It’s not just comfort eating…
The morning after a particularly heavy night out is the unfortunate downside of indulging in the effects of a few jars of wobbly water.
Your head may be pounding and you’re feeling a smidgen fragile as you think back on all the conversations you can recall and then cringe at the absolute shite you were talking.
Many people choose to spend this day afterwards eating and drinking copious amounts of sugary and junk foods such as cans of coke and pizzas. It’s comfort food after all.
It’s not really your fault though as morning-after alcohol hunger is a real thing and why it happens is quite simple really.
“The metabolism of alcohol can alter blood sugar balance by depleting your storage of glycogen, or carbohydrates,” says gastroenterologist and weight management physician Nitin Kumar, M.D speaking to Men’s Health.
Glycogen is what your body likes to fuel itself off so when you use your glycogen stores to metabolise the alcohol, your body is crying out for more. Hence, your body urges you to replace these stores and makes you hungry.
You get glycogen from carbohydrates which is why sugary foods and drink seem hugely appetising while bread may also become a craving.
Alcohol reduces the levels of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) in the bloodstream. When there’s less ADH in the blood, your kidneys do not reabsorb as much water and as a consequence, your body produces more urine. This is why you’re often dehydrated the morning after drinking alcohol.
The dehydration adds to our cravings and can make you want salty foods, so when all of this is taken into account, it’s hardly surprising that you binge on bad food the day after drinking alcohol.
Solutions vary, you can obviously reduce the amount of alcohol you drink or drink plenty of water both during your night out and the next morning.
We’re not saying this will eradicate the hunger completely but it may help reduce the cravings…
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