If you’re in your 20s, you know all too well that the days of waking up gloriously after an all-nighter are long gone. But why;

Remember that time when you stayed up all night and went to work the next day as if nothing happened? Those nights that arose spontaneously, didn’t need planning, nor did it matter what you have to do the next day? If that time seems like a memory, I’m sorry to tell you, but it really is.

If you’re in the phase where you want to stay up late and you want to plan ahead and know in advance that the next day will be difficult as you try to recover, it’s not because you’re going through a phase, it’s because you’re growing. And the older you get, the harder the hangover becomes.

“Each person’s hangover experience is individual,” explains Dr. Aishah Shah at Stylist. “Symptoms vary from person to person, but are most likely to include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, muscle aches and anxiety,” she adds.

All of these can certainly contribute to a rough day. But why does age make things worse?

Changes in sleep

No matter how resistant you are to alcohol, chances are that after a wild night you can’t sleep as easily and soundly as you used to. Constant obligations hardly leave you room to sit a whole day in bed, recovering from the previous night’s debauchery.

In part, you find it hard to bounce back right away because, over time, sleep patterns change. Studies show that the quality and duration of sleep varies considerably between young and middle adulthood. This means that the older we get, the more likely we are to feel tired and run down after a night out.

In fact, given that alcohol undoubtedly affects sleep quality, it’s almost certain that you’ll feel exhausted after a night of heavy drinking.

Dehydration

Alcohol is known to cause dehydration, and a hangover makes the symptoms seem much worse: Headaches, fatigue and dry mouth are just some of what you’ll face the next day. The worst; The older you get, the more severe the symptoms will be.

“As we age, the total volume of water in the body decreases,” explains Dr. Zoe Watson, MD and founder of wellness website Wellgood Wellbeing. “This means blood alcohol levels rise much faster, which is why it’s easier to get drunk. That is, if you try to drink as much as you did in your 20s, your body will need more time to process the same amount of alcohol. The result; Worse hangover.”

Decreased liver function and increased sensitivity to alcohol

Our reduced tolerance for alcohol as we age is due, in part, to the fact that, over the years, liver function declines.

“Alcohol is mainly metabolized by the liver,” explains Dr. Watson. “As we get older, the activity of the enzymes responsible for metabolizing alcohol slows down, meaning it takes longer to process the alcohol we’ve consumed.”

Practically speaking, reduced liver function means that you will begin to feel the effect of alcohol on your body more immediately and that this same effect will last longer – and not in a good way.

Sensitivity to pain

The years added to your personal life diary bring another negative characteristic: Sensitivity to pain. Studies show that in older adults, pain occurs earlier and lasts longer than in younger adults.

If you’re in your 30s and still don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m talking about that headache that won’t go away after a heavy night. If a headache is a familiar guest of your hangover, then you need to prepare yourself, because as you get older this symptom will worsen.

All of this doesn’t mean of course that you should give up on the idea of ​​a big, fun night, just that you should be prepared for what’s to come. Make sure your next day is not loaded with obligations, while it would be good to hydrate often. That and a little bed rest will make your hangover a little easier.