Probably the question: "Why do you have nightmares after a hangover?" occurred to every person who at least once showed an excessive passion for alcoholic beverages.
In fact, alcohol affects everyone differently - for some it causes insomnia, for others it causes sound sleep. But most often, after all, the passion for alcohol is fraught with a violation of the quality of sleep and the appearance of nightmares in visions. What is it about?
Specificity of psychophysiology
Start with this topic. Sleep is a physiological process by which the body relaxes and regenerates. At these moments, a variety of images appear in the mind, called dreams.
A person most often does not realize that he is sleeping, and therefore perceives everything that he imagines as a reality. But some people have lucid dreams. They understand that they are dreaming, and what is happening has nothing to do with reality.
In other words, sleep is a functional specific state of the nervoussystem and the whole organism as a whole, which is characterized by certain behavioral manifestations at the psychophysiological level.
A night's rest after drinking
Before discussing why a hangover gives you nightmares, you need to clarify - in 89% of cases people die from alcohol in their sleep.
And in the vast majority of cases, these are not people who have long suffered from alcohol addiction, but “moderately” and occasionally drinking individuals who prefer not only strong drinks, but also those with a low content of alcohol. About the same number of people die because of alcohol as in road accidents.
So, dream specialists, known as somnologists, identify the following essential functions of sleep:
- Resting the body and recovering from the loads received during the day.
- Fight disease and restore immunity.
- Adaptation to daylight.
- Consolidating the information received during the day.
None of the functions is performed if the person has drunk too much the day before. A drunk man sleeps, but his brain does not. That's why people wake up with a hangover tired, broken, feeling disgusting.
Impaired brain activity
This is one of the reasons hangovers cause nightmares. What to do in this case? Avoid alcohol and seek medical advice. But first, find out why.
A person goes to bed, but the performance of the brain during the period whenhe rests, does not stop. If he sipped alcohol the day before, then problems arise.
Although they make themselves felt before sleep. Ugly behavior, slurred speech, staggering gait - only these key signs of intoxication point to the destructive effect that ethanol has on the brain. But at the physiological level, there are many more of them.
Between the brain and blood there is a certain barrier that protects it from the ingress of metabolic products, viruses and bacteria. But not from ethyl alcohol. After all, it is a powerful solvent that easily penetrates anywhere through any barriers and membranes.
Immediately after drinking, the negative effects of alcohol begin, and the brain immediately succumbs to its influence. Not only structures are damaged, but also vessels. They expand and then narrow sharply. This can be fraught not only with nightmares, but with a cerebral stroke and severe disability.
Mental problems
Continuing to talk about why hangovers have nightmares, we need to touch on this reason as well. Drinking can be affected not only by sick people, but also by he althy ones. In this case, alcohol negatively affects the state of the nervous system, as a result of which stress resistance weakens.
Intoxication is a peculiar reaction of the body to ethyl alcohol. What then are the nightmares that come after that? The most obvious manifestation of a mental disorder that develops against the background of addiction.
I would also like to note that along with hard drinking, violations develop,related to metabolic processes. The result is mental disorders that provoke restless sleep. This usually results in nightmares or insomnia. If a drunk sleeps after a delirium tremens, then he always dreams of frightening stories - these can be monsters, chases, pursuits, wild animals.
Apnea condition
Since we are talking about why hangovers cause nightmares, we need to pay a little attention to this very common reason.
Apnea is a condition in which pulmonary ventilation stops during sleep, and this lasts more than 10 seconds (usually 20-30).
Why it happens is easy to guess. Alcohol affects the respiratory system, its excessive consumption can lead to a temporary overlap of the respiratory centers, which is fraught with oxygen deficiency.
What happens next? Lack of oxygen provokes stress, and it contributes to the release of adrenaline. As a result, the heart rate increases, and the body signals the need to get out of sleep. This is the only way to restore normal breathing.
