The consequences of last night can be very dreadful. You’ve got a headache accompanied by nausea, dehydration, tiredness, weakness, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. And your energy levels drop down below zero. These are the main hangover symptoms that may differ in prevalence and severity but they are all on a rating scale that researchers have recently come up with.

By the way, did you know that men get over this terrible condition much easier than women do? It might seem unfair, but that's just one of the findings of a new study that analyzes human anatomy.

Women are less tolerant to alcohol during menstruation. Throughout her reproductive years a woman will absorb alcohol faster and therefore become drunk quicker. But a woman’s body metabolizes it less well, so women sober up more slowly. To some extent, women get their revenge after menopause, when their estrogen/testosterone balance is more like a male's.

How does a hangover “work”?

• You get a headache because of dehydration. Excess alcohol upsets the production of vasopressin, a hormone that controls fluid balance.  
• It also fiddles with your immune system's cytokines, chemical messengers that can trigger acute inflammation in your noggin and elsewhere. Darker hard liquors (and most beers and dark wines) contain more congeners, chemicals that may exacerbate hangovers. Smoking cigs also multiplies the misery.
• You get liver intoxication. Your liver is able to detox only one drink per hour. If you drink more, it won’t be able to filter all the bad things you gulp down.  
• Stomach irritation. You get nausea because of this, and even thinking about food the next morning can be unpleasant.
• An inflammatory response from your immune system. Your immune system may trigger certain agents that commonly produce physical symptoms, such as an inability to concentrate, memory problems, decreased appetite and loss of interest in usual activities.
• Low energy levels. As your brain's normal sleep cycles have been disrupted by alcohol, you need more time to restore, like 24 more hours.

There is only one best and 100% effective cure for a hangover.

It is avoiding one by abstaining from alcohol.