The 10 Best Hangover Cures (and 2 to Avoid)

Eating the right foods may help with hangover symptoms like headache and upset stomach.

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You wake up the morning after a night spent partying with a throbbing head, achy bod and nausea that makes you wish you could crawl out of your skin. Yup, you’re hungover.

Your first thought (after ​I’ll never drink that much again​) is ​How can I quit feeling like crap — stat?​

While there is no real cure for a hangover, there are natural remedies that can help take the edge off the most punishing symptoms and replenish your body.

Here’s the lowdown on which hangover treatments soften the blow, and which are totally phony. You’ll want to drink in this intel.

The best hangover drink is good old-fashioned h3O.

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Booze is a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more.

“Alcohol downshifts the hormones that signal your kidneys to conserve water,” says Sunjya Schweig, MD, founder and president of the California Center for Functional Medicine. “It decreases your ability to hold onto water, so you will release fluid.”

Being parched, in turn, brings on hallmark hangover symptoms like headache and fatigue.

Because rehydration after drinking is especially helpful for a headache or body aches, go gangbusters with the h3O.

How to Drink Water for a Hangover

Get ready to guzzle: “The rule of thumb is that you should drink half your body weight in [ounces of] water every day,” Dr. Schweig says. “But if you’ve been consuming alcohol, you need to replace those lost fluids — especially if you have diarrhea or vomiting.”

So aim to slurp down three-quarters of your body weight in ounces of water or electrolyte drinks (more on that in a sec). For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 150 ounces throughout the day — that’s a little more than a gallon total.

2. Replenish Electrolytes

While they may not totally cure your hangover, electrolyte drinks like coconut water can help ease symptoms.

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Dehydration from drinking can lead to an imbalance of electrolytes.

“Electrolytes contain critical minerals for cell function, including sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium,” says Dr. Schweig. “Low levels of electrolytes can make you lethargic, lead to an irregular heartbeat, and cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”

Enter electrolyte beverages.

“Having an electrolyte drink that contains a little salt and sugar allows you to absorb more fluid into your bloodstream than plain water,” Dr. Schweig says. “Staying hydrated and replacing electrolytes are the fastest ways to feel better if you are hungover.”

How to Use Electrolytes for a Hangover

First, opt for a natural source of electrolytes rather than a sports drink. “Low blood sugar is one of the core causes of a hangover,” Dr. Schweig says. “Sports drinks typically contain preservatives, added sugar and carbohydrates, which could exacerbate a blood sugar imbalance.”

He recommends 100 percent coconut water or LMNT Recharge ($20 for a 12-pack, Amazon.com), a powdered electrolyte drink mix. You can also DIY by whipping up an oral rehydration solution. The University of Virginia Health System offers up the following recipe: Dissolve 3/4 teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar in one quart of water.

“Staying hydrated and replacing electrolytes are the fastest ways to feel better if you are hungover.”

Ginger can help you feel better when you’re hungover.

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This spicy medicinal root can soothe an upset stomach.

“Alcohol damages the gut and increases intestinal permeability [aka “leaky gut”], leading to inflammation, more toxins in the bloodstream and immune system dysregulation,” Dr. Schweig says. “Ginger contains a compound called 6-shogoal, which has been shown in preclinical research to prevent intestinal barrier breakdown and reduce inflammation.”

And because booze does a number on your liver, here’s a bonus: “Ginger is protective to the liver,” Dr. Schweig says.

How to Use Ginger for a Hangover

Peel a knob of ginger and slice it into thin medallions. Then, pop a piece right into your mouth and suck on it.

If the flavor is too intense, sip a cup of ginger tea instead, such as Traditional Medicinals Organic Ginger Tea ($4.78, Walmart.com). Or brew an easy homemade version: Steep three to five ginger medallions in a cup of hot water for several minutes. If you like, add a teaspoon of raw honey and a pinch of salt.

“If you have a juicer, you can also make ginger juice,” Dr. Schweig says.

Have ginger two or three times a day (or more as needed) for hangover-induced nausea.

What About Ginger Ale?

Skip the Seagram’s. “Commercial ginger ale contains very little actual ginger and a lot of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, which is not healthy,” Dr. Schweig says.

Avocados are among the best hangover food if you have an upset stomach.

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According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, potassium helps regulate your heartbeat, deliver nutrients to your cells and clear away waste products — all super important if you’ve been drinking.

And because this key electrolyte becomes depleted when you get tipsy, you should replenish your stores the next day.

How to Use Potassium for a Hangover

Bananas are probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of potassium, but consider your symptoms before you reach for one. “Bananas can cause constipation, which isn’t great if you are hungover,” Dr. Schweig says. You’re more likely to have trouble pooping when you’re dehydrated.

He suggests reaching for an avocado instead. They’re chockfull of potassium and are also a great source of magnesium, another electrolyte. They won’t stop you up, and because they’re bland and alkaline, they shouldn’t upset your stomach.

5. Take a Warm Shower or Bath

Taking a shower could be considered an emergency hangover cure, because it wakes you up and helps your body process toxins.

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Not only is the warm water relaxing, but it can increase your circulation and help clear away toxins.

“Heat opens up your blood vessels, allowing blood to pump more easily through your system,” Dr. Schweig says. “As a result, your blood passes more frequently through the liver, which filters waste products such as acetaldehyde from alcohol.” More blood flow through the liver means less waste hanging around in your body.

What’s more, the water temperature can help combat the negative effect that alcohol has on your energy levels. Depending on the temp, it can wake you up when you’re groggy or help you score a super-restorative sleep at bedtime.

How to Use a Shower or Bath for a Hangover

Take a warm shower or bath once a day when you’re hungover. Exhausted and need a pick-me-up? Blast cool agua for a minute or two at the end. “Cold water raises levels of cortisol, which has a stimulating effect,” Dr. Schweig says.

On the other hand, if you’re craving a deep night’s sleep, hop into water that’s between 104 and 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit one to two hours before hitting the hay. Per the National Sleep Foundation, this helps you drift off faster and improves the quality of your shut-eye.

Reach for this tea to help with hangover nausea.

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“Hanxiety” is when you feel intense worry, doubt and stress after drinking heavily. It might happen because you can’t exactly remember what happened the night before, or because you did or said something you regret.

It’s also biological: “When your body is dysregulated due to excessive alcohol intake, inflammatory pathways flare up and put you in fight-or-flight mode, which presents as feeling anxious or wound up,” Dr. Schweig says. “In addition, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant; it can make you feel down and out.”

Plus, booze throws your mood-regulating neurotransmitters out of whack, which can also trigger anxiety.

Here’s where chamomile comes in: This healing plant has been used for thousands of years as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and mild sedative. A December 2016 study in ​Phytomedicine​ found that both short-term and long-term use of chamomile extracts eased symptoms of anxiety. And a January 2018 study in the ​Journal of Psychiatric Research​ discovered that when people with anxiety disorders took chamomile extract, it balanced out their levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

By the way, chamomile might help with hangover symptoms other than hanxiety. A June 2017 study in the ​Journal of Education and Health Promotion​ suggests that it improves sleep. It also reduced nausea in chemotherapy patients, a 2017 study in the ​Avicenna Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Care​ revealed.

How to Use Chamomile Tea for a Hangover

Drink one to two cups a day when recuperating from a big night out. Try Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile Tea ($8.44, Walmart.com).

Fruits and veggies rich in vitamin C can help fight hangover symptoms.

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You probably think about popping C when you feel a cold coming on, but it can also give you a lift when you’re dragging post-bender.

“Drinking alcohol causes oxidative stress, which leads to inflammation,” Dr. Schweig says. “Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals, reducing inflammatory markers.”

How to Use Vitamin C for a Hangover

Load up on foods rich in C, like oranges, kiwis, strawberries, broccoli and bell peppers.

“Getting vitamins from a food source is preferable,” Dr. Schweig says. “But if you are too nauseous to eat, take a supplement of 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C once or twice a day.” He recommends Pure Encapsulations Ascorbic Acid Capsules ($18.30, Walmart.com).

Bone both is bland and full of nutrients to help you recover from a hangover.

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Wondering what’s the best thing to eat if your hangover triggered an upset stomach? “I suggest bone broth for nausea,” Dr. Schweig says. “It lessens gut inflammation and permeability.”

How to Use Bone Broth for a Hangover

Sip a warm mug of broth one to two times a day.

“When you are nauseous from a hangover, stick to a clean, simple, nutrient-dense diet without added sugar or unhealthy fats,” Dr. Schweig says. “Heavy, processed foods make your liver work harder, and you want to give your liver a break.” I

f you’re among the nearly 50 percent of people who dig into greasy foods when hungover, according to a 2018 American Addiction Centers survey, we’re talking to you!

