Don’t Lose The Battle To A Hangover, Here Are The Best Methods To Help Combat Them
Hangovers, who needs them? That answer is rhetorical, but sadly, feeling terrible after a night of drinking is often unavoidable. That is if you don't know what you're doing. Leave the headaches and vomiting to the rookies. Now that you're reading this article, you're about to become a professional at avoiding and getting rid of those nasty mornings filled with regret. There are preventative steps that help lessen the chances or completely eradicate having a hangover. There are also foods you need to be eating if you wake up with one. Two words, you're welcome.
Preventative: Eat A Burger Before You Drink, No SALAD
We understand you don't want to look or feel bloated at the bar on your night out of drinking. However, beating a hangover is a way better feeling wouldn't you agree? Defeating one depends on how you metabolize it, not how much you drink.
Dr. Elizabeth Kovacs says you need to make sure you eat a meal that has carbs, protein, and fat before you sip on liquor. Order that burger and save the salad for later.
Preventative: Drink Up... The Water
This might sound like an obvious trick, but most underestimate it. Perhaps if you knew the science behind it, you would be more inclined to participate. Since alcohol is a diuretic (makes you use the restroom often), drinking it contributes to dehydration.
Dehydration isn't a main cause for hangovers, but it does contribute to thirst, fatigue, headaches, and dry mouths. All the symptoms that come with having a hangover. Do yourself a favor and drink enough water before your night out and in between drinks.
Preventative: Pop That Pill... Ibuprofen
Some may be against taking pills to help with their problems, and that's fair. To those who don't mind, then you should be taking an ibuprofen before you go to sleep as suggested by doctors.
"If I really overdid it, I take an Advil before I go to sleep and possibly one more multivitamin," Dr. Burke, MD, an anesthesiologist who has treated over 20,000 hangovers. The ibuprofen directly attacks the inflammation that alcohol brings to your body.
Preventative: Drink The Good Stuff
We know it can be easy to fall into the trap of purchasing drinks that aren't top shelf. They're easier on your bank account, but won't be on your body. You must always go for the high-end alcohol when you're drinking.
"I only drink high-end gin and vodka," Dr. Burke says. Burke swears that the more expensive stuff is filtered the most, which eliminates toxins and impurities, making your hangover less severe. Also, this will make you more inclined to drink less because you don't want to keep wasting money.
Preventative: Skip The Smoking
Smoking is already a bad habit that you should consider nipping in the bud, but research finds that it certainly doesn't help with hangovers. Researchers studied the hangover symptoms of 113 smokers over eight weeks and the results were as expected.
They discovered that smoking heavily increases the risk and severity of a hangover. The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs conducted this study so our best advice to you concerning this topic is to listen.
Preventative: Drink Sprite Or Seltzer
The morning after you went crazy and had one too many drinks, a beverage you need to be consuming is Sprite or Seltzer. Researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University in China analyzed the effects of 57 different drinks on alcohol metabolism.
There findings were that Sprite and regular soda water help speed up the body's alcohol metabolism. This in turn decreases the time period your body is exposed to the detrimental chemicals that are made when you digest liquor.
Preventative: Don't Drink More In The Morning
We've all heard and even seen others do this. You've probably done it yourself. Regardless of what you've witnessed or done, you shouldn't in any circumstance drink more booze when you rise in the morning.
Experts agree this is a silly myth that needs to be stopped in its tracks. All it does is delay what's going to happen anyway; a bigger and much worse hangover. Pick up a can of Sprite instead and feel better.
Preventative: Keep The Energy Drink Nearby
Yes, while it is smart to sip on some water in between alcoholic drinks and they do work, energy drinks and coconut water work even better. Drinks like Gatorade or Powerade help to replace the fluids and electrolytes you've lost.
They also help in recovering the nutrients you lose as well. When you're drinking more than two drinks at a time, you should be alternating between sports drinks and booze. Sipping the latter throughout the night works well too.
Preventative: Get The Rest You Deserve
Here's another one that might seem fairly obvious, but you can't count out people's ability to disregard common sense. Doctors suggest that many people aren't getting enough rest after their wild nights of drinking and it's affecting their hangovers in a big way.
Sleep isn't going to save you completely from a hangover, but it does improve your immunity and it sets your body up for success before a long night of drinking. Be sure to get those extra Z's in.
