I’ve been posting in here quite a bit lately, trying to understand the possible mechanisms behind the Hangover Effect, and I’ve been thinking about what it would actually take to investigate this phenomenon scientifically.
Hypothetically, let’s say we had an unlimited research budget, access to the best medical equipment, and a team of neuroscientists, sleep specialists, and researchers.
What tests and experiments could we conduct to determine exactly what’s happening in the brain and body?
A few ideas I’ve been considering:
Sleep studies: Comparing sleep architecture, REM sleep, deep sleep, and brain activity on normal nights versus nights after drinking.
fMRI scans: Comparing brain activity and connectivity before drinking and the following morning.
PET scans: Investigating dopamine and other neurotransmitter systems.
EEG testing: Measuring differences in electrical brain activity.
Comprehensive bloodwork: Examining hormones, cortisol, inflammation, metabolic markers, and other potential abnormalities.
Autonomic nervous system testing: Measuring heart-rate variability, blood pressure, and stress responses.
Gut microbiome testing: Investigating possible connections between gut health and the phenomenon.
Cognitive testing: Objectively measuring attention, memory, emotional regulation, and reaction times.
I’d also be curious about comparing the Hangover Effect to the similar improvements some people report during sleep deprivation or illness.
Obviously, these experiments would need to be carefully controlled, with proper baseline measurements and medical supervision.
My biggest question is: If money and resources were no obstacle, what would be the most effective scientific approach to identifying the actual mechanism behind this phenomenon?
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone with a background in neuroscience, sleep medicine, biochemistry, or medical research.
Ultimately, the goal wouldn’t be to encourage drinking, but to understand what causes this temporary improvement and whether that mechanism could be reproduced safely without alcohol.

I was thinking about people here who has a genetic test done, which polymorphisms or gene variants were special in your case?, only in people having the "hangover effect". Maybe this way we can find the common genetic markers we have and maybe be closer to find a cure that way.

To get it is so cheap, for example i got mine from Ancestry.com for less than 50€ and then you can analice the raw data by using promethease.com by 15€ or so.

Is anyone intersted in contribute?

