Hangover is mostly a lack of sleep?

[toodlepipsqueaks]

Posting out of a mixture of curiosity and desperation

Does anyone else feel exactly the same when they haven't got enough sleep (as in only a few hours of sleep rather than slightly less than you'd like) as when they're hungover?

I've wondered this for a while, but last night for instance I had to stay up for work into the early hours and somehow my body still forced me awake quite early this morning. I now feel absolutely appalling - not obviously tired but a massive headache, stale feeling in my throat, and nausea. Exact same overall feeling as when I'm hungover.

It always makes me wonder whether with hangovers some people are not so much reacting to the alcohol but the lack of sleep after?

And does that mean I should treat how I'm feeling today as I would a hangover? In which case I'm screwed because nothing ever works for me! 😭 Please tell me your tips if you have the same!

Hangovers are mostly dehydration rather than lack of sleep.

Get yourself a pint of water and a cool shower and see if that helps.

I know what you mean I feel crap if I've had no sleep, I usually need sugar to keep me going. Phizz tablets are good, I use them for hangovers and lack of sleep, also in hot weather.

Yes I think that's a big part of why hangovers feel so bad. I stopped drinking completely a year and a half ago mainly because I could no longer stand the way hangovers make me feel. Since then the only thing that comes close to feeling like a hangover is when I have a really bad night's sleep although I don't have that dried out feeling or nausea you get with hangovers. Sleep is so important, it's horrid when you feel your not getting enough.

I get hangovers after socialising. I don't drink any more (though I used to, so I know what a hangover feels like!). I have the social skills of a brick and find socialising very stressful.

I always felt worse if I went to sleep for an hour or so after drinking then waking up than if Id just stayed up I found.

Yep, I get sleep hangovers nowadays - but I’d say this has only been since mid 30s so I wonder if it’s a function of age as well.

Best thing for me is 20minute naps and copious amounts of green tea.

Hangovers are mostly dehydration rather than lack of sleep.

Yes, the headache in particular is entirely dehydration. Water alone won't stave off a hangover because the alcohol is a diuretic. You probably already have plenty of liquid in you but the body doesn't retain it.

I used to drink a lot and fast but never got hangovers because I had a Tia Maria and orange juice every third drink, or at least a ribena or fresh orange before bed.

The vitamin c acts as an anti-diuretic and causes you to retain water.

When I was sleep deprived with a newborn I had about 80% of a bad hangover. The horrible fuzzy feeling was exactly the same.

Sounds familiar TBH. I don't do well with sleep deprivation, and alcohol now disrupts my sleep more than I ever recall in the past, I have wondered about this.

Alcohol causes a disruption to rem sleep too which is meant to be good for us! So that's another reason why when hungover you're shattered !

Absolutely. That's why I prefer lunchtime drinking now!

Thank you all - so not just me! I finally feel human again today after a good night's sleep - just couldn't shift the headache (paracetamol wouldn't touch it), fuzziness and queasiness yesterday. So just like a hangover.

Interesting to try to understand if dehydration comes into it, with @Snailsetssail pointing out that that's the main issue with a hangover. Maybe the body uses reserves like water differently if you're that tired?

To conclude - I don't want to feel like that again - really hoping I can figure it out before kids!