Preventative: Don't Do The Champagne
As great as some champagne sounds and as elegant as it may be to sip some while you're out, it's best to stay away from it if you want to help from feeling horrible in the morning. The reason for it is pretty strange.
Science revealed that the bubbles in sparkling wine accelerate the absorption of alcohol making you drunker faster. The problem here is that it produces really bad hangovers according to Dr. Burke. Keep the champagne on ice.
Foods: Watermelon
There are plenty of fruits in the world. The best kinds that help fight hangovers are the water-rich kinds. And what better fruit to digest than the one that has water in it's name? Watermelon is also full of potassium and L-citrulline which is an amino acid that helps boosts blood circulation.
Increased blood circulation helps your body process toxins, detox the liver and help fatigued muscles. It sounds like you better stock up on some watermelons!
Foods: Guacamole
"Think of guacamole as a designated driver for your digestive system," eatthis.com wrote. After The Journal of Agriculture Food Chemistry fed 22 different fruits to rats with liver damage and the one that proved the most beneficial was avocado.
When you make your guacamole cilantro is an imperative ingredient (if you don't include it, then you need to reconsider your skills). The cilantro sends a "simmer down" message to an upset stomach which is a bonus.
Foods: Oatmeal
When you wake up in the morning feeling like you will never drink again one of the best food options for you is oatmeal. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study discovered that starchy carbohydrates like oatmeal the morning after destroying your liver improves your mood better than a bagel or a bowl of Fruity Pebbles can.
Other studies concluded that the meal also helps boosts serotonin, which is the feel-good hormone. That should help you feel better about your mistakes.
Foods: Blueberries
While you may get tempted to just find the medicine to help resolve your issues, medicating with vitamins from whole foods (and blueberries in particular) is a much better path for you to take. Think of each blueberry as a little pill that helps your weakened immune system.
Researchers at Oregon State found that blueberries have an uncanny ability to boost your immune system. This is thanks to a compound found in them called pterostillbene. Toss out the Pepto and say hello to the little blue guys.
1% Milk
We know what you're thinking, milk isn't even a real food, what is it doing here? Listen closely, it may help you more than you think. The trick here is to pre-game with it the night before in order to save yourself in the morning.
"Because of its protein and fat content, the beverage—and other foods rich in those nutrients— line the stomach and slow the absorption of alcohol, which prevents a hangover the following morning," explains Leah Kaufman, MS.
Foods: Asparagus
Asparagus isn't a vegetable anyone eats regularly, at least, we assume. For those who aren't aware of its great healing powers, get a load of this. Next time your stomach is punishing you while you and your friends are at the local diner trying to recover, ask for a side of steamed asparagus.
They contain amino acids and minerals that help alleviate hangover symptoms and protect the liver cells from toxins. They also help you use the restroom more which will flush out the toxins.
Foods: Eggs
We're sorry if you're not a fan of eggs. We apologize because they are a top notch breakfast dish, subjectively speaking of course. Not only are eggs prepared in a multitude of ways and taste great, they are a rich source of an amino acid called cysteine.
Cysteine helps break down alcohols leftover toxins. All it takes is two eggs and you have a full day's worth! You can get fancy and make an omelet with asparagus for double the action.
Foods: Greek Yogurt
Yes, there are plenty of yogurts out there these days. The one you need to have handy when you know you're about to drink a ton is Greek yogurt. This is because alcohol causes dehydration and it makes it hard for your body to maintain blood sugar balance.
To get rid of this terrible feeling, Greek yogurt is the way to go. It's easy on the stomach and is loaded with potassium, which helps get rid of the bloat.
Foods: Nuts
The Native Americans were here long before us and came up with ways of healing because they needed to so that they could survive. One thing they claimed was that almonds protect against intoxication and also prevent hangovers.
This fact is something modern scientists agree with due to their healthy fats and protein, nuts like almonds and walnuts help in slowing down the absorption of alcohol and keep the nasty morning feelings at bay. Powerful stuff for snacks so small.
Foods: Bananas
One of the best fighters of hangovers has to be bananas. They are overflowing with potassium, something you lose when you use the restroom so often due to drinking. Why do you think athletes swear by them as well? Bananas are magical fruits.
They also are a natural source of vitamin B6 which studies show help bring down the symptoms of hangovers by as much as fifty percent! You would be foolish not to have one of these on hand.