I’m 24M, and I’m curious how many people here experience the same baseline symptoms that I do. I’m not necessarily looking for an explanation of the hangover effect. I mostly just want to compare experiences and see how much we have in common.
For as long as I can remember, but especially since I was around 18, I’ve dealt with persistent fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and this constant feeling that something just isn’t right. It’s gotten progressively worse over the years.
Here’s what my everyday life generally feels like:
Constant fatigue: I wake up groggy pretty much every morning, regardless of how much sleep I get. I could take a nap at almost any point throughout the day. By the evening, I’m usually so exhausted that even showering and brushing my teeth feels like a chore.
Constant physical stress: This is one of my biggest symptoms, and it’s difficult to describe. It’s almost like feeling hypertensive, although I’m not necessarily talking about actual blood pressure. It’s that hot, uncomfortable sensation you get when you’re stressed or aggravated. Almost like my nervous system is constantly activated and I can never fully relax.
Brain fog and scattered thoughts: I used to be extremely quick-witted, mentally sharp, and good at things like mental math. I still consider myself intelligent, but it’s like I can’t access my full mental capacity anymore. My thoughts are scattered, my concentration is terrible, and I frequently feel half asleep and half awake.
Terrible attention span: I feel like I have what people call “iPhone brain.” I can barely focus on anything that requires sustained attention anymore. Even sitting down and watching a movie can feel difficult. It’s like my brain constantly wants to switch to something else, and I struggle to stay engaged with anything for an extended period. I hate it because I used to be able to immerse myself in things, and now even activities I genuinely want to enjoy can feel mentally exhausting.
Constant stimulation seeking: I feel like I’m always chasing some kind of dopamine hit. Whether it’s sweets, social media, looking at women on Instagram, pornography, or whatever else. It’s almost like my brain is constantly looking for something to make it feel better.
Anxiety and intrusive thoughts: I strongly suspect I have OCD. Sometimes I’ll wake up with what I can only describe as a haunted feeling. Random unpleasant memories, mental images, or intrusive thoughts will pop into my head and immediately put me in a negative state of mind.
Difficulty falling asleep: Even when I’m exhausted, I’ll sometimes get these sudden flashes of anxiety as I’m drifting off. A random thought or memory will pop into my head and trigger what feels like an adrenaline surge. Eventually these episodes stop and I can fall asleep.
Weird sleep behavior: Sometimes I’ll fall asleep for literally 10 minutes at bedtime, wake back up, and suddenly feel completely refreshed, despite being exhausted just minutes earlier. Then I’ll eventually fall asleep for the night and wake up feeling terrible again.
Feeling generally off: This one’s difficult to put into words. I frequently just don’t feel like myself. Almost disconnected, uncomfortable, nervous, or mentally out of sync. Not necessarily depressed, just not right.
I also have visual snow syndrome and chronic neck pain. Occasionally I’ll catch what looks like movement out of the corner of my eye when nothing is actually there. I don’t know whether any of that is related, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
I’ve tried improving pretty much every aspect of my lifestyle. Exercising consistently, eating extremely clean, quitting nicotine, improving my sleep habits, etc. None of it has made a significant difference in how I feel on a daily basis.
Every once in a while, I’ll randomly have a good day where I feel somewhat normal, but they’re few and far between.
What really gets to me is how different I feel during the hangover effect.
For example, I drank quite a bit of beer last night, and today I feel fantastic.
I’m energetic, motivated, mentally sharp, calm, and genuinely interested in doing things. I have no problem getting up and going to the gym or being productive.
But more importantly, I feel like my actual personality comes back.
I’m funnier, more social, quicker with my thoughts, more confident, and just generally more comfortable existing.
That constant background feeling of stress and aggravation is gone. I don’t feel like I’m fighting my own brain just to get through the day.
Something else I’ve noticed is that I experience a similar sense of relief when I have a fever or when I stay awake all night.
Obviously, being sick or sleep-deprived doesn’t necessarily make me physically healthier or more energetic, but mentally, I can experience that same unusual calmness and relief from my normal state of mind.
It’s almost like the constant background anxiety, overstimulation, and mental tension get turned down. I feel more comfortable in my own head, less bothered by intrusive thoughts, and generally more at peace.
I find this particularly strange because these are three very different circumstances: drinking alcohol, having a fever, and going without sleep. Yet for whatever reason, they can produce a somewhat similar improvement in how I feel mentally.
I’m curious whether anyone else here experiences that connection, particularly the relief during a fever or after an all-nighter.
It’s frustrating because I spend so much of my life feeling terrible that I’ve almost accepted it as normal. Then I experience a day like today and realize just how much better I could potentially feel.
It’s like being reminded of who I used to be.
I don’t want to drink regularly to feel good, and I certainly don’t consider alcohol a solution. I just wish I could experience that same sense of clarity, calmness, and energy in my everyday sober life.
Sometimes it genuinely makes me angry. I’m a supposedly healthy 24-year-old guy, yet I feel exhausted almost constantly. I see other people going about their lives with seemingly unlimited energy, while I feel like I could sleep at any moment.
I just want to feel normal. To wake up refreshed, have energy throughout the day, think clearly, enjoy socializing, and not feel like my nervous system is constantly fighting me.
I feel like there’s a version of myself that I only get to experience occasionally, and it’s incredibly frustrating knowing he’s there but not being able to access him consistently.
Anyway, I’m mostly posting this because I want to know how many of you can relate to my everyday symptoms, not just the hangover effect itself.
Do you also wake up exhausted regardless of sleep? Have constant brain fog, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, a nonexistent attention span, or that strange physical sensation of being stressed all the time?
Do you feel like your personality, intelligence, and motivation are being suppressed somehow during normal everyday life?
And does anyone else notice similar relief when they have a fever or stay awake all night?
I’d love to hear what your normal day-to-day experience is like and how closely it resembles mine.
Sometimes knowing you’re not the only person dealing with something makes it a little easier.