Acupressure may be good for a hangover headache.

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This traditional Chinese pain-reduction treatment works by activating specific points located on the body’s meridians, or energy channels. “It can help ease a headache and nausea from a hangover,” Dr. Schweig says.

How to Use Acupressure for a Hangover

If your head is pounding, locate the pressure point known as L-14, or Hegu. “This spot is between the base of your thumb and pointer finger,” Dr. Schweig says. “Mash on it using deep, firm pressure for one to three minutes as needed.”

For nausea, target the point called P-6, or Neiguan. “P-6 is three finger widths below the crease of your inner wrist,” Dr. Schweig says. “Push on it with your fingertips for several minutes.”

A power nap can help you feel better when you’re hungover.

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Booze is kryptonite to a good night’s rest. “It disrupts sleep, impairing REM sleep in particular,” Dr. Schweig says. It also leads to more frequent nighttime awakenings while intensifying snoring and sleep apnea.

“A lack of sleep can worsen all the symptoms of a hangover, so it’s imperative to get your circadian rhythm back in balance,” Dr. Schweig says. “Sleep is also the best way to lessen body aches from a hangover.”

How to Use Sleep for a Hangover

The day after drinking, it’s more important than ever to practice good sleep hygiene. According to the National Sleep Foundation, that means unplugging your electronics an hour before bed; avoiding caffeine, rich meals and — of course — alcohol late in the day; getting fresh air, sunlight and exercise; and keeping your bedroom comfortable, cool, dark and quiet.

What about naps? “Although you can take a nap if you’re exhausted, don’t sleep for too long or too late in the day,” Dr. Schweig says. Otherwise, you might find it hard to nod off at night.

Alcohol can throw your sleep schedule into chaos, so you might have trouble getting to dreamland regardless. “In that case, try deep breathing or turn on a sleep meditation,” Dr. Schweig says. Many people swear by the 4-7-8 breathing method and diaphragmatic breathing. Or give one of these relaxation apps a shot.

Do you rely on the “hair of the dog” method to cure a hangover? You’re barking up the wrong tree.

“If you are a habitual heavy drinker, you might go into a mini withdrawal the next day, so drinking more could ease those symptoms,” Dr. Schweig says. “But if that’s the case, you should seek professional help for alcohol addiction.”

He points out that alcohol also has an analgesic effect. “It might blunt some of the acute sensations associated with a hangover, but ultimately it will prolong your symptoms,” Dr. Schweig says. “I don’t recommend it.”

Puking is a natural response to alcohol poisoning. According to the Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership at Duke University, nerve endings in your stomach send a signal to your brain that there is something toxic in your system. Your brain also gauges the amount of booze in your bloodstream and if it’s too high, it might respond by directing your body to vomit. “If you are still intoxicated, vomiting might help get rid of some of the alcohol in your stomach,” Dr. Schweig says.

But once you wake up feeling wretched in the morning, forcing yourself to hurl is a no-go. “At this point, vomiting will only exacerbate your dehydration and make you feel worse,” Dr. Schweig says. “In addition, vomiting irritates and inflames your stomach, causing gastric acid and pancreatic acid to build up and slowing down stomach emptying.”

Essentially, it makes it harder for your body to process alcohol and move it through your system.

How Long Will a Hangover Last?

How long your hangover lasts depends on what and how quickly you drank, your hydration levels and your diet.

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You’re probably looking at 24 hours of misery, but it could persist up to three days. “How much and how quickly you drank impacts your ability to metabolize alcohol,” Dr. Schweig says.

He points out that some people lack an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which helps break down the toxic compound ethanol in alcohol. It is common in folks of East Asian descent, and makes you more susceptible to both intoxication and hangovers.

Your fluid status also plays a role. “If you were dehydrated prior to drinking and didn’t drink much water while drinking, you are more likely to have hangover effects,” Dr. Schweig says. “Dehydration is the number one mechanism that contributes to hangover symptoms, including dizziness, headache, lightheadedness and dry mouth.”

Nutrition might make a difference, too. “In a small study, people with higher zinc and B vitamin levels reported being less hungover,” Dr. Schweig says.

Finally, consider what you drink. “Dark alcohol, like whiskey, rum, brandy, dark beer and red wine might cause a longer hangover than clear drinks, due to a chemical called congeners,” Dr. Schweig says.

Can Sticking to Vodka Prevent a Hangover?

Rumor has it that as long as you opt for screwdrivers and Moscow mules, you’ll feel A-OK after hitting the sauce. True?

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. “You will still get dehydrated, no matter what type of alcohol you ingest,” Dr. Schweig says.

That said, vodka does contain fewer congeners. “Congeners are a type of chemical formed during the alcohol fermentation process,” Dr. Schweig says. “They occur when sugars are converted into alcohol through different strains of yeast, and they give flavor to the beverage.”

They also trigger more severe hangovers. “Congeners stimulate the body to release stress hormones, which can lead to inflammation and fatigue,” Dr. Schweig says.

The amount of congeners you end up consuming depends on what you drink. “Congeners occur more frequently in dark alcohol,” Dr. Schweig says. “It is also probably the case that the more distilled a spirit is, the fewer congeners it has; thus ‘top-shelf liquors,’ which are more distilled, might have less of a hangover effect.”

Finally, it might be worth paying more for an organic pour. “There may be other toxins and chemicals used in the growing and distillation process that can have a negative morning-after effect,” Dr. Schweig says.

But the safest bet of all? Join the “Sober October” movement, and go booze-free to begin with!

How to Get Rid of A Hangover: A Doctor’s Guide

Raise your hand if you’ve ever asked Google how to get rid of a hangover fast.

We’ve all been there. We’ve all vowed to start a detox right away or warded off alcohol when we suffer the dreaded after-effects that persist following a night of over-indulging. When you feel like nothing can save you, there are a few things that actually can help you get rid of a hangover. Here are 7 tried, tested, and doctor-recommended hangover remedies:

1. Replenish with fluids and electrolytes.

Have you ever woken up with a mouth as dry as sandpaper the morning after a night of drinking? This is because dehydration is one of the primary side effects of drinking alcohol. Dehydration contributes to many common hangover symptoms such as thirst, fatigue , headache, and dizziness. To help rehydrate, increase your fluid consumption the next day by aiming for at least 2-3 liters of water, non-caffeinated herbal teas, or electrolyte-rich liquids such as coconut water or bone broth. Electrolytes help to further boost hydration by replacing the sodium, chloride, and potassium you lose from drinking alcohol. For an electrolyte replenishing trick, just 1-2 tsp of sea salt with lemon in water can quickly help you to rehydrate. You can also keep high-quality electrolyte tabs, powders, or drops on hand for a hangover saver.

2. Reach for the best hangover food: protein.

One of the most common mistakes people make when hungover is to turn to comfort foods that are carbohydrate-rich. But to really get your body detoxing, your blood sugar balanced, and your metabolism revved, stick to protein and healthy fat as your go-to hangover foods. Protein —like the kind found in eggs, beans, meat, fish, or a vegan protein shake —is made up of amino acids essential to a part of detoxification, called phase 2 liver detoxification.

3. Replete your water-soluble vitamins.

Because alcohol is a diuretic , you tend to lose a lot of water-soluble vitamins and nutrients after a night out. These include the important B-vitamins and vitamin C which help to support your body’s energy and recovery when detoxing from alcohol. Specifically, methylated-B-vitamins jump-start your liver into propelling all of that acetaldehyde, the toxic metabolite of alcohol, out of your system, through phase 1 liver detoxification and vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that helps protect the immune system from the toxic byproducts of excess alcohol consumption. The Parsley Health Rebuild shake contains a full array of these water-soluble hangover helpers, but you can give your liver extra love by boosting your intake of foods rich in these vitamins by opting for plenty of dark, leafy greens, citrus fruits, bell peppers, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and eggs that following day.

4. Drink turmeric water or golden milk.

Turmeric is quite literally a golden hangover cure. This powerful anti-inflammatory herb not only helps to reduce the mental and physical effects of a hangover but also protects the body from the toxic effects of alcohol by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress in the liver. Think of it as your natural alternative to an aspirin! To make turmeric water, combine turmeric with lemon juice, a spoon of raw honey, and freshly grated ginger. Make a big pot with hot water, let it steep, strain it out, cool, and sip on it all day. For golden milk, you can add in a splash of canned coconut milk or some unsweetened plain almond milk with cinnamon to the basic recipe if desired. In addition to the anti-inflammatory turmeric, ginger is soothing to the gut and helpful if feeling nauseous the day after drinking while lemon and honey are packed with electrolytes that will move fluids into your system faster than water alone. Lastly, sprinkling in black pepper to your turmeric tonic can help to enhance the absorption of curcumin, turmeric’s most active anti-inflammatory compound, by up to 2,000 percent .

