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Why can a hangover linger after the alcohol level has fallen?

Alcohol can leave the bloodstream while some of its effects continue. Disrupted sleep, stomach irritation, inflammation and the effects of metabolism do not follow one identical clock. A hangover therefore cannot be explained simply by how much alcohol is present at that moment.

3–7 min

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  • Why would dehydration alone be an incomplete explanation?

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How does daylight set the body’s clock?

Feeling sleepy at night involves more than counting the hours since you woke up. Internal daily rhythms respond to outside cues, with light helping coordinate the body's sense of time.

3–5 min
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How does a vaccine give the immune system a memory?

The immune system can respond differently to something it has encountered before. Vaccines make use of recognition and memory, though different vaccine types introduce the relevant information in different ways.

4–5 min
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Why won’t an antibiotic treat a viral cold?

The word infection covers illnesses caused by very different organisms. An antibiotic that helps against certain bacteria has no matching target in the viruses that cause a cold.

2–3 min
Why can a hangover linger after the alcohol level has fallen? | Speech Topic | speaking.app