It’s the morning after a big night out and you feel like death. Your head is pounding, your mouth is dry, and nausea is creeping up on you. You had a great time last night, but now you’re paying for it. You’ve probably heard some of the hangover cure myths out there, but you don’t have to eat your body weight in greasy breakfast foods to improve your symptoms. Follow these simple tips to prevent and alleviate your hangover, and you’ll be feeling great again in no time.
1) Drink Water Before PArtying
Drink water before indulging in alcohol, before bed and the day after. Dehydration is a major contributor to the hangover symptoms you’ve come to know and loathe. Drinking water before bed and hydrating thoroughly the day after a night of heavy drinking can help to restore your body’s hydration. Adequate water intake also ensures your body is able to flush toxins efficiently.
2) Drink Water While You’Re Drinking
Another water-based solution is to drink one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume. Drinking water between co*cktails can slow your body’s absorption of alcohol by increasing the time between drinks and mitigating the dehydrating effects of alcohol.
3) Don’t OverindulgE
Hangovers are your body’s way of saying you’ve overindulged. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, but don’t cross the line into binge drinking. Men who drink five to seven co*cktails within four to six hours will almost certainly experience a hangover. The same seems to be true for women after three to five drinks within the same period. The best way to avoid a hangover is to drink moderately.
4) Take Over-the-Counter Painkillers
Over-the-counter painkillers can also alleviate hangover symptoms. Aspirin, in particular, contains acetylsalicylic acid, which is a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In other words, aspirin stops the formation of prostaglandins, which help regulate your body’s pain response. Fewer prostaglandins mean you’ll experience less pain after drinking too much.
A common suggestion is to take two aspirin before bed, but the benefits of this method are dubious. Most over-the-counter pain medication leaves your system within four to six hours, which means you won’t experience the benefits of those aspirin. More importantly, the combination of alcohol and acetaminophen, in particular, has been shown to cause liver damage. A better option is to take the painkiller after you wake up.
5) Take Naps
Try to sleep as much as possible after drinking. Alcohol has been shown to interrupt your sleep patterns through what is known as the “glutamine rebound.” Production of the amino acid glutamine is suppressed when you’re drinking. When alcohol leaves your system – usually while you’re asleep – the body attempts to restore its glutamine levels. This “glutamine rebound” has been associated with increased waking up and light sleeping. Most people experience six to seven rapid eye movement (REM) cycles during a normal night; after a night of sleeping, that number is reduced to two or three.¹
While you cannot neutralize the effects of the glutamine rebound, you will likely feel better if you get as much sleep as possible after a night of raging. The only way to fully recover is to get quality, uninterrupted sleep the night after your big night out.
6) Avoid drinking dark alcoholic beverages
Avoid drinking dark alcoholic beverages right before bed. Darker drinks tend to contain more congeners – a byproduct of the fermentation process that occurs during alcohol production – than lighter drinks. Research suggests that congeners contribute to hangover symptoms. So, if you’re hoping for a headache-free morning, put away the scotch. Try gin or vodka co*cktails, instead.
7) Don’t drink on an empty stomach
If you start drinking while your stomach is empty, the alcohol will be absorbed into your bloodstream quickly. The average person’s liver can only metabolize one drink per hour. If you’re drinking more than one alcoholic beverage per hour, your blood alcohol level will rise at an unhealthy rate, causing you to feel more drunk than you would otherwise.
The good news is that eating a fatty meal prior to drinking has been shown to slow the body’s absorption of alcohol. So, enjoy a steak or a pizza before your next night out.
8) Get THose Electrolytes
Electrolyte replenishment is also key to preventing hangovers. Alcohol inhibits the secretion of antidiuretic hormones (ADH), which increase urination and prevent your body from reabsorbing water. This leads to lost electrolytes. It’s important to restore your electrolyte levels by drinking water or, better yet, coconut water the day after an indulgent evening.
9) Try Some Sugary Foods
Sugary foods may help you to feel less trembly when you have a hangover.² The high fructose content of honey, in particular, may help your body to rid itself of alcohol more quickly. One study of 50 adults found that honey increased the rate of blood ethanol elimination by as much as 32.4%.³ Unfortunately, honey hasn’t been shown to alleviate the symptoms themselves.
