The hangover caused by excessive alcohol consumption is of course well known but the state of hangover is in fact a common every day condition that is rooted in psychological, physical and/or environmental stress factors such as lack of recovery and sleep, poor and sporadic nutrition, noise, pollution, and so on.

 

According to wikipedia, the term 'hangover' was originally a 19th century expression describing unfinished business – something left over from a meeting – or 'survival.' It wasn't until the turn of the 20th century that it came to mean the aches and pains left over from a night of boozing.

 

What we heard is that the term 'hangover' originally referred to sailors hanging over the railings of big ships on the high seas wretching their guts out, not necessarily as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. The tall ships are gone and have been replaced with the stress of today's over-active lifestyles. In effect we are all still hanging over.

 

Scientific research has shown that too much stress leads to an excessive accumulation of free radicals in the body. At moderate concentrations free radicals play an important role as regulatory mediators in the signaling processes within the cellular structure of the body. At high concentrations, free radicals overpower the body's antioxidant defense mechanism and can cause damage to all major cellular constituents.

 

Sustained increases in free radicals also play a role in the development of degenerative and metabolic deseases and accelerate the aging process.