Finally, the evidence that explains so many things…
Picture this: it’s the morning after your cousin’s wedding. You wake up, and you just about manage to work out where you are and what day it is. You’ve still got half of your outfit on from last night (maybe even the shoes), and most of your make-up is half-way down your face (the other half smeared across the pillow). The worst part is, you’re just not quite sure how it got to this point, or why…
It’s a classic start to The Hangover 4 that we’ve lived on many momentous occasions. But this hangover is special – it’s different to the groggy mornings at work after a few pints at the pub, or even the uni nights out where you got through far too much supermarket vodka than you anticipated. This is the searing-pain-through-your-skull hangover, the foul-taste-in-your-mouth hangover, the need-to-sit-down-almost-immediately-after-you-have-attempted-to-stand-up-for-the-fourth-time hangover… and it’s only 11am at this point.
We all struggle to remember the evenings that lead to the hangovers we remember the most – many of which have left us wondering who or what to blame. Well, we can now reveal that a culprit has been identified, questioned and sentenced for crimes inflicted in hangover hell. Of course, it’s none other than the devil itself: PROSECCO.
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You may have felt bubbly about the bubbly at the time, but experts can now confirm it is this party-starter that leaves us all feeling our worst. Marco Castelanelli, sommelier and founder of Club Vino in Manchester, has described how prosecco and champagne contain pockets of carbon dioxide, which changes how the alcohol flows through your blood stream, helping your body to absorb the alcohol faster and therefore increasing its groggy effects.
Once in your bloodstream, the Co2 competes with oxygen. This explains why you felt so tipsy after just that first tipple, before tumbling down into turmoil after the second and third glass. It’s exactly this that leads to that head-pounding hangover that we all know too well.
We are now left with a huge dilemma. Of course, we love to sip prosecco at bottomless brunches and pretend to be classy for an hour or two. On the other hand, the thought of waking up to that same intense pain is something we can’t bear the thought of again. We have sworn to never self-induce this agony far too many times, and frankly it has really got to end.
Luckily, Castelanelli reckons he has the tricks to conquering the consequences of our prosecco-filled evenings. Rule number one: drink a glass of water with every glass of prosecco to reduce dehydration. Fight that nasty Co2 with more life-saving H2O, and you’ll be waking up for Sunday walks in no time.
Another slice of advice from the Italian sommelier is to take things slow while enjoying your fizz. And, of course, never drink on an empty stomach.
Finally, end your night with another large glass of water, before saying a prayer to the hangover heavens, and hoping for the best until morning.