Hangovers don't just induce nausea, a thumping headache and the pallor of corpse, they make you stupid too, according to new research.
Experts have discovered that the hangover - technically the symptoms left behind after alcohol levels in the blood return to zero - impairs brain function.
Their findings suggest that a big night out can last far longer than the time it takes to regain sobriety and can affect what experts refer to as the brain's 'working memory'.
'The symptoms of an alcohol hangover are not just physiological – they affect cognitive functioning and mood as well which may lead to numerous undesirable life consequences,' Dr Lauren Owen, Marie Curie postdoctoral research fellow at Keele University’s school of psychology told The Telegraph.
'Although numerous scientific papers cover the acute effects of alcohol consumption, researchers have largely neglected the issue of alcohol hangover.'
The hangover is still not fully understood and while it is thought to be partly a symptom of dehydration, chemicals in the drink are also thought to play a role.
The main form of alcohol found in drinks is ethanol, which the body breaks down into chemical called acetate so it can be expelled from the body.
However, it can briefly form a toxic molecule called acetaldehyde. Low levels of methanol that can also be found in some alcoholic drinks and when this is broken down it forms more toxic compounds.
Complex organic molecules known as congeners can also be found in darker alcoholic drinks and are also thought to worsen a hangover.
It may go some way to explaining why drinking whisky can cause more of a hangover than drinking vodka.
Dr Owen's findings are preliminary, but so far she has observed that tasks that rely on what psychologists call ‘working memory’ seem to be most affected.
Dr Owen said that the early results seem to indicate a five to ten per cent drop in performance of working memory and an increase in errors by around 30 per cent while participants were hungover.
Reaction times were also slower in those who were hungover and represented someone in their 20s as having the reaction times of someone in their 40s.
The results will be presented at a conference at Keele University where new evidence from the Netherlands about how a hangover induced by alcohol can also have an affect on driving performance.
Researchers have also been examining whether alcohol induced hangovers decline in with age.
Dr Richard Stephens, a senior psychology lecturer at Keele University who has organised the conference, said: 'People tend to think that hangovers get worse with age, but we are finding that people generally suffer fewer hangovers.
He said that this is probably because older people learn what they can drink and what they cannot
Lauryn Robinson (pictured before she became ill, left, and now, right), from Leeds, is the first child in the world to be diagnosed with two different types of leukaemia. The disease, called Dual Hit Leukaemia affects only one in two billion people and she is now in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.
The mother gave birth at University Hospital in Leipzig and discovered she had a previously undiagnosed case of gestational diabetes, German newspaper Der Spiegel.
This condition, which develops at around the 24th week of pregnancy, can lead to a larger than usual baby size.
Although both mother and daughter are doing well, Jasleen remains in the neonatal care unit.
She is now officially the largest new-born in Germany. A boy named Jihad was born in Berlin in 2011 and weighed 13 pounds.
A British mother gave birth vaginally to a 15 lb 7 oz. baby boy named George, in March.
He was born naturally and is the second largest recorded baby in the UK.
Surprisingly, nobody noticed that she was to have such a large child.
She said: ‘He was a surprise — a big surprise, as it turned out.
‘To be honest, I don’t remember it so much. It came and went, I remember a lot of pressure — but you just get on with it, don’t you?’
According to the Guinness Book of Records the heaviest newborn ever was to Canadian woman Anna Bates in 1879.
The boy weighed more 10 kilograms at birth but died a 11 hours time later.
Not till last year Thomas McIntyre, from Northern Ireland, a football fan, age 43, weighed 31st and had a 74-inch waist. Thanks to Slimming World he has lost more than half his body weight and dropped seven inches from his waist.
For years philosophers have sought the secret to a fulfilling existence, but now one man claims to have discovered it - and come up with a formula.
Research into what makes people feel happy has led renowned professor, Dr Todd Kashdan, to produce an equation called the Feel Good Formula.
In it, he identifies six factors which, when put together in the right combination, make a happy soul.
The factors are: Live in the moment (M), be curious (C), do something you love (L), think of others (T), nurture relationships (N), and take care of you body (B).
The winning formula is Feeling Good = (Mx16 + Cx1 + Lx2) + (Tx5 + Nx2 + Bx33).
Dr Kashdan reviewed the results of nationwide research carried out into how Brits truly feel, inside and out.
Dr Kashdan, author of ‘Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life’ drew upon his years of experience to analyse the research.
The equation sets out the perfect formula which incorporates the 'happiness six'. They include: Living in the moment, curiosity, spending time with family, doing something you love, thinking of others first and taking care of your body
The equation sets out the perfect formula which incorporates the 'happiness six'. They include: Living in the moment, curiosity, spending time with family, doing something you love, thinking of others first and taking care of your body
Whilst it may not appear obvious how a combination of letters and numbers will make you feel good, Dr Kashdan believes this formula is the perfect prescription for a happy soul.
He said: 'There is no single secret to feeling good, but when these six ingredients are carefully attended to, in the right doses, you will be on target for a happy life.
'Transform’s research shows that Britain is in need of a bit of a lift and it is great to be working with them on this mission to inspire a more upbeat Britain.
'Each of the ingredients requires a bit of work.
'Just know that your hard work will lead to the greatest rewards possible.'
Steven Taylor, Marketing Director at Transform Cosmetic Surgery said: 'We are delighted to have such a well respected figure as Dr Kashdan involved on the Feel Good Campaign and couldn’t be more pleased that the partnership led to the creation of an actual formula to Feel Good.
'We hope that the Feel Good Formula will continue to help boost spirits and put a smile on faces across the UK.'
