten by a rabid dog, you'd be cured if you plucked some hair from said nasty canine and applied it to your wound. Around this same time, people also began to profess that if you suffered from a hangover, you could cure it by drinking a little more hooch – i.e., partaking of "the hair of the dog that bit me." This phrase was actually recorded as far back as 1546 by John Heywood in "A dialogue conteinyng the number in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue" [source: Martin].

Unfortunately, this longstanding belief is inaccurate. It's true that if you sip a bit of alcohol the day after you over-imbibe, you won't have a hangover -- not right away, at least. Hangovers start knocking on the door when your blood-alcohol level begins to drop; the pain is the worst when there's no alcohol left in your system. So if you pour a little more down your gullet, you'll prop up that level and forestall the hangover. But at some point you'll have to face the music and stop drinking. Your blood-alcohol level will then drop, and the hangover will hit. Rather than reaching for the bottle, you'll be better served guzzling some water or a sports drink, the latter of which can help you replace lost electrolytes as well as rehydrate you [source: Hudepohl].

You may have seen them in the store: Drinkin' Mate. PreToxx. RU 21. Their premise sounds appealing. Simply pop one of these pills in your mouth, or dissolve the tablet in water, and you'll prevent or cure your hangover. These aids typically contain natural ingredients the manufacturers claim thwart hangovers. Drinkin' Mate, for example, contains guava leaf extract that supposedly will combat the toxins and increased free-radical activity caused by consuming alcohol. PreToxx, a vegetarian capsule with prickly pear extract and milk thistle, purportedly helps prevent hangover symptoms and, if taken daily, helps ensure healthy liver functioning.

But researchers say none of the hangover pills that have been studied are effective; at best they combat just a portion of your hangover (e.g., just cotton-mouth). So if you're trying to avoid a hangover or help your body by replacing nutrients lost by excessive alcohol consumption -- the claim some of these remedies make -- it may be better simply to take a multivitamin [sources: Harding, The BMJ].

Fifty percent of Americans say they've gone to work hungover, according to a study by Blowfish for Hangovers, maker of an anti-hangover dissolvable tablet. And another 20 percent have called in sick because of a hangover. That's a lot of people. So that must mean getting a one is a pretty typical thing, and not a big deal at all. Au contraire, mon frere.

When you develop a hangover, your body is crying for help. Basically, you've contaminated it with too much booze. That pounding headache? It's the alcohol messing up your central nervous system and brain chemicals. Your queasy stomach? The hooch has irritated and inflamed the lining in your gut [source: WebMD]. Sure, you may recover quickly. Or maybe you won't mind spending one day in misery after having a lot of fun. But the bottom line is that overdoing it is always risky. If you drink too much, you may develop alcohol poisoning and fall into a stupor, develop seizures or begin to breathe irregularly. You could even die. And no drink or party is remotely worth that.

Author's Note: 10 Myths About Hangovers

Yes, I've had a hangover or two in my life. Luckily, they were back in my youthful days. I agree with the experts who say the best advice on dealing with a hangover is not to get one in the first place.

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