Drinking alcohol is all fun and games until the next morning. Your hangover is probably what brought you here. If you’re looking for an end-all hangover cure, we have some bad news. Drinking alcohol will always come with the risk of dealing with a hangover. The only way to completely avoid it is to not drink at all or to try a hangover patch. May you are asking yourself do hangover patches work?
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There are, however, some ways to lessen your symptoms. So, let’s look at some hangover remedies to help you get through the day.
What causes a hangover?
Before we can attempt to cure a hangover, we need to understand what’s causing it. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Hangovers can be caused by several factors, including:
Dehydration
Inflammation
Poor Sleep
Increased Acetaldehyde
Gastrointestinal Issues
Withdrawal Symptoms
Without getting too into the science of it, a hangover happens when you drink too much alcohol. Your body metabolizes alcohol at a certain rate, which is about one drink an hour. So, when you drink more than that, your body can’t keep up which results in you feeling drunk and the dreadful symptoms you experience the next day.
Everyone is different, so hangovers may cause different symptoms in people, as well as anytime you drink. While there is no total hangover cure, we can lessen the effects with home remedies.
Stay Hydrated
As we mentioned, dehydration is one of the factors that causes hangover symptoms. Your body loses a lot of fluid while drinking, and it can be easy to forget to grab a water in between cocktails. If you really don’t want to deal with a hangover, make sure to drink water before, during and after a night out. You can even kick it up a notch with hydration packets which include vitamins and minerals designed to hydrate you quickly.
Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatories
Since alcohol may cause inflammation in the body, over the counter pills may help. It’s important to consult with your doctor before taking any medications to ensure that you can take them safely. We recommend ibuprofen, since it’s a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It may relieve hangover-related headaches.
Eat a nutritious breakfast
The last thing any hungover person dealing with nausea wants to do is eat a full and hearty meal. Well, the truth is that it’s going to help you relive those symptoms even if it sounds unappetizing.
Studies have shown that high amounts of alcohol can lower your blood sugar. This is because alcohol puts your liver into overdrive, which can disrupt the release of glucose. After a night of drinking, you should eat a well-balanced breakfast of protein and simple carbohydrates.
Get a good night’s rest
Alcohol is notorious for disrupting sleep. Think about when you’ve come home from a night of drinking. You probably don’t sleep well, and wake up several times in the night. Drinking makes it difficult for the body to reach REM sleep, so even if you’re in bed for ten hours you likely won’t wake up well rested.
It’s common to feel drowsy after a small amount of alcohol, but if you drink a lot it can make sleep worse. When you’re hungover, let yourself rest and get sleep after the alcohol has worn off. This may reduce symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.
Take hangover pills
Another solution to your hangover woes may be dietary supplements. Typically, you’ll need to take them before you go out drinking for them to work. We recommend supplements that include prickly pear, B vitamins and red ginseng. You can check out some of the best hangover pills here and see what’s right for you.
Final Thoughts
To sum it up, hangovers are unavoidable. There is no cure for them. The only thing you can do to totally avoid one is to not drink at all. Remember to pace yourself, stay hydrated and let yourself rest the next day. As always, please drink responsibly. Cheers!