October 03, 2019

It was probably the end of a tiring week and you thought of having some drinks with your friends. But it turned out to be few more than some and now the headache seems unending. The hangover could also be because you are meeting your buddies after a long time and the joyful dancing is accompanied by heavy consumption of liquor. 

The reasons for a hangover could be infinite, however, consumption of too much alcohol is not recommended and should best be prohibited. But one should know how to deal with the headache and after-effects in case of excess drinking. 

So here are some remedies that you can try if you are facing a hangover. 

1. Consume water/ other fluids

Staying hydrated is one of the most important things if you are having drinks. Well, if you don't want to face hangover, drink plenty of water between your pegs and just before bed. However, if you have missed out on that front and facing a hangover the very next day, start your morning by drinking water.  

Apart from water, fluids like coconut water, sports drink are also helpful to treat the hangover. It can restore the salt and potassium level you've lost. 

Try antacids

Antacids neutralise the stomach acid and treat an upset stomach. It can reduce nausea, indigestion, heartburn. 

Most tried and tested technique: Lemon

A lot of people are aware of the advantages of lemon juice or lemon tea to reduce hangover levels. It detoxifies the stomach from unwanted elements and provides instant relief. 

Dr RK Sharma, medical officer, JMT Dehradun, advices having lemon-tea without adding sugar to it. She also suggests lemon juice in cold water and limited sugar for fast relief. 

Have your breakfast

When you are facing a hangover, your blood sugar levels drop as the body breaks down alcohol with the release of lactic acids. This causes a reduction in blood sugar levels and intensifies hangover.

So eating breakfast will restore your blood sugar to the normal level. Also, proteins, carbohydrates, healthful fats and vitamins will help in recovering and repairing.

Eating ginger

This is one of the ways to avoid nausea and vomiting. Having crystallised ginger after excessive drinking will help in reducing the after-effects. Also combining ginger with tangerine pith and brown sugar before drinking decreases the chances of vomiting and nausea. 

A cup of tea/ coffee helps

Drinks that have caffeine help in a great deal to treat hangovers. Coffee, green tea and black tea contain antioxidants that lower the fatigue levels during a hangover. 

But one must remember that these caffeinated drinks are diuretic that worsens the condition of dehydration. Also, caffeine does not have any relation to reducing the health risks related to drinking alcohol. 

Antioxidants

Consuming alcohol increases oxidative stress and antioxidants help to treat this. Oxidative stress is related to many health problems and heart disease is one of them. So antioxidants help in relieving body with these radicals. 

So one should consume a lot of items such as nuts, berries, cherries, grapes, spinach, dark chocolate to reduce the negative effects of alcohol. 

Apples and bananas keep the hangover away

Eating raw fruits such as apples and bananas help in treating hangover. Dr Sharma says during headache because of a hangover, eating apples on an empty stomach will provide fast relief. She also recommends a banana shake with honey as honey will restore the lost blood-sugar level and banana will regain essential minerals like potassium which the body loses after consuming alcohol. 

Sleep, sleep, sleep!

Getting a lot of sleep is the body's own way to treat a hangover. So staying sleep-deficient is not advisable.  The following tips can help you with your hangover but the mother of all advice is to stay away from alcohol or consume it responsibly.

---

Also in Dawn Grant Blog