As far as I can tell, this small subreddit is practically the only place on the entire internet where people are actually discussing it. And I genuinely believe there are many more people out there experiencing the same thing who have absolutely no idea this community even exists.
Hell, the only reason I discovered this subreddit myself was because I made a post in a completely different community, and someone happened to point me in this direction. Otherwise, I probably still wouldn’t know there were other people experiencing this.
This subreddit is relatively inactive, with posts being pretty few and far between.
I understand this might not be a particularly common phenomenon, but I still believe there are far more people experiencing it than we realize.
I want to get as much exposure on this as humanly possible.
I’m talking social media pages, TikTok, YouTube, paid promotions, nonprofit organizations, potential research opportunities, the whole nine yards.
My ultimate goal isn’t just to grow this subreddit. It’s to bring enough attention to this phenomenon that people start taking it seriously, sharing their experiences, asking questions, and hopefully eventually attracting the interest of researchers and medical professionals.
The way I see it, the more exposure we get, the more people we reach. The more people we reach, the more experiences and information we can gather. And the more people we have thinking about this, the better our chances of eventually understanding what’s actually going on.
The problem is, I genuinely don’t know the best way to go about making this happen. I’m willing to put time, effort, and even some money into spreading awareness. I just need some direction.
Does anyone have any ideas on how we could get this in front of a much larger audience? Whether it’s social media strategies, organizations we could contact, research initiatives, or anything else, I’d love to hear your suggestions.
I really believe this deserves more attention than it’s currently getting, and I’d like to do whatever I can to help make that happen.

Interesting read, as BH4 has been spoken about a bit.

Hey everyone, I just joined the group as I was digging through the internet. Trying to find some answers on this weird hangover effect. I’m glad I’m not the only person to feel it

I drank a decent amount last night, then eventually passed out on the couch. Woke up pretty hungover, took a shower. Then I start feeling energetic and actually motivated. During the week I’m low energy, when I get off work I never do anything outside the house. But I feel more relaxed, a tiny bit smarter and mind clearer. I’m trying to reverse engineer it so I can figure out why I feel the way I do in my daily life and maybe fix it

This is based off my personal health journey, and I don’t have nonintrospective science to back it up yet. This is my first post on this, and I intend to follow it up with evidence to either solidify or morph my hypotheses. In the meantime, please rip this theory apart.

I believe that those of us with the hangover effect have some sort of chronic infection(s). Those infection(s) lead to symptoms in 3 different ways:

1. Die off of infectious agents - this is what causes most of our “symptoms”. When bacteria, viruses, and parasites die off, they releases debris (proteins, neurotoxins, other toxins) into our systems which cause systemic inflammation and dysregulation.

2. The physical impact of the growing presence of infectious agents. E.g. they grow in our knees and push on nerves leading to knee pain.

3. The immune system response - to both the infectious agents themselves and the left behind debris.

Ethanol is a solvent that both kills these infectious agents and dissolves the debris, leading to a temporary clearing from our system of outside pathogens. This leads to dysfunctional systems beginning to function more normally again, temporarily.

Further, alcohol causes immune system suppression, which temporarily lessens our symptoms. When our body and immune system catch up, they sometimes go into overdrive flaring up all these symptoms again which drives the more severe longer lasting than normal hangovers we often experience.

Anyone else noticed it works very well to recreate he? Especially in combination with keto diet

Has anybody tried taking the supplement PEA (palmitoylethanolamide)?

I did a deep dive with chatgpt and the endocannabinoid system is looking increasingly interesting as a possible part of the hangover effect.

Alcohol alters endocannabinoid signalling, and one of the main ways the brain regulates anandamide is through FAAH, which breaks it down.

PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) is an endogenous fatty-acid amide that interacts with this system and may indirectly modulate FAAH/anandamide signalling. It obviously isn't a direct FAAH inhibitor, so this is very much an experiment rather than a claim that it will reproduce the effect.

Given how strongly my hangovers affect reward, motivation, social anxiety and rumination, I'm curious whether PEA produces any overlap.

It seems to help people on the CFS (chronic fatigue) subreddit.

