How to: Hangover

The pain of the night before. Hangovers are never fun, people can feel sick, tired and full of regret. Here are some tips and tricks on how to save yourself from a hangover.

The experience of a hangover varies between people, the usual symptoms range from headaches, fatigue, nausea, and dehydration. Ethanol, the alcohol present in alcoholic drinks is a toxin that passes into the blood stream and gets distributed around the body, which in term causes damage to the cells. An even more toxic chemical called acetaldehyde is formed when alcohol is broken own in the liver. Acetaldehyde is targeted by a substance called glutathione, which limits how much damage acetaldehyde can do, but drinking large amounts of alcohol epaulets the glutathione level an acetaldehyde is then able to accumulate in the body, using headaches and sickness.

Eat🍔

Eat well before you drink and your body will be better equipped to soak up the alcoholic beverages. Go for food that takes a long time to digest, such as bread, cheese, potato and pasta, as this will line your stomach. 

The day after drinking you need to restore your glucose levels. Eating carbs and sugars can help to combat your cravings ( if you can handle those ). Drinking can lower blood sugar levels, so theoretically some of the fatigue and headaches of a hangover may be from a brain working without enough of its main fuel. Many people forget to eat when they drink, further lowering their blood sugar. Toast and juice is a way to gently nudge levels back to normal.

Drink Water💦

Alcohol promotes urination because it inhibits the release of vasopressin, a hormone that decreases the volume of urine made by the kidneys. If your hangover includes diarrhea, sweating, or vomiting, you may be even more dehydrated. Although nausea can make it difficult to get anything down, even just a few sips of water might help your hangover. You are also very dehydrated after drinking, especially if you have more severe symptoms of a Hanover, so replenishing your hydration levels is key.

Hair of the dog🐶

Drinking to ease the symptoms of a hangover is called the ‘hair of the dog’ , or ‘hair of the dog that bit you’. Hangovers are a form of alcohol withdrawal, so a drink or two will ease the withdrawal. However, the hair of the dog just perpetuates a cycle. It doesn’t allow you to recover. This can led to or create bad habits so this is recommend but does help some individuals

Pain killers💀

Take a pain reliever. A dose of a pain reliever you can buy over the counter can help subside the headache and help gain some energy if they have caffeine included in the. But be careful about using these medicines with alcohol. Aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) can irritate your stomach. The combination of alcohol and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) can cause serious liver damage when it mix’s together.

Sleep😴

Go back to bed. If you sleep long enough, your hangover may be gone when you awaken. Lack of sleep you may have accumulated from your night out may help to make you eel groggy so take the time to catch on the hours. You can also skip and help to minimise a headache too while sleep.

Written by Ava Allen, Images From unsplashed