5. Get a massage.

A massage is a way to let go passively, which is often exactly what’s needed when you’re overburdened with toxins. A hangover often comes not just with physical pain, but also psychic pain—a weird merry-go-round of guilt, “shoulds,” and negativity that is as irrational as it is all-consuming. A full-body, back or even just foot massage will give you the mind-body release you need, increase circulation and help drain out the toxins more efficiently.

6. Sweat it out.

While you may not feeling like moving from your bed, sweating is one of the best hangover remedies because it gently and safely eliminates additional toxic chemicals from alcohol from the body. This relieves some of the burden on the kidneys and liver. Getting in some light exercise, whether a brisk walk outside or an at-home yoga flow, can be an easy way to support both physical and mental detoxification when hungover. If you’re feeling too sluggish to exercise, opting for a quick sauna session can help you get the benefits of sweating without the added physical exertion—but remember to hydrate well, first!

7. Soak in Epsom salts.

Lastly, having a hot soak can be a big relief for a pounding head and an aching bod, but adding Epsom salts gives you a magnesium and sulfur boost to help you feel even more refreshed. These nutrients are absorbed through your skin while you soak, promoting more than just relaxation. Magnesium is nature’s anti-anxiety drug and sulfur is essential for phase 2 liver detoxification. (Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts also contain good levels of sulfur, so add these into your meals post-drinking to boost your intake.)

Aim for 15-20 mins in the bath and keep it as hot as you can—as mentioned above, the sweating will help you detoxify further. After your soak, lie down for about 20 mins and hydrate with cold lemon water or leftover turmeric tea. You’ll be feeling like yourself again in no time.

How to Deal With a Hangover at Work

While having a hangover is never pleasant, it’s a heck of a lot easier to stomach (pun intended!) on the weekend when your biggest task is deciding what to watch on Netflix. You can lie in bed all day, remote in hand, thirst-quenching Gatorade by your side, a greasy meal just a short drive (in sweats) away.

Having a hangover at work, however, is a whole other story. Yes, we all know it’s best practice to avoid drinking to the point that you can’t escape a hangover—but in the event that you find yourself sluggish and slow, headachy and drowsy, nauseous and irritable, there are some cheap and easy remedies at your disposal.

And today they’re brought to you by our smart and resourceful crew here at The Muse, where we understand the importance of hydration, carbs, and ibuprofen and aren’t afraid to throw something new into the mix either—think headstands, mayonnaise, and coconut oil. (Please note that these tips are not backed by science but simply by experience.)

Here’s how some of us are dealing with this festive time of year—and those morning-after regrets.

Chex Mix and chocolate milk; I’d swear my life on it.

Martha, Account Executive

I chug lukewarm water. And I use essential oils on pulse points—peppermint to reduce nausea and lavender for calming. Works wonders for me!

Allie, Social Media Manager

Cranberry ginger ale and French fries. Always French fries.

Sara, Senior Project Manager, Client Services

In addition to drinking a glass of water (or two) before sleeping after a party night, take a multivitamin. Excess urination from drinking depletes your body not just of water but also of urine-soluble vitamins. That’s the reasoning anyway—I’m not sure if there are solid results behind this, but from experience, I think this is a big help. This is not a scientific fact though!

Chris, Engineer

Pedialyte and aspirin before going to bed.

Jena, Account Executive

If I’m really hungover and struggling, I’ll go to my gym, take a dip in the hot tub, chill in the steam room (to sweat all the alcohol out), and start the day. There’s no better cure for a hangover.

Shlomo, Full-Stack Engineer

On ‘not-feeling-super-hot-this-morning’ days, I always wear a dress. People are always like, ‘You look so nice today!’ and I’m like, ‘Thanks, I might be dying.’

Rebecca, Account Manager

Bagel, water, shower, Advil, and a lot of willpower. I remind myself that I love my job and have worked too hard to mess it all up now.

Alyse, Editor

Chug two big glasses of cold water with lemon then, if possible, do a three-minute headstand to get the blood flowing. Took that tip from Kerouac in Dharma Bums.

Daniel, Account Executive

My morning usually starts with drinking every liquid within reach—water, juice, Gatorade, coffee, Pedialyte! I do this on repeat all day. I also assume being hungover automatically means you’re allowed to eat all the crap and carbs you want—bagels, sandwiches, pizza, pizza, pizza, and pizza.

Allison, Senior Account Executive

Growing up in a Russian family, I was always told to coat your stomach before going out drinking with something greasy (usually a ‘salad’ covered with mayonnaise or sour cream), but a cheeseburger would work, too. While taking numerous shots of vodka, you should always take a bite of a pickle, piece of meat, or deeply inhale a slice of bread. If you ever start feeling nauseated, sip on some pickle juice (pickle back shots, anyone?).

Yanina, Senior Project Manager, Client Services

Gatorade. Yellow preferred, but blue will do. Before bed if possible, if not first thing in the morning. Half-water, half-yellow Gatorade over ice. Then, all the carbs or grease I can get my hands on for breakfast and lunch. And a fountain Diet Coke to wash it all down.

Danielle, Manager, Client Project Management

I’ve learned over the years that, for me, the secret is to be just tired and not sick. If I’m out pretty late and have had a fair amount [to drink], I’ll force myself to stay up a bit later and sober up before actually hitting the sack. One liter of water and a sleeve of saltines (or Goldfish) before bed is my go-to hangover prevention kit. Passing out at 1 AM drunk versus going to sleep at 2:30 AM in a better state is a much better move! I can make it through a day a bit sleepy, but being too hungover makes it a total waste.

Jacob, Lead Designer

For me it’s the classics: a lot of water, Advil, and coffee (but not on an empty stomach!). While some people suggest eating greasy foods, I actually steer away from that—eating a huge unhealthy breakfast makes me feel more sluggish and gross. I suggest something like eggs and a piece of whole wheat toast to give you a nice boost of protein and energy. Then you just need to stay hydrated, try to avoid talking to people, and bide your time until you can go snuggle in bed at home.

Amanda, Talent Acquisition Coordinator

My secret weapon is Pedialyte. You may think it’s only for children recovering from a stomach illness. But guess what? The ‘kid-approved’ drink is also the ideal hangover cure. They now sell it in packets that you can just add to water. It gives you all the electrolytes you need to make it through the day.

Dara, Account Executive

If I’m badly hungover, there’s little I can do about it apart from the standard aspirin, a lot of water, and junk food (although I try to eat healthy despite the burger cravings). What works best for me is being conscious of how much I’m drinking the night before—I aim to drink a glass of water regularly throughout the night and then a bottle of Gatorade before I sleep.

Chatu, Account Executive

I carbo-load (bagels on bagels) to soak up as much alcohol as possible! Then, copious amounts of water, a teaspoon of coconut oil in my coffee, and for the exceptionally bad hangovers, Berocca (which is like a cross between Alka-Seltzer and Emergen-C).

Jeffry, Account Executive

Drink three glasses of water before going to bed! Coconut water and bananas are your allies—replenish the potassium the booze drained from your system!

Elysia, Enterprise Account Manager

I don’t know if this is advice on how to deal with it, but one piece of advice I follow that was handed down from a manager is this: ‘When you’re out with co-workers and it’s visible [that you’ve had a lot to drink], you should have the goal to be the first one in the office the next day. Champions play hurt!’

Mark, Head of Sales—West

As for me, well, living in a city with a plethora of food trucks, I’d have to say that I’m a fan of street meat. Also, because I usually think I look as gross as I feel, I tend to wear all black and make myself as presentable as possible. If no one knows how badly I’m struggling, then maybe I can push through.

Hopefully, if you find yourself feeling not-so-hot (perhaps the morning after your company holiday party), you’ll find comfort in one of these non-expert pieces of well-intentioned advice. Cheers!

How to Cure a Hangover

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Down “just one more cocktail” when you’re already feeling a buzz, and bam—you’re saddled with a monstrous headache the next morning (AKA the dreaded hangover). As B. Lee Peterlin, the Director of Headache Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine says, there is no real one-and-done cure for a hangover, though there *are* ways you can help your cause. Below, some expert tips for kicking your hangover as quickly as possible.

Get hydrated—quick.

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You’ve heard it many times over, but it’s so important that we’re going to tell you again. Nothing cures a monster of a hangover better than water. Your head-busting headache can be directly linked to the fact that alcohol dehydrates you. So start drinking h30 stat!

Drink some electrolytes.