At such moments, there is an intense effect of alcohol on the brain. The appearance of apnea is accompanied by the appearance of frightening pictures in a dream. Fires, tsunamis, earthquakes can seem to a person - all the conditions in which he is on the verge of death. Often it is a nightmare that can save him from death in real life from sleep apnea.
Other occasions
So, if a person has nightmares, the reason, most likely, lies in one of the earlierthe factors mentioned. Sometimes, of course, terrible dreams are justified - as a means of relieving stress and unloading the nervous system. In this case, you need to perceive them as a kind of protective mechanism of the psyche.
Don't pay attention to them if they appear rarely. However, regular nightmares with a realistic, vivid character are a signal from the nervous system, indicating the presence of some he alth problems. Or about increased levels of stress and psychological problems.
By the way, very often people are fond of intoxicants in order to escape from life's turmoil, relaxation and oblivion. Well, the effect of alcohols on the human body is manifested in this, it is difficult to argue. But after a while, the tension is not something that returns - it intensifies. Yes, and exceeding the individual norm is dangerous not by relaxation, but by even more obvious excitation of the nervous system.
If a person falls asleep while hungover, there will be consequences. The tension will intensify precisely with nightmares.
Oxygen deprivation
So, based on all of the above, one can understand why a person, when he has drunk, has nightmares. Now it is worth briefly talking about other consequences. One of these is oxygen starvation.
In simple terms, the regular use of strong drinks simply “kills” brain cells. This process is reversible only if the effect of alcohol is short and the capillaries are not damaged.
Ethyl alcohol just "blocks"supply of oxygen and nutrients to brain cells. The result is hypoxia, due to which the structures gradually die off. One serving of alcohol is enough to destroy 8,000 cells. This is fraught with a decrease in brain volume, the formation of scars, ulcers and microscopic hemorrhages.
All this manifests itself in human behavior. Neurons die - moral principles are lost, the work of the vestibular apparatus is disturbed, partial amnesia occurs.
Cerebral changes
They are always fraught with high doses of alcohol. If a person is addicted to alcohol, then the functions of the cerebral cortex are inhibited. The result is destructive personality changes, which are manifested by the complete destruction of moral and moral norms.
The activity of the occipital lobe is also disturbed. This is fraught with vestibular dysfunction, manifested by impaired coordination of movements.
Even over time, memory deteriorates significantly and cognitive function decreases. Speaking in a simple and understandable language, a person simply degrades. Encephalopathy, Korsakoff's disease, dementia, polyneuritis, wasting of the muscular system, etc. are often added to other consequences.
Mental disorders
They are often formed due to the toxic effects of alcohol. Neuroses, psychoses and other disorders of the psycho-emotional sphere very often manifest themselves precisely in moments of intoxication. Especially when drinking. Their appearance can also provoke a sharp rejection of alcohol.
This is seriouseffects. Neurosis is fraught with fatigue, persistent irritability and insomnia. Delirium, called delirium tremens, is completely dangerous for both the drunk and others.
Hallucinosis is all the more a serious cause for concern. Being in this state, a drunk can commit murder, suicide, arson, etc. And alcoholism is also fraught with paranoid psychosis, which is a delusional disorder accompanied by persecution mania.
How to get your he alth back?
The toxic effect of alcohol, especially if it has been used for a long time, is not so easy to get rid of. But, nevertheless, it is possible. Here's what you'll need to do:
- Completely give up alcohol.
- Go through a detoxification procedure aimed at cleansing the body of ethanol breakdown products.
- Start eating right, diversify your diet with greens, vegetables, fruits.
- Take vitamin complexes that can strengthen overall well-being and return to a normal lifestyle in a short time.
- Introduce physical activity, start exercising, strengthen muscles. This will help improve overall well-being, the condition of the respiratory system and blood vessels.
If alcoholism has led to the formation of pathologies, it will be necessary to treat them. Be sure to avoid stress, fully relax. In especially advanced cases, renewal of brain cells is recommended, for which the method of neurogenesis is used.
