10 Amazing Hangover Hacks
By Gloria Jones
If you want to cure a hangover you have to keep in mind a few biological facts. Your body is going to be suffering from a severe vitamin B deficiency, which is a large part of what a hangover is. It will be dehydrated because alcohol is a diuretic and will cause your body to expel fluids from your blood through your kidneys, ureters, and bladder, at a much quicker rate than other liquids. It can also act as a depressant so the morning after you may experience pain, nausea, sensitivity to light, and sound. This comes from your body having to produce natural stimulants to counteract the depressants but help is at hand – here now are 10 hacks to help you cope.
1) Hydrate
Now a lot of people find drinking water really boring. I insist on it being freezing cold or served with ice and then find it quite delicious. However, If you don’t share my sentiment, as our picture shows you can add lemon, lime, or mint to infuse it with flavour. Whatever way you choose to do it, drinking water is really what you have to do, as this really is the very first cure for your hangover.
Your body is comprised of over 70% water so needs H2O to function. So ideally if you can remember before you crash into your bed you should try to drink a large glass of water before you go to sleep. This may well help your head when you wake in the morning. If you forget then try to drink as much water as you can the following day.
2) Try Coconut
Coconuts and coconut water may actually be even more effective at rehydration as coconut water has 5 electrolytes per serving, more than in most sports drinks so will be a good route to recovery.
3)Work Out
OK, this may not be the most popular suggestion but by sweating you force your body to metabolize faster and flush out the toxins But if the idea of exercise to get your blood pumping seems far too energetic then get to a sauna, steam room, or head to a pool and sweat it out.
4) Morning after Carbohydrates
When you’re hungover, your blood sugar crashes which wouldn’t normally matter if your liver was doing its usual job of churning out sufficient levels of glucose to make you feel better. The problem is that when you’re hungover, the liver is busy filtering out all the toxins from the alcohol you have drunk. So to help it out, stock up on carbs, complex carbs, or give yourself an excuse for my particular favourite a greasy full English breakfast.
5) Hair of the Dog!
Many people swear by this common hangover remedy and actually, there is some evidence to support it. This is because alcohol changes the way that methanol, a chemical found in small amounts in alcoholic beverages, is processed in the body. So having some alcohol can actually help you excrete it from the body – although you want to go easy as you don’t want to end up having another session.
6) Don’t drink on an empty stomach
This advice may seem like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted but before your night out you can help prepare yourself by making sure to eat some greasy food to mix up some of the alcohol. Or drink a glass of milk as it lines your stomach to slow the amount of alcohol absorbed.
7) Take Vitamins
Also before you go out you might want to stock up on vitamin B so that your body has a good reserve to lessen your hangover. Vitamin C the morning after is also a good idea- especially if you are a smoker
8) Drink Coffee
For many of us, a cup of coffee is part of the morning routine and as it turns out this can play a part in curing your hangover. The caffeine in coffee works to narrow swollen blood vessels in your head and in fact if you’re a regular coffee drinker, skipping your morning dosage could be detrimental to your hangover-curing cause.
9) Try taking some of these supplements
Though research is limited, studies have found that certain supplements can ease hangovers. Ginseng is said to reduce blood alcohol. There is some evidence to show that extract of prickly pear cactus can decrease hangover symptoms. Also, that ginger, especially combined with brown sugar can reduce symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
10) Plink Plink Fizz
Alka Seltzer is a tried and tested painkiller and stomach-settler combined. However, if here in Pattaya this proves too difficult to find, anything carbonated can help. Dissolvable Vitamin C tablets for example are a healthy option, a large glass of Coca-Cola less so.
I hope these hacks help you over the festive season but if all else fails go back to bed and try to sleep it off!