Yes, you should be gulping down water like your life depends on it (and at that moment, it sure may feel like it). But water isn’t the only thing your overindulged body needs. What really helps you to get over a hangover is building up your electrolytes. A great way to do so is by sipping on sports drinks, like Gatorade, which are packed with them. If you’re not a fan of sports drinks, try coconut water, which contains similar levels of electrolytes.

Give yourself a caffeine kick.

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No matter how much of a challenge leaving your warm and toasty bed may seem, rising to your normal morning routine will help kick that hangover early on. And of course, what morning routine is complete without a cup of joe? Turns out, your early a.m. crutch will play a big part in curing your hangover. Ruggiero says that the caffeine in coffee works to narrow the swollen blood vessels in your head, elevating your pain. In fact, if you’re a regular coffee drinker, skipping your morning dosage could actually be detrimental to your hangover-curing cause.

Rehydrate with bouillon broth.

Restore all the salt and potassium you lost while kicking back all those G&Ts with a steaming bowl of bouillon broth, which the National Headache Foundation says is an excellent source of minerals and salts that counter dehydration.

Eat some natural sugars.

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Or rather, drink your fruits. Tina Ruggiero, nutritionist and licensed bartender, says that downing a glass of fruit juice when you’re nursing a nasty hangover can help speed up the healing process. Ruggiero particularly recommends orange and grapefruit juice, which will get natural sugars back in your body, helping you to feel like yourself again. The National Headache Foundation also recommends tomato juice to help the body process alcohol faster.

Don’t believe everything you see.

There’s lots of supposed hangover remedies on the market, all promising the same thing: a quick cure for your head. To spot the most effective pill to pop, look out for the ones that promise to do the things you know aid in helping your hangover, Peterlin says. One to try is Blowfish, which is recognized by the FDA and packs aspiring and caffeine (a known hangover helper, as seen above) into one punch.

Go back to bed.

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As brutal as it is to hear (especially when your head is pounding with the force of a dozen hammers), the most fool-proof hangover cure is simple: time. And perhaps the best way to dwindle these hours is to spend them unconscious.

Whatever you do, *don’t* drink more.

Both Ruggiero and Peterlin agree—a little ‘hair of the dog’ to help a hangover is a total wives’ tale. It may offset the hangover for now, but in the end, it will come roaring back, this time with more dehydration to deal with.

Pump up the potassium.

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Everyone knows that bananas are a great source of potassium, and there’s a wealth of body benefits that come along with consuming this element. One you might not know, is that potassium is great in aiding a hangover. “Water is good, but something with potassium is better,” Ruggiero says. Try a banana or avocado to help.

Prepare in advance.

It’s not much help now that you’re already crippled with hangover symptoms, but the next time you’re ready to throw yourself back in the ring, consider washing your drink of choice down with a greasy meal (yes, you heard right) or a spoonful of honey to prepare your stomach for the hell you’re about it to put it through. According to the National Headache Foundation, the greasy food lines the intestines and slows down the alcohol absorption process while the fructose and vitamin b6 in the honey reduce hangover symptoms. Your body thanks you.

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What you should eat if you have a hangover

Hit the office holiday party a little too hard? Feel like all the eggnog or coquito you drank last night is slugging through your veins? Hangovers are the price you pay for overdoing it, yet taking the day after off isn’t often company policy.

Why do you feel so crappy? In short, the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says the very act of metabolizing booze releases toxins that damage your liver cells, mess with your pancreatic cells, throw your metabolism and hormones out of whack and decrease your immunity — and that’s just for starters.

But there’s a glimmer of good news — what you choose to eat and drink with a hangover can help you recover. We asked nutrition experts Rachel Berman, RD, CDN and Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN, founder and director of Real Nutrition, to share their hangover helper know-how in order to facilitate the fastest healing process possible.

All day

Berman says rehydration is the most important part of feeling better. “After a night of too much drinking, your body is very dehydrated,” she says, recommending you drink as much water as you can stand. “If you don’t love the taste of water, add lemon, or try coconut water for a dose of electrolytes. And if you have nausea, try ginger candy or tea to calm your stomach,” she adds.

Feeling like crap may leave you wanting to eat like crap — but try not to. “Most people think that they need to eat greasy food to absorb the alcohol but that isn’t true,” says Shapiro. “By then the alcohol has been digested and processed by your body so there is nothing to ‘absorb.’ What you are feeling are the effects of dehydration and low blood sugar. To bring your blood sugar back up to normal, you really just need to eat anything with some carbs, but balance it out with protein or healthy fats to prevent further blood sugar drops,” she says.

Breakfast

When you’re hungover, the first meal of the day can be the most daunting. To calm the beast that is your stomach, Berman says your hangover diet should be simple. And whatever you do, skip the morning juice, which is probably way too acidic for you to handle first thing, anyway. Coffee, however, is a big fat yes. “Definitely have that cup of Joe (for the caffeine), so your headache doesn’t get worse,” says Berman.

So what should attempt to eat in your weakened state? Shapiro recommends maintaining a balance of carbs, protein and fat to prevent further blood sugar drops and spikes, and replenishing lost nutrients, electrolytes and B-vitamins. Some options:

• Two eggs with whole wheat toast and a side of fruit or avocado toast (for the potassium)
• An omelet with veggies
• Whole wheat toast with almond butter, topped with sliced banana
• A scooped out whole wheat bagel with one egg, avocado and tomato
• A smoothie with a coconut water base (for added electrolytes) with berries, protein powder, greens, collagen, chia seeds and avocado

Lunch

Instead of a greasy burger, opt for foods rich in complex carbs to fill you up, nutrients to nourish you, and electrolytes to rehydrate you, says Berman, who recommends whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a banana.

If you must have that burger, take the top bun off, skip the cheese, and add lettuce, tomato and onion instead opting for a side salad instead of fries, says Shapiro. “The more veggies you eat the more hydrated you get and the more vitamins you intake,” she says.

Dinner

Hopefully by dinner time, you’ll start to feel like yourself again. But if your tummy is still a little tender, Berman says chicken noodle soup and half of a sandwich can be a hangover healing dream dinner. “The sodium in soup can help your body retain fluids, which is helpful for rehydrating,” she explains. If you’re up for a meal with some semblance of normalcy, Shapiro recommends roasted veggies or zoodles with salmon or shrimp, and a half-cup of whole grains or sweet potato. “Getting in more veggies and fiber will help to fill you up and prevent cravings,” she says.

Now if we couldn’t prevent those cravings for alcohol.

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Does milk cure hangovers? The science behind the remedies that actually work | London Evening Standard

B

eing a lash-baron has consequences. If you are approaching December correctly, you will understand what Kingsley Amis meant when he described a hangover as a “vast, vague, awful, shimmering metaphysical superstructure”. There is no time to waste messing around with nonsense cures, suggested by some sage who swears their niche method handed down for generations will stop your heart “beating like a f***ed clock”, as seen in Withnail and I. In a recent experiment, mice were given a molecule called cytokine, which your body produces more of when you drink alcohol, and it all went wrong — adult males refused to socialise and mothers displayed “impaired nest-building”. So which of these mythical cures are worth trying and which will only prolong the misery?

Salami

The boozehounds at Serious Pig in Peckham say that their new high-protein sausage snack with added chilli and ginger will be your friend in the battle against nausea and fatigue. Nutritionist and founder of The Urban Kitchen Toral Shah acknowledges that protein helps but says the amount of it in salami is “negligible”. “It does have high levels of fat, which will slow down alcohol absorption and make you feel better, and the salt will encourage you to drink more water. But it isn’t a magic cure.”

Milk

A night on the White Russians may mean less of a hangover because they contain milk. Nutritionist Ian Marber says: “Milk last thing at night might help replace lost minerals,” while Shah adds: “Milk contains a protein called casein, which can counteract alcohol and aid sleep.”

It isn’t the best source of minerals, though, says Marber. “Ideally you need something with a little more fat and fibre. Try a handful of walnuts and an apple, or nut butter on a cracker or piece of toast instead.”

SORTEDFood demonstrates how to cook hangover recipes

Prairie Oysters

If a cocktail of raw egg, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and ground black pepper doesn’t sound appealing, that’s because it isn’t proven to cure a hangover. Marber says: “It is hard to pinpoint the mechanism by which this might work. Hot sauce might increase the metabolism briefly, which could help combat fatigue, but salt would simply add to dehydration.”

A fry-up

An excellent fast fix, according to Marber, who says: “It’s usually the carbs in a fry-up or bacon sandwich that raise blood glucose levels so that one feels better, albeit briefly, more than any fat content. Eating some protein with the carbs will provide longer-term energy so that the relief is more sustained.”

