How to Cure a Holiday Hangover?

It is common to binge in your holidays. Be it with your family, your friends, or with your spouse. You get to have different cocktails in large amounts and a lot of sleepless enjoyments. Your body goes through physical as well as mental exertion due to various biological reasons as a result of too much binging.

Before going to the ways of curing your hangover, let us understand how the hangover is caused.

Cause of the hangover:

Everything you intake, the nutrients present in it are broken down in your digestive system such that it can be released in your bloodstream. However, before going to your bloodstream, nutrients are transferred to the liver for its processing and detoxification. The enzymes present in your liver does such functioning.

When alcohol enters your liver, it is turned into acetyl aldehyde. Then a compound called Glutathione, along with the other enzymes, convert the acetyl aldehyde into acetate, which is easily excreted from your body. But the main issue arises when Glutathione is available scarcely in the liver, whose absence leads acetyl aldehyde to flow into your bloodstream. Acetyl aldehyde being more toxic than alcohol, causes headaches, nausea, and other health issues.

Now that you know the cause, you might want to quit drinking or drink occasionally. Well, whatever you do, you surely need a cure for your hangover.

Cures for your hangover

Eliminate congeners laced drink

Alcohol is made from ethanol fermentation whose byproducts are alcohol and carbon-di-oxide. Sometimes congeners in small amounts are also formed as byproducts. As per the studies, it is responsible for prolonged hangovers with severe symptoms. Along with that it also halts the metabolic process of the alcohol in your body making it stay longer.

Drinks such as whiskey, tequila, and bourbon have a high quantity of congeners, whereas gin, rum, and vodka have low or negligible amounts.

Consume alcohol moderately

The lesser you consume, the lower the formation acetyl aldehyde in your system, which leads to fewer symptoms of a hangover. This the best way to get rid of the hangover.

Consume more water

Alcohol makes your body to flush out water abnormally resulting in dehydration. Also, excessive consumption leads to vomiting, creating more dehydration. It’s essential to consume water in large amounts before you go to bed to counteract the losses suffered by your body. When you wake up the next day, drink water at regular intervals.

Drink coffee

Coffee helps in blocking the acetyl aldehydes that causes headaches. It calms and relaxes your mind. However, drink it mildly as too much caffeine will increase your blood pressure, which also stimulates your hangover levels.

Activated charcoal

It absorbs different harmful chemicals that are imparted by the alcohol in your stomach. To consume activated charcoal for hangover, consume it before the alcohol intake. However, drink in limited amounts, you must not wholly rely on these tablets and drink uncontrollably as it absorbs less amount of chemicals at one go.

Get adequate sleep

Having a sound sleep is vital in curbing the symptoms such as headaches, body pains, and nausea. Alcohol consumption interrupts the sleep cycle, which prevents sound sleeping. This is another reason for your uncomfortable symptoms.

Eat healthily

After a night full of the binge, it is important you need to refuel your body with essential nutrients and vitamins for gaining back it’s normal functioning. There are enough acidic deposits in your blood as well as the gut, which needs cleansing. You must eat foods that are rich in fibers, antioxidants, and probiotics.

Have a broth

Essential minerals and salts are also lost due to excess binging. Have a broth of any vegetable, cooked meat, and fish to refuel them.

Lime juice

Drinking lime water helps in restoring the effectiveness of the liver and reverses the damages caused by alcohol. It is also rich in vitamin C and a good source for staying hydrated. Along with water, alcohol also scraps vitamin C from your body, which lime juice will help in reloading.

So now you know how to detox, let’s see some of the preventive measures which you can take to avoid massive hangovers in the first place.

Preventive measures from getting a hangover in the first place

Mix carbonated beverage

As per the studies conducted by the university of manchester, if you drink alcohol with carbonated beverages, then you will have low levels of the hangover. Carbonated beverages help in soaking up the acetyl aldehyde in your bloodstream. You can also have them after the next day of drinking it.

Eat well before sleeping

Alcohol suppresses your appetite. You tend to eat less or nothing at all. It is better to eat the right amount of healthy food before you go to bed and after waking up. It is better to eat foods that are laced with the right amount of carbs and proteins. These ingredients also help in soaking up your binge.

Alcohol also lowers down your blood sugar levels, which results in the symptoms of a hangover. Healthy eating also helps in balancing your blood sugar levels.

Avoid smoking while you binge

As per the studies conducted by the Center for Alcohol and Addiction studies, the combination of cigarettes and alcohol imparts hangover with higher intensity than the people who only drink and get it. Please avoid doing that.

Binging gives you a pleasant time with your friends and family and helps in diverting your attention from all the hustle-bustle of life. But it is equally important to take care of your health. So you need to consume them in limited amounts with the preventive measures discussed above or just quit it and find other healthy ways to enjoy it.

Author Bio:

Emylee is a wellness lifestyle writer. She loves sharing her thoughts and personal experiences related to natural remedies, yoga and fitness through her writing. She currently writes for How To Cure. She can connect with others experiencing health concerns and help them through their recovery journeys through natural remedies.