I’m a nutritionist – the 5 ways to stop your head from pounding and feeling like c**p on a hangover
WE’VE ALL experienced it at some point in our lives – the dreaded morning after a wild night of drinking.
Throbbing head, queasy stomach and the deep longing for relief while simultaneously regretting every choice made the previous night…
It’s the aftermath of a heavy night on the town and our bodies paying for the price of every glass, pint and shot.
This is not an uncommon experience and though doctors and nutritionists alike will tell you there is no definitive cure for any of it… Social media has another take on the matter.
People on the likes of TikTok have been sharing their top tips on how to rid the awful symptoms of the morning after and it’s gained a great deal of traction.
There’s the ice bath for your face, for starters, which has been made popular by the likes of @ashyizzle. While others, like @ind.i.b.b, swear by drinking a concoction of one Berocca tablet, aspirin, squash and salt.
TikTok user @madisonkarnow, on the other hand, has shared her belief that if you eat half a cucumber before drinking and the other half the morning after, you won’t have a hangover.
But what does a professional nutritionist have to say about these wild hacks? We asked Jo Travers, a freelance dietician and nutritionist, to tell us what she thinks.
“There’s no mechanism of action for how [an ice face bath] would help a hangover,” Jo, 45, told The Sun’s Fabulous magazine during an exclusive chat. “Other than just the shock to wake you up.
“You could get the same sort of value from having a shower… No ice water necessary.”
That sugar spike is always followed by a sugar crash
Jo Travers
The Berocca/squash drink is also a bit of an odd concept to Jo. She explained that while the isotonic drink can be very hydrating, you could achieve the same results from drinking a Lucozade Sport and having an aspirin for the headache.
Meanwhile, there could be some merit to the cucumber theory as vitamin B helps the liver process alcohol.
“If it’s about hydration, then you could just drink a glass of water instead of eating half a cucumber,” she said. “But if it’s to do with B vitamins, there is actually a bit of evidence to say that its consumption can help your liver function better.”
When we process alcohol, which is a toxin, we use up a great deal of B vitamins, which can leave it depleted.
It means that having something like a cucumber, which is rich in B vitamins, can help the liver process it.
“But what you don’t want is to consume sugar. Because you would get a sugar spike followed by a crash,” she went on, warning people of the dangers of eating too much carbohydrates following a night out.
She continued: “What can happen is you wake up with really low blood sugar… You feel awful, perhaps shaky, really hungry or craving carbohydrates. Often what happens is people just eat over carbohydrates.
“And then they have a sugar spike, that sugar spike is always followed by a sugar crash, because the body has too much sugar in the blood. You end up with these peaks and troughs.”
The overconsumption of carbohydrates is a big no in Jo’s books. Instead, the nutritionist suggests people eat a balanced meal with a small amount of carbs alongside fibre and protein.
“That’s why people often say having a full English breakfast makes them feel better,” Jo went on.
Jo's Top Hangover Tips
- Have a balance meal, like a full English, with a small portion of carbohydrates, protein and fibre
- Hydrate and replenish your B vitamins with a 125 ml glass of orange juice
- Sleep, then sleep some more
- … Don’t drink
The carbohydrates can be found in the toast and hashbrowns on the plate. Eggs provide the protein and there’s fibre in beans, both of which slow down the release of carbohydrates in the bloodstream.
“Then you have other stuff like bacon and sausages, which don’t have much benefit other than being salty,” she joked.
Having a small, 125 ml glass of orange juice can also be beneficial alongside the full English as it contains B vitamins.
“Some people say green smoothies that have spinach and kale are quite good because of the folate in them – B vitamins,” she added.
Jo added that you should eat small amounts regularly, too.
But it’s not just about what you consume as Jo said one of the most important things you can do after a heavy night of drinking is sleep.
The body doesn’t get quality sleep after consuming alcohol, the expert explained.
“It means that it needs longer to do all of the jobs that it can only do while you’re sleeping, like reforming repair and maintenance,” she said.
And much like the cucumber theory, Jo said that if you are planning to drink, try to eat while you consume alcohol as it can help protect the liver and help it function properly.
“You’re less likely to get a hangover if you are eating with your alcohol,” she said.
But answering the crucial question of whether there’s a cure for hangovers or not, she said: “Don’t drink the night before. It is the only surefire way to prevent a hangover is to not drink alcohol.”
Find out more about Jo and through her website, here.