Read more Drinking pear juice could prevent a hangover, scientists claim

A kebab

Go for a chic kebab and you will feel like a king or queen. Shah says: “Increasing protein and nutrient levels is good for hangovers, so if you pick one with nice, lean meat and salad it could help. If you have an empty stomach, alcohol goes into your bloodstream really fast and you dehydrate quickly, so eating is a good idea as it slows down the absorption, and your blood sugar won’t drop as dramatically.”

Painkillers

Noel Jackson, head of education at the Life Science Centre in Newcastle, a chemist by training and after-hours mixologist, says paracetemol before bed can stop a headache before it starts. He advocates it over ibuprofen because that can be an irritant when mixed with alcohol. The next day, Shah says do take ibuprofen because it reduces inflammation.

Water

Jackson says that “the majority of problems caused by drinking are due to dehydration”, but don’t worry about adding rehydration salts — water on its own should do the job. Shah suggests mixing your drinks with some coconut water for potassium, and birch water, which contains magnesium.

Orange juice

It helps raise your blood glucose level, which can offset the symptoms of a hangover, according to Marber.

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Bananas

Shah’s hangover cure of choice is a high-protein banana pancake. “Bananas are good because they are full of potassium. Eating one before bed is an idea because it starts working faster. Putting them in a pancake with slow release carbs helps and a bit of honey gives an energy boost.” Jackson adds that they “help to restore the electrolyte balance across your nerves”.

Coca-Cola

Shah is sceptical: “I only use it to clean the toilet. The sugar might make you feel better, if you think it will, and the caffeine will perk you up, but it is a diuretic so make sure you drink water too.”

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Salt-and-vinegar crisps

Alcohol dehydrates you, which means you lose body salt. Shah says this is why many people crave salty food, to replenish stocks.

A run

If you can bear it, Jackson says: “Anything that gets the body metabolising will help clear up the aftermath quicker but heavy exercise will cause dehydration, which will make matters worse.”

Bloody Mary

Eating fruit and veg makes you feel virtuous, and tomato juice contains potassium. Jackson recommends a Virgin Mary: “Alcohol of any form may have a very short–term ameliorative effect but in the long run it just adds to the problem. You may drink to forget but when you get around to remembering again it will be much worse.”

Science’s Best Hangover Cures – The Atlantic

This article is from the archive of our partner .

Every year about this time, everybody publishes a list of hangover cures or prevention tips, or debuts some new product meant to ease the pain, as if New Year’s Eve was the only time people ever drank. But there are some scientifically proven remedies that will actually work, every day. You have your folk remedies or your comfort foods or your routine that all help just because they give solace (and a drinker needs that for what Kingsley Amis calls the metaphysical hangover). But really a hangover is a physical process, or at least the result of one, and there do exist actual remedies that help reverse it. Most of those are chemicals and compounds found in a big variety of foods and supplements, so instead of asking you to trust our own recipes or favorite morning-after foods, we’ll just share the most effective of those chemicals and you can ingest them as you like.

• Cysteine: Already one of the most popular treatments because it shows up in eggs, which tend to anchor the Sunday brunch many drinkers rely on, cysteine is an amino acid that helps your liver out. How Stuff Works explains it is “the substance that breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde in the liver’s easily depleted glutathione.” That means it can take some of the strain off your liver by helping to get rid of lingering toxins. And fear not, vegans and ovaphobes. Plenty of other foods contain cysteine, including poultry, oats, yogurt, broccoli, red pepper, garlic, onions, brussels sprouts, wheat germ and dairy. 
• Potassium: Alcohol makes you pee a lot, and that means that not only do you get dehydrated, you drain a lot of important nutrients, chief among them potassium. A George Mason University researcher writes, “In addition to the liquid expelled during frequent urination, certain salts and potassium – required for proper nerve and muscle function – are also lost.” Naturally, the go-to potassium delivery agent is bananas. But you can branch out starting with this University of Michigan list that includes things you might actually want to eat with a hangover, such as potato chips, orange juice, and avocados.

• Fructose (fruit sugar): “Alcohol turns the body’s supply of glycogen into glucose, and sends it out of the body in the urine. Lack of this energy source is a key part in the feeling of weakness, fatigue, and lack of coordination the next morning,” reads that Anatomy of a Hangover paper from George Mason. Fructose, the sugar found in most fruits, replentishes that glucose and has been found to speed up the body’s processing of alcohol. But that finding, in a study on file with the National Institute of Health, is a bit mixed: “The results indicate that both fructose and glucose effectively inhibit the metabolic disturbances induced by ethanol but they do not affect the symptoms or signs of alcohol intoxication and hangover.” Still, eating fruit and drinking fruit juice will give you a bit of energy as well as vitamins like b and c, which alcohol tends to sap as well.
• Sodium: As you pee out your potassium and water, you also get rid of a lot of salt, which is a key electrolyte. This is where your sports drinks and/or coconut water come in as a cure. In 2010, an article in Time pointed out that coconut water “contains the same five electrolytes found in human blood (Gatorade has only two).” That How Stuff Works article also informs us that “adding salt and sugar to water helps replace the sodium and glycogen lost the night before.” On the Accidental Scientist blog, Simon Cooke drops this bit of wisdom about why the normally over-sweet Gatorade works so well on hangovers: “It’s the best and easiest way to get fluid into your system, and has its own handy-dandy built in automatic rehydration indicator – if it tastes good, you need to drink more of it. Once it starts tasting unappealing, you’ve had enough – you’re rehydrated.” Sneaky, huh?
• Water: Drinking a lot of water is the biggest and most obvious preventative measure and cure. That’s because the main thing happening in your body when you have a hangover is that you’re dehydrated. Alcohol, as we’ve established, is a diuretic, and most of what you lose when you pee is water. In fact, that George Mason article contains this terrifying little gem about where that hangover headache comes from: “The body’s organs will attempt to replenish their own water, usually by stealing water from the brain, which causes it to decrease in size and pull on the membranes which connect it to the skull, which in turn results in a headache.” Shudder. So outside of drinking water, and sports drinks, a good option comes in soup broth, which will also replentish your sodium intake. Pho, in fact, is such a good broth-and-protein delivery system that it’s considered a miracle hangover cure. But there are no miracles with this stuff. Only science.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

90,000 Chinese doctors told which fruits will help with a hangover

China is preparing for the lunar New Year (February 11-12). In 2021, the main Chinese holiday will be held taking into account the coronavirus in a somewhat truncated composition – many will have to refrain from traveling to their small homeland and tourism. However, no one canceled wide feasts in China. The Paper, along with doctors from the Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital, offers readers “fruit” recipes to help the body cope with the effects of the festival.

First of all, doctors drew attention to three misconceptions that are associated with eliminating the effects of a hangover. The first is the consumption of strong tea or coffee in the morning after the holiday. The caffeine contained in these drinks can relieve the nervous state, but in reality it will not help the body, moreover, it will strike the heart and kidneys.

The second is the use of drugs to protect the liver. With a hangover, it is useless to take them, because alcohol has already entered the body and poisoned it.Finally, the benefits of consuming large amounts of hot liquid the next day to induce perspiration are not immediately apparent. This method speeds up certain processes, but the blow to the liver does not soften, doctors say.

But some fruits can really help the body, according to Chinese doctors. For example, lemon, due to its acidity, can neutralize ethanol contained in alcohol and thereby stop its harmful effects.You just need to remember that you need to use lemon in dosage, remembering that excess acid can harm the stomach.

Another healthy fruit is a banana. It will help reduce the amount of alcohol in your blood, thereby alleviating hangover symptoms. In addition, bananas have a beneficial effect on the work of the heart and help to cope with depression.

Grapefruit is effective in eliminating the negative effects of alcohol in the mouth. A piece of this fruit with sugar will help get rid of unpleasant sensations and a specific smell.

Kiwi is very rich in various elements and can save you from a hangover like no other. It will not only help the liver, remove some of the poison from the body, but also have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

90,000 Five Ways to Really Deal with a Hangover

Hundreds of thousands of scientific articles have been written on the topic of alcohol and its effect on the body, with several hundred of them devoted to the study of hangovers.

A hangover affects about 77% of those who drink, and according to some estimates, this disease is costly for the American budget: about 160 billion dollars a year the country loses from the fact that some of its citizens lie in the pose of a starfish in the morning after the holidays.

There is such an organization – Alcohol Hangover Research Group. Relatively young and small, in 2009 the Dutch researcher Joris Werster gathered colleagues from different countries who are researching hangovers and they organized such an international group, the purpose of which is to figure out what a hangover is, and to separate the truth from fiction.So, it turned out that there is much more fiction in everything that is written about a hangover than truth. Let’s take a look at the 5 main hangover symptoms and, accordingly, 5 popular hangover cures , and see what works and what doesn’t.

