The consumption of alcohol in excess, more than you normally indulge in, can result in the worst experience your body can ever endure, that ...
The consumption of alcohol in excess, more than you normally indulge in, can result in the worst experience your body can ever endure, that too hours later. One too many and one for the road ends up giving you a throbbing headache, nauseating feeling and a tipsy mind set. This resultant body abuse is called a hangover. A hangover is the backlash of consuming excessive alcohol at a time. The extent of a hangover largely depends on a person’s tolerance level for alcohol. This variation springs from the relative height and weight, and inherent genetics. It is different from one person to another and hence, setting the same paradigms as those adopted by an acquaintance is useless. However, there are a few simple home remedies that can help in dealing with the hangover symptoms that usually last for about 24 hours.
The main expression or symptom of a hangover is dehydration. Consuming plenty of water can help deal with this, while the home maintained pain killers can take care of the throbbing headache. Dehydration is inevitable due to the diuretic nature of alcohol. The consumption increases urination and hence, flushes away the fluid from the body. You need to consume liquid in any form, not another drink (alcohol) though. You could down a tall glass of water with a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt stirred in. Some people suggest drinking coffee as a home remedy; however, this is wrong advice since coffee too is a diuretic! The basic understanding comes from the fact that alcohol depletes the body of vital minerals, vitamins and blood sugar. The habit itself is a ‘well-being-break-down’.
Some alcohol like brandy, rum, whisky, red and white wine and gin and vodka give terrible hangovers. Research reveals that the complex organic molecules like methanol and acetone are present in some drinks and are more responsible for the effect, rather than the ethanol or alcohol content. Home Remedies for hangovers include first and foremost not trying to cure a hangover with another drink! It only makes the hangover worse. You could also try taking Vitamin C in any form since it is known to increase the rate of alcohol breakdown. To combat the dehydration, drink plenty of fresh fruit juices and lots of tomato juice! Soups, fresh fruit and salads are the best to reduce the symptoms.
Another home remedy for a hangover is bouillon soup. It helps to replace the lost salt and potassium. Even energizing sports drinks help a lot. They offer the right replenishment of the required mineral and vitamin content essential for the body to remain healthy. You could combat the headache with a cold pack or acetaminophen. However, the latter should be avoided in case you have a history of liver disease. If the hangover symptoms include an upset stomach, you could take an antacid, peppermint or chamomile tea. As a preventive measure – never drink on an empty stomach, since food helps to absorb some of the alcohol. To avoid a hangover, you should also try and avoid sweet drinks or foods while consuming alcohol. You could include snacks that are starch based and roasted snack options. They are healthy and reduce the effect of alcohol on the body.
The best home remedy for curing a hangover is heeding good advice. Too much consumption of alcohol is detrimental to physical and mental well being. You only make things worse for yourself. If you have a potential problem, you need to face it honestly and first and foremost consider the amount that you drink and the frequency. The symptoms of a hangover make you feel lousy and forget enjoying your first drink the previous evening, any excessive and unmonitored consumption can ruin the next day. The resultant headache and imbalance and sick feeling does wear off, but a persistent invitation to these symptoms only means a ruined body.
1. Sleep. Rest is your best friend at this point to give your body a recover. It is best to stay in bed so call in to work if you have to, tell them you have the stomach flu. You will sound so horrible on the phone they may believe you (unless they saw you at the bar, not a good idea then).
2. Replenish your body with fruit juice and water.
3. Avoid caffeine. A weak cup of coffee may be okay but a lot of caffeine will continue to dehydrate you, the opposite of what you want right now.
4. Drink orange juice for Vitamin C.
5. Drink a sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade.
6. Eat mineral rich food like pickles or canned fish.
7. In Poland, drinking pickle juice is a common remedy.
8. Drink a Bloody Mary. While the popular phrase “hair of the dog that bit you” may sound logical with a shot of whiskey left in the bottle next to your bed, it’s only temporary. Try a Bloody Mary instead, while your blood is dealing with the new alcohol it is ignoring the old and in the mean time tomato juice and celery are full of vitamins. If you drank the last of the vodka make a Virgin Mary. Another spicy morning after drink option is Hair of the Dog, in which gin and hot sauce are sure to bite your hangover back.
9. Take a shower, switching between cold and hot water.
10. In Ireland it was said that the cure for a hangover is to bury the ailing person up to the neck in moist river sand.
11. Try Alka Seltzer Morning Relief. One reader says that it's all that he and his wife have found that really works for them. He stumbled across this "cure" while his wife was still suffering after two days, within 15 minutes after taking the Alka Seltzer she was fine.
12. Get some exercise. Another reader suggests doing some sort of physical activity. He writes, "In the rare case of having hangover I usually drink about 1-2 liters of water and go outside to do some exercise like mountain climbing, swimming, cycling or just about anything that keeps me sweating." It takes willpower to move like that when standing seems like a challenge, but it is a good theory.
13. The side effects of aspirin, Tylenol and ibuprofen can be magnified when alcohol is in your system, so it is best (even though it may be the first thing you reach for) to avoid them to kill the hangover pain. Aspirin is a blood thinner, just like alcohol, and can intensify its effects and Tylenol (or acetaminophen) can cause more damage to your liver. Ibuprofen can also cause stomach bleeding. So be cautious when going for the quick relief.
14.Ginger is used for hangover cure since years so take ginger capsules,raw ginger or even you can take a ginger tea.This will remove your hangover soon.
15.Chicken soup is also very good for hangover.Drink it.
16.The lime is time tested and trusted remedy for hangover. For this, as soon as you wake up in the morning; take 2 tsp of fresh lime juice with 1 tsp of sugar in 8 ounces of plain water. Sip it slowly. This will help in stabilizing the blood sugar, which is disturbed after drinking. This is one of the useful home remedies for hangover.
17.Coffee without the bubbles helps to relieve the nausea. You can make coffee by using the honey instead of sugar. Fructose is absorb quicker as compare to sucrose, which is there in normal sugar. This is one of the good home remedies for hangover.
18.When you drink, the things you lose are potassium and fructose. Bananas are best to replace them. Bananas are natural source as antacids. This will also help in nausea. Bananas are also high in magnesium, so that they can help relaxing those pounding blood vessels which are responsible of headache.
Try this simple remedy for hangover, banana, peanut butter and honey on the whole wheat bread. This is very beneficial for treating hangover. This is one of the best home remedies for hangover.
Instead of fighting the hangover, fight the habit! Better Quit Drinking Alcohol.....
