How to Get Rid of a Hangover

The truth is drinking too much alcohol can happen to anyone. More often than not, the person was planning to have just “a couple of drinks”, and things got out of hand.

To try and help you get over the effects of a bout of drinking too much, understand it from your body’s perspective. Alcohol is a toxic (intoxicated) substance and a diuretic. So, in essence, your body is suffering from both the toxic effects of large quantities of alcohol and it is dehydrated.

Overindulging is especially prevalent around holidays. The results drinking too much alcohol can result in physical consequences, a “hangover”. These physical ramifications are the effects of ingesting alcohol faster than your body can handle it. Ultimately, the physical effects will subside over the next 8 to 24 hours.

Some symptoms may be caused by other related activities such as smoking, other drug use, or eating “junk” food.

Hangover Symptoms

Best Hangover Cure – Steps to Getting Rid of a Hangover ASAP

Dealing with the day-after symptoms of drinking too much is a bit like having a “cold”. You feel awful, you head hurts, your body aches, and you don’t feel like getting out of bed, let alone doing anything. If you think it is more like being “sick”, it is easier to not beat yourself up over having done this to yourself.

While there aren’t any “magical” remedies for a hangover, a few suggestions may help you feel better once the hangover has begun. For the most part, these ideas are treating the symptoms, which is the only part of a hangover that matters anyway. The bottom line, the body is going through alcohol withdrawal. Time is the most important remedy. Hangover symptoms will generally last between 8 – 24 hours.

• Drink Lots and Lots of Pure Water – Alcohol causes dehydration and increases the body’s urinary output because it is a diuretic. Drinking lots and lots of water will rehydrate your body and accelerate the detoxification process.

• Take a Nice Long Shower – A shower makes most people feel much better. The warm water feels good on your aching joints. muscles and head. Let the water massage your body for as long as possible. (if you know someone who is good at massage, getting one of those would feel great too).

• Eat Some Simple Carbohydrates – Bland foods containing complex carbohydrates, such as toast or crackers,can counter low blood sugar levels in people subject to hypoglycemia and can possibly relieve nausea.

• Aspirin – Over Counter headache remedies, like aspirin, for the headache you are experiencing may be caused by alcohol in your blood, but it can be mitigated by aspirin just like any other headache.
Important: Avoid acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), they can cause liver problems

• Over-the-counter Antacids – Nausea and upset stomach you are feeling can also be treated in the standard way. While medications that treat upset stomachs will decrease your vomiting and diarrhea symptoms, that also means the toxins will remain in your body longer, which will prolong the problem, so this is a mixed blessing.

• Sports Drinks – Sports drinks are good for you during a hangover for the same reason they are good during heavy exercise. They restore electrolytes that your body lost. Also, most sports drinks on the market are surprisingly gentle to the stomach. Just make sure to avoid intense flavors

• Fruit and Fruit juice – good for you and easy to digest, they are full of vitamin C, a natural antioxidant

• Coffee – Caffeine is commonly used to counteract the fatigue and malaise associated with the hangover condition

• Walk – Fresh air, sunshine and a little light cardiovascular exercise increase oxygenation and metabolism rate

• Rest – Just taking it easy will help your system to use all of its resources to recover as fast as possible

*NEVER drink more alcohol (the proverbial “hair of the dog that bit you”), additional drinking will only enhance the existing toxicity of the alcohol consumed during the previous bout and may increase the likelihood of even further drinking.

Best Hangover Food

Finally, there are certain foods and drinks that naturally combat some of the ill effects of a hangover. Water has already been mentioned, but it isn’t the only good option. Some light eating is suggested. Nothing spicy or fried. Keeping the body well nourished during this process is generally considered a good idea. Avoiding dairy is recommended.

• Toast / Crackers – Any dry bread product is ideal if you experiencing heavy nausea. Just make sure to avoid anything too salty or moist. The goal is to increase your sugar levels without upsetting your stomach. Dry toast may be dull, but you should be able to keep it down.

• Soups and Bouillon – This is another example of bland food that helps restore some of the nutrients your body lost while battling the alcohol in your system (especially if you vomited at any point). Drink the soup slowly, without any other ingredients, preferably while eating dry toast at the same time. It will return lost potassium and sodium to your body.

• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables – These types of food are always a good idea, especially during this time of purifying and healing. Alcohol robs the body of much of its nutritional requirements, so fresh fruits and vegetables can help restore the its natural balance.

Minimizing the Possibility of a Hangover

You may be reading this before you’ve started drinking, as a precaution for a party or event that you are planning to attend. The simplest way to avoid a hangover is to drink in moderation, and drink water in between the next drink of alcohol. Depending on your body weight, you should be able to drink about one beer every hour and a half, especially if you follow some of the other advice here, and avoid a hangover completely. If you intend to drink more vigorously than that, the following will help mitigate the resulting hangover.

• Drink Water – Alcohol dehydrates your body rapidly, exacerbating your hangover symptoms. If you drink heavily, try to drink at least one glass of water every half hour.

• Filling Meal – The more alcohol that your bloodstream absorbs, the worse your hangover will be. If you eat a full meal, preferably with fatty foods, before you start drinking, the food in your stomach will absorb some of the alcohol and mitigate your hangover. If your night of drinking lasts more than four hours, try to make some time for another meal.

• Drink in Moderation – Alternate a glass of water before taking the next drink of alcohol

references

• Alcohol Hangovers, mechanisms and mediators
• hangover treatment – medline plus