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Your head is pounding, your mouth is dry and you're cursing the morning sunshine. If you spent last night celebrating a little too much, you may be paying the price.

What you're experiencing is commonly known as a hangover. It's a group of unpleasant symptoms that can develop after drinking too much alcohol. And you're not the only person to feel the misery. Hangovers date back to ancient Egypt and Greece — or perhaps even to prehistoric times.

The more alcohol you drink, the more likely you are to have a hangover the next day. But there's no magic formula. A single alcoholic drink is enough to trigger a hangover for some people, while others may drink heavily and escape a hangover entirely.

However unpleasant, most hangovers go away on their own within eight to 24 hours. If you choose to drink alcohol, doing so responsibly can help you avoid future hangovers.

Signs and symptoms of a hangover typically begin within several hours after the last drink. Depending on what you drank and how much you drank, you may notice:

• Fatigue
• Thirst
• Headaches and muscle aches
• Nausea, vomiting or stomach pain
• Poor or decreased sleep
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Dizziness or a sense of the room spinning
• Rapid heartbeat
• Shakiness
• Sweating
• Decreased ability to concentrate
• Mood disturbances such as depression, anxiety and irritation

Hangovers are caused by drinking too much alcohol. About 75 percent of people who drink to intoxication will have a hangover the next day. Various factors may contribute to the problem. For example:

• Alcohol stimulates your body to produce more urine. In turn, urinating more than usual can lead to dehydration — often characterized by thirst, dizziness and lightheadedness.
• Alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach, increases the production of stomach acid and delays stomach emptying. Any of these factors can cause abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.
• Alcohol can cause your blood sugar to fall. If your blood sugar dips too low, you may experience fatigue, weakness, shakiness and mood disturbances.
• Alcohol causes your blood vessels to expand, which can lead to headaches.
• Alcohol can make you sleepy — but your quality of sleep will suffer. This may leave you groggy and fatigued.
• Ingredients called congeners — which give many types of alcohol their flavor — can contribute to hangovers. Congeners are found in larger amounts in dark liquors, such as brandy and whiskey, than in clear liquors, such as vodka and gin.

Anyone who drinks alcohol can experience a hangover, but some people are more susceptible to hangovers than others. Women may be more likely to experience hangovers than men are, perhaps because women tend to weigh less and have lower percentages of total body water. A genetic variation that affects the way alcohol is metabolized may make some people flush, sweat or become ill after drinking even a small amount of alcohol.

Studies haven't clearly shown whether light drinkers or heavy drinkers are more likely to experience hangovers.

Hangovers go away on their own. Consult your doctor if you're concerned about your alcohol use or you can't control your drinking. Treatment is available.

Hangovers themselves aren't usually associated with complications — but drinking too much alcohol can cause serious problems. In addition to impaired judgment and coordination, short-term memory loss and fatigue, drinking too much alcohol may lead to:

• Alcohol poisoning. Taken in large enough quantities, alcohol can cause a life-threatening coma by severely depressing the brain centers that control breathing and heartbeat.
• Liver disorders. Drinking heavily can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. Eventually hepatitis may lead to cirrhosis, the irreversible and progressive destruction of liver tissue.
• Gastrointestinal problems. Drinking too much alcohol can damage the pancreas and inflame the lining of the stomach (gastritis).
• Nutritional problems. Heavy drinking interferes with the absorption of the B vitamins — particularly folic acid and thiamin — and other nutrients.
• Cardiovascular problems. Excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure and damage your heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).
• Diabetes complications. Alcohol can cause your blood sugar to fall, which can be especially dangerous if you have diabetes and are taking insulin to lower your blood sugar.
• Sexual dysfunction. A man who drinks too much alcohol may not be able to sustain an erection.
• Neurological complications. Excessive drinking can affect your nervous system, causing numbness of your hands and feet (neuropathy), disordered thinking and dementia.
• Psychological complications. Excessive drinking can lead to or complicate depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions.
• Medication interactions. Mixing alcohol and over-the-counter or prescription medications can be dangerous. Alcohol can keep some drugs from doing what they're supposed to do, such as treating or preventing a particular condition. Alcohol can also increase the likelihood of unwanted or serious side effects.
• Birth defects. If you drink during pregnancy, your baby may be born with birth defects or fetal alcohol syndrome. This condition causes mental retardation and behavioral problems.
• Increased risk of cancer. Chronic alcohol abuse has been linked to a higher risk of cancer of the esophagus, larynx, liver and colon.

From pulling your hair to drinking sauerkraut juice or raw eggs and Worcestershire sauce, home remedies for hangovers abound. Pharmacy shelves are often stocked with hangover remedies as well. But in the end, time is the only sure cure. Here are a few things you can do to help yourself feel better in the meantime:

• Fill your water bottle. Sip water or fruit juice to prevent dehydration. Resist any temptation to treat your hangover with more alcohol. It'll only make you feel worse. Be careful with caffeinated beverages, too. They can make you think you're alert when you're really not.
• Have a snack. Bland foods, such as toast and crackers, may boost your blood sugar and settle your stomach. Bouillon soup can help replace lost salt and potassium. Foods and drinks that contain fructose, such as honey or fruit juice, may help your body burn the alcohol faster.
• Take a pain reliever. An over-the-counter pain reliever may ease your headache. But there are a few caveats. Aspirin can irritate your stomach. And if you sometimes drink alcohol to excess, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can cause severe liver damage.
• Go back to bed. If you sleep long enough, your hangover may be gone when you wake up.

There are no surprises here. Despite various over-the-counter pills and tablets that claim to prevent hangovers, the only guaranteed way to prevent a hangover is to avoid alcohol. If you choose to drink, do so responsibly and in moderation. The less you drink, the less likely you are to have a hangover.

It may help to:

• Eat first. Alcohol is absorbed more quickly if your stomach is empty. It may help to drink a glass of milk before drinking alcohol. Milk slows the absorption of alcohol by coating the lining of your stomach.
• Take it slow. Drinking isn't a contest. Pace yourself.
• Choose carefully. Beverages with fewer congeners — such as vodka and gin — are less likely to cause hangovers than beverages with more congeners — such as brandy and whiskey. Carbonated drink mixers, such as club soda, may deliver more alcohol to your bloodstream than noncarbonated mixers, such as fruit juice.
• Be consistent. Drinking more than one type of alcohol over the course of an evening can contribute to a hangover.
• Sip water between drinks. Drinking one glass of water after each alcoholic drink will help you stay hydrated. It'll also help you drink less alcohol.
• Keep it low-key. Smoking, loud music and flashing lights can contribute to hangover headaches.

Also know your limits. Decide ahead of time how many drinks you'll have — and stick to it. Don't feel pressured to drink.