What’s the best cure for a hangover? Six ways to recover the morning after a heavy night – from the best food to eat to taking the right medicine
HIT the sauce a bit too hard this St Patrick’s Day? Feel as sick as a parrot?
If you’re struggling to cope with a hangover then look no further as we’ve asked the experts to reveal their top tips to make you feel human again.
How can I cure a hangover?
Rehydrate
Booze can make you expel up to four times as much water, which is why you always feel like a slug in a salt mine the morning after.
Make sure you drink lots of water before you go to sleep, but well, we all know how hard that is once you’ve knocked back a thousand tequilas and passed out on the front step.
In any case, water is your best friend and will flush toxins out of your system.
Isotonic drinks can also give you an extra boost and replace lost fluids.
Snooze
Drinking heavily disrupts your sleep cycle, causing you to still feel lethargic even if you had plenty of kip.
Therefore it’s a no brainer that going back to bed will help with this one.
Just make sure you actually press send on the text you’ve written to get out of a family birthday lunch, or expect even more pain at 6pm.
Medicate
Reach for the painkillers to help with head or muscle aches.
Stick to paracetamol-based remedies as aspirin can increase nausea.
Take an antacid if you have a dodgy stomach and need it settling.
Drink herbal tea
As well as plenty of water, hot drinks can help revive your body and mind.
Ginger tea can help with nausea and milk thistle tea cleanses the liver, while hot water with honey and lemon boosts blood sugar.
Exercise if you can
The idea of “sweating it out” is a bit dubious but some gentle exercise can boost endorphin levels, making you feel a whole load better about your sorry state.
It’ll also lessen the inevitable guilt that comes with the memory of twerking in the kebab shop.
What food can help cure a hangover?
Sugar can help stop the shakes and give you an energy boost but you also need to replace lost vitamins and minerals – so opt for a Bouillon broth or soup with wholemeal toast.
If you can’t resist a fry up, make sure you eat the eggs as they contain amino acids that help to counteract the effects of alcohol.
Bananas are also a great shout as they contain lots of potassium to help with dehydration.
How can I prevent a hangover?
Of course, the best way to avoid a hangover is to drink moderately on the night and not give in to offers of shots from merry friends waving their wallets.
Lining your stomach with a carb or fat-heavy meal before boozing slows down the rate of alcohol absorption, something you’ll be thankful for in the morning.
Drinking a pint of milk or a shot of olive oil is said to help too. Nice.
Also, it can be handy to avoid dark-coloured drinks that contain natural chemicals called congeners (impurities), which irritate blood vessels and tissue in the brain and can make a hangover much worse.
MOST READ IN HEALTH
What causes a hangover?
The main reason people get hangovers is drinking too much alcohol, and there are a number of ways this is caused.
Alcohol is a diuretic, which causes increased passing of urine, which can lead to a dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and nausea.
Ethanol in alcohol can cause damage and irritation to cells and the toxin acetaldehyde can form when alcohol is broken down in the liver.
Alcohol also increases acid production in the stomach, which can irritate the stomach lining and cause a delay in the stomach emptying, which can cause stomach pain and vomiting.