Symptom One: Dehydration

It is generally accepted that the main cause of a hangover is dehydration, that is, a lack of fluid in the body. A very dubious thesis, especially in this formulation.What kind of liquid are we talking about? And where exactly in the body is it missing? Judging by the swelling that can be found in the mirror in the morning, there is not just enough fluid, but quite the opposite.

Alcohol really blocks the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin, as a result, our kidneys begin to work more actively and – as we have seen more than once – there are dense queues in the toilets in bars and nightclubs.This effect of alcohol is a simple defense reaction of the body, which tries to remove alcohol as soon as possible , aldehydes and other decomposition products.The problem is that along with them, water is removed, and, most importantly, electrolytes, that is, salts that hold water inside the cells.

Actually, dehydration, which doctors talk about, is just a lack of water and electrolytes inside the cells, and not in the blood, for example, or intercellular fluid. Therefore, all alcoholics are well aware of this feeling: I drink and drink, but I get worse and worse. The restoration of electrolyte balance does not happen quickly, which is why we advised you last time to drink not just water, but salty mineral water or even salted mineral water with rehydron, this is a mixture of potassium and sodium salts that can be bought at every pharmacy.By the way, folk recipes like salted mushrooms or salted sauerkraut or pickle are also a source of electrolytes. The problem with dehydration theory is that most of the symptoms, that is, nausea, weakness, headache, are very poorly related to the level of electrolytes in the blood, because at the time when a person experiences all these symptoms, the level of electrolytes and the amount of water in his the body is already approximately normal.

Symptom two: low blood sugar

This is another side effect of alcohol – it lowers blood glucose levels.However, this is not directly related to a hangover, because glucose levels can be easily increased simply by refreshing. And food, as you know, does not always help with a hangover.

Symptom three: acetaldehyde poisoning

As we have already said, the first thing alcohol is converted in the liver into an aldehyde, which is about 30 times more toxic than the alcohol itself. Acetaldehyde is the cause of intoxication, but even here everything is not so simple: as it turned out, the symptoms of a hangover are fully manifested when the liver has already worked and destroyed most of the acetaldehyde.

Anyway, if you went too far the day before, it is quite possible that there is still alcohol in your gastrointestinal tract, which continues to poison you. That is why the first thing that doctors advise for detoxification is gastric and intestinal lavage. Alas, with a severe hangover, it makes sense, but you need to do this as early as possible (ideally, even before bedtime, if you understand when you come home that things are bad).

One way or another, it is logical to assume that the basis of poor health is not the aldehyde itself, but the sacrifices and destruction that this poisonous substance produces in various organs.And this is really the most similar to the truth.

Symptom four: inflammation

Korean researchers have noticed that hungover patients have increased levels of cytokines in the blood – these are molecules that in the immune system play the role of transmitters of an inflammation signal. Moreover, if a person is injected with cytokines, he will feel the same symptoms that occur when we get a cold or suffer from a hangover – muscle and headache, nausea, weakness and even vomiting.All stomach problems and their ugliest manifestations that we encounter in the bathroom are the result of inflammation in the stomach and intestines.

That is why anti-inflammatory drugs can bring some relief, which, again, are best taken even in the evening, so that while you sleep drunk, these drugs fight against what cytokines are creating in your body. True, NSAIDs have side effects, so if you often drink too much, and also often take painkillers, this will not end well either, but will end, for example, with a stomach ulcer or, God forbid, some internal bleeding.

This is where the arsenal of means that reliably help fight inflammation is exhausted. There are some traditional healers who, with a clever look, advise taking a tincture of Eleutherococcus or some other strange tincture or pill to “strengthen the immune system”. Well, let it remain on their conscience, we are agitating you to use only those that have a scientifically proven effect.

Fifth symptom. Trembling hands and panic

The terrible truth is that even scientists don’t know exactly how alcohol affects the brain.We know that at first it has an exciting effect, activates the dopamine system, and dopamine is one of the so-called “happiness hormones”. This is the very first phase of intoxication – joyful and easy. What happens next is not thoroughly known, but we know for sure that, for example, alcohol molecules activate inhibitory mechanisms by binding to receptors of gamma-aminobutyric acid – this is a molecule that causes an effect opposite to excitation.

Moreover, it is known that the more we drink, the more of these inhibitory receptors of GABA of a special type appear in the nerve cells of the brain, so that the balance of excitation and inhibition is disturbed, and it is from this that hard drinkers have shaking hands with a hangover, and there are panic attacks, tremors, and even there are conditions close to epileptic seizures.

If you, God forbid, are experiencing something like this, you should look up from the screen and call the doctor. But if you do not feel a serious threat to your health, you can limit yourself, in addition to all of the above, a sedative that acts on the GABA receptors.

So, to summarize. If the morning turned out to be not too good, then: it is worth starting by using any available means to cleanse the stomach and intestines from the remnants of alcohol and in general everything that is there. Take a pain reliever or anti-inflammatory, eat something not too heavy (hot broth and other folk recipes to help you), as a last resort, drink a sedative.And don’t fuss anymore. Do not overdo it with a variety of medications, they will only add to the work of your liver. Have pity on her, the old lady, at least today. To your health!

90,000 why it’s so bad and how to fix it – “Food”

If we are talking about the hangover of a healthy person, if I may say so, then this is a fundamentally different state. If in the first case, negative consequences occur due to the lack of ethanol, then here, on the contrary, problems arise because there is a lot of ethanol, more than the human enzyme systems can process.The hangover of a healthy person is poisoning primarily with acetaldehyde, a product of ethanol oxidation, as well as metabolites
ingredients of alcoholic beverages.

Ethanol is an unconditional pronounced poison for us. Its half-lethal dose, that is, the dose from which half of those who took it die, is 10 g (7.8 ml) per 1 kg of human body weight. Therefore, the body tries to get rid of ethanol as soon as possible, turning it into a less dangerous poison – into acetaldehyde. Two enzymes are involved in the chain of alcohol neutralization: the first – alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) – converts ethanol into acetaldehyde, the second – acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) – then converts acetaldehyde into acetic acid.

Let’s talk about the hangover of a healthy person, about the condition that many face after the holiday.

A hangover is a multi-component condition. The main blow is caused by acetaldehyde. To begin with, the whole molecule of ordinary ethanol is not immediately disassembled for parts and is not immediately converted into acetaldehyde. If we drink on an industrial scale, which then cause a hangover, then for a long time our body deals with the whole molecule of ethanol.And she, in addition to the euphoric effect, because of which we gladly take alcohol, has a lot of other effects.

For example, the whole molecule of ethanol is highly soluble in fats and water, which means that it permeates everywhere and everywhere. From the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland to
an antidiuretic hormone is secreted in the blood, the task of which is to preserve potassium, sodium, glucose and so on in the body, taking everything of value from the primary urine. So, the ethanol molecule blocks the release of this hormone. It physically integrates into the cell membranes of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland,
“Squeezes” a little the protein channel through which this hormone should be released, and it temporarily stops working.Imagine a packed minibus: someone still flies in there, moves everyone and presses, and here. And we succeed
that, firstly, a person forms
more secondary urine, and secondly, vital substances go away with it. Potassium, sodium and glucose are washed out of the body.

If you know the pathogenesis, then you can very clearly understand which hangover manifestations are associated with this loss, and understand how to cope with it. We know that if we lose a large amount of glucose, then the next morning there will be weakness and a stunned state, that is, hypoglycemia.If we lose potassium with sodium, then we will have heart problems (like tachycardia) and muscle problems – cramps and spasms. Thus, just knowing what happens to the body from ethanol poisoning, we will understand how to bring it back to normal later.

Ethanol acts on the whole organism, and the acetaldehyde obtained from it also acts on the whole organism.

Acetic aldehyde poisoning has its own cohort of symptoms. First of all – vasodilation. This is mainly the expansion of the vessels of the skin, and more often – of the scalp.There are people with a specific set of enzymes, for whom it is enough to drink quite a bit of alcohol, and their face immediately turns red. This means that such people have a genetic protection against alcoholism. Their set of enzymes is designed in such a way that it does not allow ethanol to splash in the blood for a long time and very quickly distills it into the less dangerous acetaldehyde, which makes a person’s face immediately redden. And since we have a hangover from acetaldehyde, accordingly, if it is very quickly formed in the blood, then a person gets a hangover faster, often bypassing the stage of euphoria, for which many people drink.Other effects of acetaldehyde are nausea and vomiting.

