Hangovers can have many other effects, such as muscle aches, low mood, brain fog, fatigue, and nausea. So when people start to feel hangovers from alcohol, they tend to look out for different hangover cures.
Hangovers come in as an after-effect of alcohol consumption. Some of these effects include:
- Dehydration
- Low blood sugar
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Intestine and stomach inflammation
- Sleep disturbance
These are some of the symptoms that hangover cures seek to treat. This article discusses some of the most effective home remedies to cure hangovers that you can try out.
Drink lots of water
A hangover from alcohol causes you to lose lots of water in the body. So rehydrating your body by drinking plenty of water is an effective way to reduce the symptoms of hangover that you’re feeling.
Another reason why you need to take in lots of water is because alcohol is a diuretic, so it will increase the volume of urine that goes out of the body. This loss of fluid leads to electrolyte imbalances and dehydration, which are contributing factors to the hangover.
So, ensuring that you’re hydrated as you drink alcohol will help you reduce or prevent a hangover and its effects. In addition, it will help if you take a glass of water before bed and in-between alcoholic drinks.
It is common for people to resort to sports drinks to cure hangovers because they contain rehydration powders or electrolytes to restore electrolyte balance in the body. However, there is no research to prove that this effectively cures hangovers.
Eat healthy breakfast
Some hangover symptoms may become more severe due to the low level of blood sugars. Eating breakfast can help regulate the blood sugar level, which may partially relieve this discomfort.
As the body breaks down alcohol, it leads to an increase in the level of lactic acid. This causes the blood sugar level to reduce and contributes significantly to the hangover effect. However, a good breakfast can restore the blood sugar level to an appropriate level and improve or reduce the hangover symptoms.
The human body also needs healthy foods containing carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and healthy fats to recover and repair. While there is no research yet to determine the type of food most appropriate to eat as breakfast to cure hangovers, you’re recommended to eat healthy foods containing proper nutrients.
Get a good rest
One of the effects of alcohol hangovers is sleep disturbances, which is strongly associated with reduced sleep duration and a drop in sleep quality for many people. Although taking a low or moderate amount of alcohol may help promote sleep. However, consuming alcohol in large quantities or chronic alcohol use can lead to disruption of sleep patterns.
It’s also important to note that, while you may not experience hangovers due to lack of sleep, it can make your hangover much worse. Some hangover symptoms that may become worse due to lack of sleep are headaches, irritability, and fatigue.
Ensuring a good sleep at night gives your body the time it needs to recover appropriately and take away the symptoms of a hangover or make it more bearable.
Drinking tea or coffee
Caffeinated drinks are known to act as stimulants that can help to improve fatigue and other feelings that come with suffering a hangover. In addition, green tea, black, and coffee include some antioxidants known to reduce the effects of alcohol hangover.
However, drinks containing caffeine are diuretics that can lead to more dehydration in the human body. In addition, caffeine doesn’t alter the alcohol content in a person’s blood, so it cannot reduce the risks associated with drinking alcohol.
Drink alcohol the following day
Drinking alcohol the following day to fight the hangover effects of alcohol doesn’t seem like a likely strategy, but many people do this, and they swear that it’s effective.
This technique is called “hair of the dog” and is based mainly on anecdotal evidence and myths. There has been evidence to support that it is effective, though. The reason is that alcohol can change how the body processes methanol (which is found in alcoholic beverages).
The alcohol you drink converts the methanol into formaldehyde (the toxic compound likely to cause hangover symptoms). However, drinking ethanol (alcohol) during a hangover will stop the conversion and prevent formaldehyde from forming. The methanol is then excreted safely from the body rather than forming formaldehyde.
This treatment isn’t recommended for hangovers, though, because it may lead to alcohol dependence and the development of unhealthy drinking habits.
Conclusion
You may love to take alcohol, but you surely don’t like the hangover that comes with it. There are different ways to deal with this, such as mobile IV. This article discusses a few ways to deal with it.