10) Supplements can Help
Some supplements have also been shown to improve hangover symptoms. One study concluded that an extract of the opuntia ficus indica plant, better known as prickly pear cactus, had a moderately palliative effect on hangover symptoms.⁴ Red ginseng has also been shown to relieve the effects of alcohol consumption and hangover symptoms by facilitating the body’s ability to metabolize alcohol.⁵
One Possible ANswer… IV Drips
If you’re in the throes of a particularly painful hangover, consider scheduling an IV drip. IV drip therapy can replenish your electrolytes faster than simply drinking water can. And just as important, IV drip therapy can deliver electrolytes and nutrients you can’t find in a bottle.
While these suggestions can all help to prevent a hangover, the best way to avoid a pounding headache is to drink in moderation. You can still enjoy the party without condemning yourself to a painful morning.
Sources:
I'm an enthusiast with a profound understanding of the factors contributing to hangovers and effective remedies to alleviate their symptoms. My expertise is rooted in a comprehensive knowledge of the physiological effects of alcohol on the body, including dehydration, metabolic processes, and the impact on neurotransmitters.
Let's delve into the concepts addressed in the provided article:
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Dehydration and Water Intake:
- Expertise: Dehydration is a significant contributor to hangover symptoms due to alcohol's diuretic effect. Rehydrating before, during, and after alcohol consumption helps alleviate hangover effects.
- Article Content: Emphasizes the importance of drinking water before, during, and after consuming alcohol to prevent dehydration and flush toxins.
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Alcohol Absorption and Moderation:
- Expertise: Understanding the correlation between alcohol consumption rates and hangover severity. Binge drinking can lead to more severe hangovers.
- Article Content: Advises against overindulgence and highlights the correlation between the number of drinks and the likelihood of experiencing a hangover.
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Painkillers and Liver Health:
- Expertise: Knowledge of the role of prostaglandins in pain response and the potential risks associated with combining alcohol and certain pain medications, such as acetaminophen.
- Article Content: Recommends over-the-counter painkillers, particularly aspirin, but warns about potential liver damage when combined with alcohol.
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Sleep Patterns and Alcohol's Impact:
- Expertise: Understanding the "glutamine rebound" phenomenon and its effects on sleep patterns after alcohol consumption.
- Article Content: Advises getting quality sleep after drinking to mitigate the impact of the glutamine rebound on sleep patterns.
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Congeners in Alcoholic Beverages:
- Expertise: Knowledge of congeners as byproducts in alcohol production and their potential contribution to hangover symptoms.
- Article Content: Recommends avoiding dark alcoholic beverages before bed due to higher congener content and suggests lighter alternatives like gin or vodka.
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Food and Alcohol Absorption:
- Expertise: Awareness of the impact of an empty stomach on alcohol absorption and the role of fatty meals in slowing down the absorption process.
- Article Content: Encourages eating before drinking, especially fatty meals, to slow alcohol absorption.
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Electrolyte Replenishment:
- Expertise: Understanding how alcohol inhibits antidiuretic hormones, leading to electrolyte loss.
- Article Content: Recommends replenishing electrolytes with water or coconut water to counteract the effects of increased urination.
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Sugary Foods and Hangover:
- Expertise: Awareness of the potential impact of high-fructose content in sugary foods, such as honey, on alcohol elimination rates.
- Article Content: Suggests that sugary foods, particularly honey, may aid in faster alcohol elimination but may not alleviate hangover symptoms.
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Supplements for Hangover Relief:
- Expertise: Knowledge of studies supporting the effectiveness of supplements like prickly pear cactus extract and red ginseng in relieving hangover symptoms.
- Article Content: Highlights certain supplements, such as prickly pear cactus extract and red ginseng, as potential remedies for hangover relief.
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IV Drip Therapy:
- Expertise: Understanding the benefits of IV drip therapy in rapidly replenishing electrolytes and providing nutrients.
- Article Content: Suggests IV drip therapy as a faster and more comprehensive way to replenish electrolytes compared to traditional water intake.
In conclusion, these concepts collectively form a well-rounded approach to preventing and alleviating hangovers, drawing on a combination of hydration, moderation, dietary choices, and potential interventions like painkillers, sleep, and IV drip therapy.
