It’s that time of year when the big nights out collide with the biological reality of the morning after… and Professor Luke is here to explain exactly what’s going on in your head, your liver and your rattled nervous system. 

Hangovers are ancient — literally. Chimps get tipsy on fermented fruit, so our ancestors were drinking alcohol millions of years before the first Christmas party. Humans began brewing around 10,000 years ago… and the first hangover probably arrived right on cue. 

Luke breaks down why hangovers feel so grim: the acetaldehyde formed when alcohol is broken down in the liver; the dehydration caused by alcohol acting as a diuretic; and the rebound in neurotransmitters like glutamate that may fuel “the fear”, the “living horrors”, and that uneasy post-session anxiety listeners know too well. 

He runs through the classic symptoms — headache, fatigue, nausea, tremors, dizziness, sweating, irritability and a heart that seems to have joined a drum circle — and explains why some drinks make it all worse. Darker alcohols carry extra chemicals like tannins and methanol that crank up the misery, while clearer spirits tend to be less punishing. 

Luke also notes a surprising trend: alcohol consumption in Western countries has fallen by a third since 2001, while alcohol-free beer is booming. Even French vineyards are pulling up vines because people are drinking less wine. Maybe we’re finally copping on — and our livers are grateful. 

And of course, we get to the good stuff: how to avoid a hangover, and how to treat one. Hydrate between drinks, rotate in 0.0% options, eat beforehand, skip the full Irish, take B-vitamins or clove-based remedies if they help you, steer clear of paracetamol, and leave “the hair of the dog” to folklore. Sugar helps, rest definitely helps, and moderation helps most of all. 

Luke’s holiday message? Enjoy yourself — but pace yourself. Your future self will thank you when the sun rises on December 26th.