It’s well known that our hangovers start to get worse as we age, but at what point exactly do they start to become unbearable?
According to a new study, it has been revealed that our hangovers officially get worse when we turn 34.
The study, conducted by greetings card marketplace, thortful.com polled Brits on the ages at which our attitudes start to change around going out, as well as when we feel our hangover starts to get really bad.
When do our attitudes change towards going out?
The study showed that the average age we feel our hangover worsen is 34, with people turning 35 not being able to go out for more than one night in a row.
It was also found that when we turn 37 all we really want is our pyjamas and the sofa, rather than a night on the dancefloor.
Looking further into how our attitudes to the different elements of going out start to change with age, the nation revealed the below:
- Craving fast food after a night out – age 28
- You stop doing shots – age 33
- Your hangover lasts for at least two days – age 35
- Your go-to drink of choice changes – age 36
- You don’t go out drinking as regularly – age 37
- You start to feel like you know your limit – age 37
- You will only go out if you know that the night out will be worth it – age 37
- Feeling like you are too old to be going out – age 38
- Feeling more drunk after a couple of drinks, even though you used to handle the amount – age 38
Explaining why our hangovers do get worse with age, Dr. Deborah Lee, at Dr Fox Online Pharmacy says, “Little research has been conducted on the severity of hangovers with ageing. However, hangovers are due to the breakdown of alcohol and the persisting presence of its toxic metabolite – acetaldehyde – in the body.
“Hangovers are likely to worsen with age because the activity of the key enzymes involved in alcohol breakdown – alcohol dehydrogenase and cytochrome P4502E1 – becomes less efficient with age. Also, older people have less muscle and more fat, plus the distribution of water within the body alters as we age. The end result is higher levels of blood alcohol which take longer to metabolise.”
Which age groups are going out the most?
The study went on to reveal that, the ages that socialise the most by going out for drinks are millennials and Gen Z. A quarter (25%) of those aged 18-24 said they go out once a week, with over one in five (21%) going out 2-3 times a week.
Over one in five (22%) of those aged 25-34 said they go for drinks out once a week, with 19% going out 2-3 times a week. However, this age group also had the highest number of those going out every day for drinks, with 6% saying this.
Commenting on the study, a spokesperson at thortful said, “Many of us like to reflect on our younger years for many reasons, one of those being envious of the fact that our younger selves thought they knew what a bad hangover felt like!
With this in mind, we wanted to find out when the nation thinks their hangover does start to worsen, and alongside this, when do we actually start to prefer a night in with good snacks and comfy clothes over a night out.”