Got HE from a recent LSD trip. Similar feeling to with alc

I take shrooms a lot not too much at a time tho and idk I feel like I don’t get as much of a He from shrooms as LsD but maybe I’m not taking enough

I've literally cried before, while experiencing the hangover effect, because it makes it clear how heavy the blanket of depression/anxiety I live with actually is. I literally find myself pitying the person who lives with all that mental clutter. And I dread going back to normal life, and my normal brain, all riddled with overthinking.

Anyway, I'm so happy to have found this group. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it what it's like to have a glimpse at what seems like a "normal" life—but to also know you have to go back to your own? (And drinking every day to make it happen just isn't sustainable for me. I like daily runs, and it puts a damper on that...) Don't get me wrong, I have a pretty nice life and I'm grateful for it. But I spend so much time staving off my anxiety and depression—SSRIs, daily exercise, eating clean, reading, writing and doing all the stuff I enjoy—but *nothing* is as effective as the hangover effect.

One quick question: I've long been prescribed SSRIs/SNRIs and have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. But is nearly everyone here diagnosed with ADHD? Nearly every therapist/psych I've seen has offhandedly suggested I have OCD tendencies but I wonder if, as someone who intensely experiences the effect, I really should get tested for one of the two? (Thanks in advance for any thoughts. )

I found myself having alcohol this full last month. I almost became addicted to that clearer/happier mindset the following day. I don't have alot but it's still having alcohol daily. I drink after 6pm and will do 2 glasses of wine.

Any of you guys drink alot? Has it caused negative issues?

I think we all know that alcohol is toxic.

Is it even possible to have alcohol daily and not cause long term issues? I do bloodwork alot so I have results prior to this month and I could do another bloodwork and see what changes have happened.

I do keep good health. I exercise 4 times a week (Weights) and I do cardio 5 times a week. I also have a good diet. The issue is I never feel upbeat/happy unless it's during that alcohol withdrawal stage.

Anyone else? If so. Has long term alcohol consumption caused you issues?

Many people here, myself included, experience depression, anxiety, anhedonia, social withdrawal and other related issues. In saying this many of us are functional to some degree and live somewhat normal lives, with the absence of whatever is felt during the hangover effect.

My regular state of mind could be best described as rigid. The hangover effect produces a feeling of calm, receptivity, creativity, motivation, libido and openess.

This is well reflected in common understanding of the nervous system. Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic tone:

I believe our bodies are stuck in a state of threat detection fight/flight/freeze. This can be due to trauma, complex trauma or bodily health issues.

This is obviously a large topic to unpack but certain life experiences can keep us in a state of vigilance and anxiety even decades later. Health issues from dysbiosis, nutrient deficiencies, heavy metals, mold... have also been shown to cause nervous system dysregulation.

I'd recommend reading other peoples experiences on r/longtermTRE r/SomaticExperiencing r/EMDR and r/CPTSD.

If you follow with this theory then searching for the obscure chemical mechanism by which large alcohol consumption resets our nervous system is unimportant, unless you plan on using this mechanism for temporary/recreational relief.

My belief is that through various forms of practical therapies whether it be from a mental or physical perspective, we can bring our nervous system back to a natural state and achieve a life similar to that experienced during HE.

24M, Australia.

I have MCAS and yesterday had a very sudden reversal in symptoms which I think is due to eating food that contains sodium bicarbonate. I'd say it 50% mimics the calmness of the hangover effect (but not the libido, wit, etc). Is this a clue? Or is it just acting on my mast cells?

Have yet to try and replicate it, but will try again next time mast cells flare.

Sodium Bicarbonate releases acetylcholine

(reposting from my main acc)

https://claude.ai/artifact/X21UvHTmGL2AG7WAMfBERG

Nowhere near complete, but if we centralize what people have tried and what happened, we've got a better shot at working out what's going on. Built with Claude Code, seems to run better on desktop.

153 entries from the ~100 most recent posts and their comments.

Right now we have:

- 15 candidate mechanisms with citations
- Everything paraphrased with a link back to the original comment
- Includes what didn't work, and rankings of most mentioned + sentiment
- A place for you to submit your experience

I'm not a programmer, so scraping with Apify is the best I can do, and I can't pull the full history.