It is often said that a hangover is associated with dehydration. I would say it differently – a hangover includes dehydration. We talked about ethanol being a diuretic. A drunk person is losing a lot of water, and the dangerous thing is that we do not lose water, but electrolytes and glucose, critical things. In fact, the same thing happens here as in cholera, only with cholera we lose them with a large amount of water that comes out during diarrhea, and here – due to frequent urination.

Different drinks – different hangovers. For example, if we drank only wheat vodka in large quantities, then our main hangover will be acetic aldehyde. That is, we are poisoned by acetaldehyde, which was formed from ethanol, and almost nothing else is mixed with it. And if we, for example, drank Calvados, which in the past was once apples, then this is what happens. Apples contain a large amount of pectin, which is converted into methanol by some bacteria. Calvados, grappa, cognac and all Balkan national drinks that are made from fruits (pears, apples, cherries, to a lesser extent grapes) contain a large amount of pectin, which means that the hangover will be harder than from vodka.We will get ethanol, methanol, and a whole chemical set, and such a mixture only increases the severity of the condition.

All these poisons have a complex destructive effect on our condition. This is not to say that one acts on the head and the other on the heart. They harm us equally from all sides, but each has unique characteristics, such as the diuretic effect of ethanol and vasodilation from acetaldehyde. And some drinks also contain isopropyl alcohols, and even ethylene glycol – more often in homemade alcohol, which is less refined and which, when compared with alcohol produced on an industrial scale, is a completely different product.I specifically checked with people who are engaged in the production of alcohol: they say that in industrial conditions, grappa or calvados undergo an additional stage of processing in order to remove a maximum of fusel oils.

The more of these different components in the drink, the more options we will have to get some other interesting hangover symptom. Therefore, mixing drinks and a hangover is harder. Hence comes this belief about the danger of lowering the degree, under which there is actually no basis.Most often, when the temperature drops, people mix different types of drinks – and it is because of this that poisoning and hangovers intensify. That is, if you mix drinks, it is better to drink wine with cognac, but not wine with vodka.

The whole ethanol molecule affects a variety of cognitive processes. For example, we have a control system in the frontal lobe. And there is, let’s call it conditionally, the emotional center – the amygdala. This is all very rough and arbitrary to make it clear. The amygdala is impulsive, and she tells us: “Let’s do something!” And the control center replies: “No, we are good people, we do not behave like that.”So, alcohol first muffles, and then
and completely disables this controlling
center, followed by the amygdala
comes off in full. The control functions turn back on very slowly, not immediately. The brain is severely impaired the next day, and the control center is one of the last to recover. It is possible that this is associated with a baseless feeling of fear and shame that sometimes occurs in people with a hangover.

There is only one way to prevent a hangover – not to get drunk.The hangover topic is very important all over the world, everyone tried to look for some kind of remedy from it, carefully studied the phenomenon, conducted large-scale research. If all this is put together and analyzed, then the conclusion is one, and it is sad: we do not yet have a single remedy that would prevent the development of a hangover. All the talk that a hangover can be prevented by drinking, for example, a spoonful of olive oil in advance is nonsense. A spoonful of oil is food that will break down. If we really want to create some kind of protective barrier, then we need to drink, for example, a glass of glycerin oil, and then also turn around properly so that everything is well smeared there in an even layer.But: even that won’t help. None of all these folk and pseudo-medical remedies work. This is physiology and biochemistry.

The only option that works, but works quite a bit – it is advisable to drink from half a liter to 700 milliliters of water before going to bed so that there is no sudden dehydration. During the feast itself, you can also theoretically drink it, but this is solely in order to give the kidneys an additional amount of fluid, which they will otherwise begin to pull out of the blood.

The role of the snack is also noticeably exaggerated. Here we are drinking, alcohol has gone, and when it reached the duodenum, it was already absorbed by 35%. Ethanol has a scanty molecule that dissolves in everything, which begins to be absorbed already in the oral cavity. Remember, there was such a student entertainment – a thimble: you revel in it instantly, precisely because absorption begins in the mouth. Therefore, there is practically no difference: will you eat with a cabbage leaf or a pork knuckle.That is, there is a difference, but it is scanty, not in tens of percent, but in units.

If the hangover has already happened, then you need to act in the same way as for any other poisoning. It is necessary to let the body and enzymes finish their work and not interfere with it, but, if possible, help a little. We need bed rest. It is necessary to restore electrolytes and fluids – you can drink fruit drinks, kefir, tan, broths, cucumber pickle. You need to drink water. You can buy mineral water, but it is better to let the gas out of it before that. You can buy “Regidron” sachets at the pharmacy, it is diluted in water and drunk; this medicine is used for intestinal infections and will also help with a hangover.You can drink aspirin, which thinns blood that has clotted from dehydration. This will give some relief in the morning. But it is too late to use activated charcoal from a hangover, a hangover is poisoning with metabolic products, that is, everything has already been absorbed. Drinking coal in advance also makes no sense – the ethanol molecule is very small and nimble, it will make its way everywhere.

Now about what you shouldn’t do with a hangover. Do not drink pickles and eat pickled vegetables. If you take a cucumber pickle, check for vinegar.Vinegar is already splashing in the blood, if you add more vinegar to it, then it will not end well. According to the laws of chemistry, the main process will be inhibited, and everything will split more slowly. Fatty soups, which are so praised with a hangover, can be eaten – or not. If you tolerate this food normally, then for God’s sake, eat it, and if you don’t eat this food in principle, then you don’t have to eat it with a hangover. Do not forget that fatty foods put a strain on the liver and pancreas, and they have suffered so much the day before.There are no must-haves for a hangover, it’s all mythology. If the food goes well – eat, if it doesn’t go – don’t.

Even with a hangover, you should definitely not go to the bathhouse. A bath is both dehydration and stress on the heart. When I worked part-time in an ambulance, we regularly took hungover people from the baths with a heart attack or hypertensive crisis. The second danger for a hangover person is any body of water: you cannot swim far – an organism that has lost potassium and magnesium can convulse.There is no need to get hungover either, this habit is taken from the arsenal of professionals. Alcoholics get better when they drink in the morning and raise the level of the drug in their blood, and in healthy people, there is no physiological justification for what will feel better. We need to get rid of the poison, but we, on the contrary, add it. With a hangover, enzymes work at their maximum potential, and if we throw ethanol there, it is instantly processed into acetaldehyde, that is, we just add more acetaldehyde.In the evening of the next day after drinking a lot, it is also better not to drink, because the body has not yet recovered. Do not take paracetamol with a hangover. This drug is a champion in medicinal hepatitis, and it hits the liver, with which we already have problems after alcohol. With a hangover, you also need to be careful with sex – it is better not to disturb your heart too much. Don’t drink coffee the next morning. Although it is weak, it is a diuretic, that is, a diuretic, and caffeine also increases the myocardial oxygen demand, with the delivery of which to the tissues we already have problems.

Regarding the general condition. Headache – we take the pain reliever we are used to. If the pressure rises, we take the drug that we usually use. Until all the acetaldehyde is processed, there will be a hangover. The enzyme system copes with the elimination of poisoning – and we do not know how to speed up this work of enzymes. All these supermarket hangover products are sheer nonsense. Everyone has their own recipe for the common cold, and everyone has their own recipe for curing a hangover.But both of them pass by themselves. Please give the hangover a few hours – consider that this is a tax on fun, from which you can not get away. ”

90,000 5 foods that ease a hangover

New Year is bright lights, a sea of ​​gifts, fun, music and good hopes for the whole next year. This is the night on which all dreams come true, any miracles and magic happen. But in celebrating the holiday, the most important thing is not to overdo it with the holiday itself, because otherwise all this colorful action will turn into a quick whirlpool or carousel, from which in the morning there will be a headache, a wild hangover and red, like a rooster’s comb, eyes.We will tell you which foods are the best to save you from the consequences of happy holidays, and what you need to do to not look like the symbol of the year. But just in case, we still recommend not to overdo it, because the New Year does not have to turn into a drunken revelry!

Tomato juice not only favorably coexists with alcohol (remember the notorious “Bloody Mary”), but also helps to eliminate the consequences after a fun evening. Tomatoes contain a lot of potassium, which helps to get rid of arrhythmias and tachycardia, which always occurs during stress for the body.In addition, tomatoes contain lycopene, which increases the overall tone of the body. So freshly squeezed tomato juice, puree soup or just a tomato are your friends on a scary Halloween morning!

Everyone knows that prunes cleanse the body, so they are often given to children with intestinal infections. Dried apricots with raisins are also useful, because the potassium contained in them guarantees the work of the heart muscle. Another thing is that you may not want dried fruits, like food in general, in the morning. The easiest way is to pour boiling water over dried fruits and then drink.

