For people multiple parties to attend or have attended so in the past, they are not new to hangovers. The amount of fun you had the previous night is directly proportional to how bad your hangover is. Pounding headache, the queasiness, the dizziness, the sensitivity to light and sound, the muscle aches and the irritability that comes from over consumption of alcoholic beverages are a few symptoms of a hangover.
The best way to prevent a hangover is, of course, drinking in moderation or refraining altogether from alcohol consumption. But keeping yourself well-hydrated and well-nourished when you’re drinking can also go a long way in minimizing the hangover symptoms.
Even though the best cure for a hangover is time, people ignore prevention and don’t have “time” for the cure. If you have to attend parties consecutively for a number of days, you’re in great trouble if you don’t know to treat it.
Natural Home Remedy for A Hangover
Try these simple yet effective ways to treat hangover easily so that you can go back to drinking tonight. After all, as much as you may dread it, there’s no avoiding a hangover if you love your alcohol.
1. Have Enough Water and/or Sports Drinks
The convention holds that it is the dehydration due to the excessive alcohol intake that causes all the symptoms. Hence, H2O is a must to cure a hangover. Alcohol is a diuretic and can cause dehydration, as you may know from the multiple trips to the loo the night before. Before falling into bed, it is advised by experts to have 16 to 20 ounces of water. Replacing the fluid you’ve lost will likely help you feel better. Juice, water, Gatorade, all those things are considered helpful.
The next time you are in a party and about to get yourself a drink, remember to order a glass of water with every beer—and alternate between the two to replace lost fluids as you go. This will go a long way in minimizing the horrible symptoms of a hangover the morning after.
2. Eat A Hearty Breakfast
Eating a hearty breakfast is one of the most well-known remedies for a hangover. And that’s because a good breakfast can help maintain your blood sugar levels. Even though low blood sugar levels are not necessarily the direct cause of a hangover, they’re often associated with it. Inadequate blood sugar levels may lead to diarrhea and nausea, members of the hangover symptoms’ family.
In addition to helping reduce certain hangover symptoms, eating a healthy breakfast can provide important vitamins and minerals, which your body may run low on due to excessive alcohol intake.
3. Coffee
A Mug of coffee with breakfast is something that a lot of people swear by, hungover or not. That’s because a cup of joe is excellent for waking you up and feel alert at work. However, this isn’t favourable for migraine patients as it can trigger headaches instead of curing them. If you gulp down a cup (or mug) to cure a hangover, be sure to drink water, too, since caffeine causes dehydration as we know it.
4. Plenty of Sleep
Alcohol can cause sleep disturbances and may be associated with decreased sleep quality and duration for some individuals. Though low to moderate amounts of alcohol may initially promote sleep, studies show that higher amounts and chronic use can ultimately disrupt sleep patterns.
While a lack of sleep does not cause a hangover, it can make your hangover worse. Fatigue, headaches and irritability are all hangover symptoms that take a bad shape due to a lack of sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep and allowing your body to recover may help get rid of symptoms and make a hangover more bearable, if not eliminate it altogether.
5. Exercise
A drink—beer, wine, and hard liquor—is metabolized by your body in about an hour, hence, the “sweat it out” theory falls flat on its face. However, the endorphin release by an intense workout could boost your mood and eliminate the sluggishness. If you a fitness freak, burning off a few calories may rid you of your guilt about how much you drank. But, be sure you keep your water bottle handy to avoid even more dehydration due to the loss of water from the body during the workout.
6. Hair of The Dog
This basically means to cut the diamond using a diamond. Many people swear by the method of having a drink in the morning to get rid of the hangover symptoms. Even though this method is largely based on myths, there is some evidence to support that having a drink the next morning can lessen hangover symptoms. The trick is to know your limits, of course. Otherwise, this could easily turn into an irreparable alcohol abuse to your body. So, apply your own discretion.
7. Ginger Root
The Indian kitchen is said to have the remedies for every major common disease or bodily problems. Ginger has long been used to treat nausea and seasickness. And, since having a hangover is much like being seasick, this easy remedy is quite on point. If the symptoms are heavy on you, the best bet is to drink ginger ale (no preparation required). However, if you can remain standing for 10 minutes, brew some ginger tea. That should cut the deal.
8. Honey and Lemons
The classic hot mixture of honey, lemon and hot water is easy to swallow and replenishes fluids and sugars lost to a hangover. It is important that you use honey instead of white sugar. Honey contains fructose, which competes for the metabolism of alcohol. Plain sugar contains sucrose, which isn’t absorbed as quickly. To make a toddy, boil 1 cup water and mix in honey and lemon juice to taste. This is the conventional, non-alcoholic toddy which has soothing effects on a hangover. Enjoy a toddy several times a day.
9. Less Alcohol Consumption
Lastly, the most basic and conventional tip is to avoid excessive drinking. if you are someone who attends a lot of parties where alcohol is free-flowing, it is you who needs to keep yourself in check. Hangovers are curable, but their effect on your body in the long run if suffered frequently can cause a lot of damage. This is not to say that you give up on alcohol forever. Keep your consumption in moderation, know your limits, and you should be good in both the short and the long run.
Limit your drinks to about one every hour. Your body metabolizes each beer (or any other alcoholic beverage) in about 60 to 75 minutes, eat before you drink, and consume water in between the drinks to prevent dehydration. Remember these simple tips to cure a hangover and you should be good lest you should have the terrible hangover.