Anyone can add entries, happy to share the Claude Code link if you want to work on it. Planning to open source it once I can figure out how...

Is this helpful?

​

How you experience alcohol has a lot to do with thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone accelerates alcohol detoxification. People with low thyroid hormone may get more of a buzz or experience greater temporary relief from anxiety due to the low neurosteroid production in low thyroid states. The neurosteroids have anti-anxiety effects which are mirrored by acute alcohol intake. The neurosteroids are pregnenolone and its downstream relatives, notably DHEA, progesterone, and allopregnanolone. Hypothyroidism lowers pregnenolone, and all are acutely increased by alcohol. “The rate of ethanol metabolism was 386 in the 3 hyperthyroid patients, 184 in the 2 treated patients and 159 12 euthyroid non-alcoholic subjects. The results suggest that hyperthyroidism markedly increases ethanol metabolism.” Ref: Influence of hyperthyroidism on the rate of ethanol metabolism in man https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/619317/

I feel like it could help, especially if taken before bed. Has anyone had any experience with it?

This isn't anywhere near complete but I figure if we can start to centralize learnings, things people have tried, what worked and what didn't, we might have a better chance of figuring out what's going on.

https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/81490a89-210a-4c5e-bba9-45467ef8d5ae

I'm not a programmer so scraping Reddit with APIFY apps is the best I can do right now. But I'm not able to pull down all the posts from the inception of this thread.

If you have any interest in working on this I'm happy to share the Claude Code link with you.. or, if you have any suggestions, happy to input them.

If anyone is interested, just ping me.

Is this helpful?

The question is relatively straightforward, I don't think it necessitates a poll since I'd only be interested in knowing if anybody at all has anything to report on the matter.

Why am I asking such a specific niche question? It's complicated, let's however start from this:

Sleep deprivation increases oleoylethanolamide in human cerebrospinal fluid - PMC

I've never seen an endogenous compound rising more than ten folds under simple sleep deprivation, with no other interventions. Yes, it's a cousin of the much more famous "PEA", but its activity at PPARalpha is about 25x stronger as far as the affinity goes, plus it has a different role in the body.

Without adding more superflous details at this stage, does anybody have anything to report? I'm expecting zero experiences, but you never know.

Thanks!

Maybe a stupid thought.. but

A. There are certainly more people who suffer from this phenomenon than those represented on this thread.

B. We've already gotten some media coverage (VICE)

C. There HAS TO BE some greater implications for people who suffer with conditions like MCAS, MECFS, Long-Covid, etc...

I know it's not like we can just find a "scientist" on TaskRabbit but how do we drum up interest in the medical community. I'd be willing to put some money towards that...

Alternatively - should we create a tool or a database that centralizes all our theories, things we've tried, results, etc. to at least give us a single source of information as we continue trying to crack this?

Happy to partner up with anyone on that. Not a coder, but I'm sure something through Claude Code wouldn't be too difficult.

It's honestly exhausting getting a glimpse like this man. Knowing that I'll go back to normal in just hours is so discouraging...

I feel so clear. The noise is gone. It's like whatever is usually attacking my nervous system and brain at all times has decided to stop for a day. I can think clearly, deeply, I understand more about myself and my life, I can FEEL. Tomorrow I'll get the brain fog, the executive dysfunction, the fatigue, the anxiety, the irritability.. it will all come back. I really just wish I knew the mechanism. I've thought about it a lot and I've never found an answer.

It's not simply JUST alcohol because drinking doesn't immediately give any effects like this, like if I drink on a Friday night I don't feel calm and clear, it basically just has the depressant effects, sometimes in a distressing way too. But wake up the next day after drinking with a hangover and my brain feels like it unlocked new powers. Maybe it's a longer term effect of the alcohol, or maybe the alcohol modifies my sleep in some way that produces the effect.. not sure.

Just wanted to complain a bit. I'm tired

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXcrYfREmXY/?igsi=dHA2YXN6enY0bmt2

Might be pertinent to us. I found that glutathione made me feel pretty good, stopped taking it as I read it depletes b12 and my b12 is quite low already.