Home remedies for hangovers

Were you blessed with having too much fun last night? Did that “one more drink” turn into “5 more drinks”? Or maybe those shots were adding up more quickly than you were counting? Actually, you probably weren’t even counting. Let me guess, you have a pounding headache, no tolerance for light and sound, and you feel queasy. No worries, it happens to even the best of us! Sometimes it’s nice to just let loose, but paying for it the next day can be a real drag. Put away those sunglasses and earplugs, it’s time for a hangover home remedy; think of it as a bundle of relief, but not necessarily a cure. Sounds like a real winner, huh?  Drinking too much alcohol at one time—and that “too much” varies per person because everyone’s tolerance is different—can leave you with a massive hangover.

CAUTION: HAVING AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK THE MORNING AFTER IS NO CURE FOR A HANGOVER.

  • Time. Of course, letting the body “heal” itself from the overload of toxins (a.k.a. alcohol) is the ideal way to go about things, but some of us just don’t have time to waste for such things. That is why I have provided a list so you can plan accordingly.
  • Drink plenty of water. One of the main causes of a hangover is dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, so chances are, if you were urinating as much as you were drinking, you ended up very low on fluids. Headaches may also subside with drinking water because they are often a result of dehydration.
  • While food is probably the last thing you want to think about, let alone look at, restoring your energy is important to recovering from the hangover.
  • Bananas can help restore the potassium that you undoubtedly lost a lot of through urinating.
  • Ginger can treat nausea.
  • Avoid caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and soda, because they can worsen the dehydration.
  • Vitamin C supplementation may increase the rate at which alcohol is broken down.
  • Fruit juices and tomato juice can help restore fluids lost from drinking too much.
  • Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, may help replace lost electrolytes, namely salt and potassium.
  • A cold pack can relieve headache pain.
  • A pain reliever, such as Tylenol can reduce the pounding headache too.
  • Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen because they may continue to irritate the stomach.
  • An over-the-counter antacid may help soothe a stomach.
  • Chamomile and peppermint tea are both natural approaches to making an aching tummy feel better.

Preventing a hangover is the best way to go. Although sometimes this just seems to be impossible, so that is why I outlined the above steps. If you have time, or want, to think about it, here are steps to prevent getting a hangover.

  • Don’t drink on an empty stomach because food helps absorb the alcohol and helps the body digest it faster.
  • Starchy foods slow down alcohol absorption the best.
  • Try to limit yourself to 1 drink per hour.
  • Alternate between an alcoholic drink and a non-alcoholic drink, such as water.
  • Avoid sweet drinks (or at least too many of them) because they are very sugary and can hide the alcohol taste. For some, this might be a good thing, but it also impairs your judgment of how much alcohol you are really drinking.
  • Dark-colored drinks have substances called congeners in them that make you more prone to a hangover.
  • Don’t mix drinks. If you’re drinking beer in the beginning, drink beer till the end. If you’re drinking whiskey, don’t switch it up.
  • Drink lots of water before you go to bed.
  • Get plenty of rest after the night is over.
Last updated on Jan 3rd, 2011 and filed under Alternative Medicine. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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