When the balance disappears: What alcohol triggers in the body

Complex processes take place in the human body during a night of drinking, for example on New Year's Eve. Alcohol causes the accelerator and brake pedals in the brain to be depressed simultaneously, metaphorically speaking, and delicate processes are thrown out of sync, as Martin Morgenthaler, Senior Consultant at the Neurology Clinic at the Westpfalz-Klinikum in Kaiserslautern, explains. All of this happens just a short time after the first sip of champagne, wine, beer or schnapps.

Alcohol reaches the brain just six minutes after ingestion. The cells there are surrounded by a sheath in which many transport functions take place, which in turn determine the cell's state of activity. Alcohol has a dampening effect in the vast majority of brain regions, explained Morgenthaler. There is an increase in chloride ions, which has a slowing effect on cell processes - "especially on the transmission of stimuli, i.e. communication between cells".

"My reaction decreases, I get dizzy, my vision deteriorates, I can no longer assess situations properly," said Morgenthaler. Alcohol also has an effect on the energy supply of the cells. The processes of the mitochondria, the power plants of the cells, are slowed down. This effect is even more pronounced when alcohol is consumed together with nicotine.

Extreme case of film rupture

The extreme case of such stimulus attenuation is the proverbial film break. Then the transfer from short-term to long-term memory no longer works. The work of the synapses, the connections between nerve cells, is slowed down in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that functions as a kind of buffer. "From a medical point of view, film rupture is an amnesia for things that I am currently experiencing," explained Morgenthaler.

There are fragmentary film tears when "islands of memory" remain. "I can still remember certain points, but there are gaps in between," he said. In the case of a complete film break, an evening or night is completely gone. "The probability of this happening increases the faster and the more alcohol I consume." And it becomes even greater if different alcoholic drinks are consumed at the same time or alcohol is combined with drugs.

Danger of addiction

Alcohol has an activating effect in a few regions of the brain. "That's why we then have this euphoric effect, are a little more disinhibited, because messenger substances such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin are released," said Morgenthaler. This can lead to a state of intoxication that you want to have again and again, which can lead to addiction. "That's what we have with binge drinking or coma drinking."

Morgenthaler said that the interplay between the mainly dampening, but occasionally also activating effect of alcohol 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 there is completely thrown off."

Why the head is buzzing

According to the doctor, there are a number of reasons why your head often hums the next day. Firstly, acetaldehyde is produced when alcohol is broken down. This has an effect on the metabolism in the brain, where cytokines - the body's own messenger substances - are altered and free oxygen radicals are formed, which causes headaches. In addition, every alcoholic drink contains methanol. When it is broken down, formaldehyde and acetic acid are produced, which also cause hangovers.

"A second point is dehydration," said Morgenthaler. Alcohol, like coffee, makes you go to the toilet more often. "Alcohol inhibits the production of the hormone vasopressin. This actually ensures that water stays in the body. If production is inhibited, I simply excrete more." As a result, the body loses minerals. It is advisable to follow every glass of alcohol with a glass of water. "This also protects against oesophageal cancer because it flushes the alcohol out of the oesophagus a little."

Sleeping worse

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," said the neurologist. "But this is reversed at night." The toxins produced when alcohol is broken down cause you to wake up again and again and you have to go to the toilet more often. "Many people also feel thirsty, wake up and have a very fractional sleep."

Alcohol also influences deep sleep, which then no longer encompasses all regions of the brain. The frontal lobe in the brain remains active after alcohol consumption, even during sleep, which has an effect on the so-called REM sleep phase. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, i.e. rapid eye movements associated with this phase. If the frontal lobe remains active, dreams tend to be negative and the following day you often feel tired and exhausted.