Brine. Of course, how can we go without a traditional hangover drink? However, you need to be careful with the brine – a glass of cabbage brine will really help you because of the natural salts and minerals contained there, which help to shake things up. But the pickle from pickled and pickled cucumbers can be dangerous – the vinegar contained in it corrodes the walls of the stomach and pancreas. However, you can drink the pickle from the tomatoes. But no more than one glass!

Oddly enough, sugary drinks can also help you bounce back after a scary night out.A milkshake with banana and lemon juice is a good solution to simultaneously relieve headaches and hunger, because the cocktail itself is very satisfying, and milk and bananas are excellent sorbents that will draw out all the nasty things from the body. For the best effect, you can use kefir instead of milk.

Hot oatmeal. No, we did not confuse the morning after drinking with the morning of losing weight. Indeed, a bowl of hot oatmeal will provide your body with nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium and iron.Also, this porridge will help neutralize acids and raise blood sugar levels, which will give a certain boost of energy. It is not for nothing that oatmeal is given to many people with high acidity of the stomach, as well as in the treatment of skin diseases!

How to properly meet and part with a hangover

Khabarovsk Territory is preparing to meet the New Year. This means that many residents of the region will meet with a hangover a little later.

About what helps in this case and whether it is worth fighting this mysterious phenomenon at all, the military doctor, member of the Science Journalists Club and the Association of Medical Journalists Alexey Vodovozov told the news agency “Khabarovsk Krai Today”.

Amateurs and professionals

Often, at least in Russian, under the word “hangover” we mean two very different states. There is what in medical language is called alcohol withdrawal syndrome, the so-called “alcoholic hangover.”

And there is a hangover of a healthy person, which also has its own name – weisalgia. This interesting combination of Norwegian and Ancient Greek means, in short, “regret about yesterday.”

These two states are fundamentally different. In English there are two different words for these states, and in Russian we put together “professionals and amateurs”.

A “professional” (a person who is already addicted to alcohol) has an alcohol withdrawal syndrome, the so-called ethanol withdrawal. He feels bad due to the fact that there is little drug in his blood, specifically ethanol. In order for him to recover, he is ill, he needs another dose of alcohol.These are the people who really need a hangover. Moreover, it is required – without fail, otherwise up to death. This is a very serious condition and alcoholics, in principle, do not know how to manage it.

With healthy people who have gone too far, everything is much easier. They feel bad because there was a lot of ethanol the day before. And a lot is a multiple of what he could digest. Accordingly, all the manifestations that occur the next morning are associated precisely with the fact that alcohol was in excess.Naturally, such a person should never be hungover, because he will only aggravate the picture. There is a popular expression “for old yeast.” This is when the enzyme system is overclocked, a person adds alcohol, he instantly flies through the euphoric stage and the stage of consequences is immediately added.

Where is the measure?

The only way to avoid a hangover is to drink your measure of alcohol. It is necessary to determine the measure in youth.

We can determine this dose exclusively empirically, in no other way.All these alcoholic experiments will still be carried out, because we have to understand ourselves. I have my own sign, developed over the years. When my nasolabial triangle starts to grow numb, I know for sure that there is no need to go further – otherwise in the morning there will be a “square” head and all the attendant consequences. And if you stop at this stage, there will be no serious consequences.

I note that if you know that you have a hard time with a hangover, that it occurs even after small doses (it depends on many factors – genetics, a set of enzymes, physical fatigue, in women – on the phase of the cycle), then maybe it makes sense for you not to mess with alcohol?

There should be a reasonable attitude towards it, despite the fact that it is a drug and neurotoxic poison and everything else, it is also a legal food product and somehow you have to live with it.

Over the years, the rate may change slightly in different directions, but not much. The functioning of the liver has a significant effect. If there are no problems with her, then until old age some drink quite strongly without problems. And there are many such examples.

A French proverb immediately comes to mind – “there are much more old wine lovers than old doctors.” However, if during growing up, some kind of hepatic pathology appeared, for example, hepatitis A, then alcohol is very poorly tolerated.

By the way, another proverb. “There are no ugly women, there is little alcohol” – this is a joke that has some truth in it. The point is that people perceive beautiful as symmetrical. Alcohol dulls all sensations, including it dampens the ability to perceive asymmetry. Accordingly, it turns out that the partner we look at with drunk eyes looks much better than he is in reality.

Also, scientific research was conducted on how a man perceives a woman if she is just in a bar at the counter and the second option is a bottle of beer next to her.Even just a bottle standing next to a woman makes it much more attractive to men.

What to drink?

There is no such alcohol, from which there would be no hangover later. Here we are limited solely to the dose. In theory, you could say that the purer the alcohol, the less likely you are to have a hangover. This is on the one hand, and on the other hand, pure alcohol is usually drunk in large doses. In this case, it turns out that it is much easier to arrange an overdose for yourself.

There are drinks that guarantee consequences. These are those that are prepared from raw materials that contain a large amount of pectins, which are precursors of methanol synthesis. Therefore, if alcohol is made from, for example, apples, pears, there is a high probability that there will be a fairly large amount of methanol in the final product.

It is not necessary that this will be a lethal dose, that a person will go blind or die, but the fact that the consequences from him will be pronounced is for sure.For example, calvados, various national tinctures made with these particular products, kirschwasser (cherry, sweet cherry). Now, when they do it in industrial production, they add a fermentation stage to get rid of methanol from the drink. But if home-made, and even more so if it is a traditional drink, the same home-made moonshine made just on apples and pears will definitely provide the consequences.

There are no useful doses of alcohol. We can drink a certain amount of alcohol without pronounced negative consequences for the body.Conventionally, a glass of wine a day is the safest dose. Everything is considered in grams of pure ethanol, and this is no more than 18 grams. This is comparable to a shot of vodka, a pint of beer, or 150 ml of wine. IMPORTANT – these doses do not add up. You can’t “skip” the whole week and add them up on New Years. This dose is time-spaced and therefore safe.

Hangovers – like a cold

So how do you treat a hangover? Anything. It is appropriate to draw an analogy with the common cold here – it will pass regardless of whether you treat it or not.Whatever you do, the hangover will go away on its own. The only thing that needs to be done is not to burden the body, let it process all the products. He will do everything himself.

We do not now have miraculous remedies to combat hangovers, and by and large, I think so, we do not need such funds. Even if we someday learn to correct genetics so that a person can tolerate alcohol better. This is actually bad. A hangover for a healthy person is a defense, why should we break it?

The main thing is to let the body cope with the poison on its own.To do this, it is enough to get enough sleep, to make up for the loss of fluid. There is also a recommendation that if you went too far the day before, then before going to bed, you need to drink one and a half liters of still mineral water. But this is not entirely applicable, because when you go to bed “overdone”, you are unlikely to remember that it needs to be done. In addition, there are ready-made rehydron powders, this is a set of electrolytes, glucose – everything that is used for intestinal infections, when there is also a massive loss of fluid and electrolytes.

So, when in the morning you wake up with a headache and everything else, you need to crawl for mineral water or for the above solution, it is better not to eat any fatty foods, because the liver is so difficult.

Brine is a wonderful thing if it is actually a pickle, not a marinade. The marinade contains acetic acid, and there is so much splashing in our blood at this moment. If we add more, we won’t do anything good.

Almost any person will name his surely working recipe for a hangover.It’s just like a cold. Studies have been carried out and scientists have come to the conclusion that there is no cure for a hangover. Moreover, we do not even have a physiological basis in order to create it. Therefore, once again – we sleep, drink water, do not burden ourselves either physically or emotionally.

Five Hangover Myths

1. “A hangover can be prevented by some special secret pills that were distributed to KGB agents, or by secret developments” – no, there are no magic pills.This is our body’s defense and it is dangerous to break it with medication.

2. “You need to have a hangover.” The drunkard is needed by professionals, people who really cannot live without it. This is already their physiological need. In the case of Weisalgia in a healthy person, you do not need to get hungover, this will only worsen the situation.

3. “The bath will help to expel toxins and get rid of a hangover.” Another fairly common folk remedy. A bath is a very big load on the heart. This is the basis of its therapeutic effect.In the event that the heart is healthy or relatively healthy, this is normal. But with a hangover, a huge burden falls on the heart. Dehydration causes our blood to thicken. If there is an adrenaline rush, then the heart reacts violently to it during a hangover. Rhythm disturbances are possible, one of the most common is atrial fibrillation, previously it was called atrial fibrillation. It often happens that ambulance doctors take people from the baths after a hangover with heart attacks and other serious complications.The bath is good, but not in this state. Cool shower please.

4. “When you have a hangover, you need to drink coffee.