There are a number of ways to treat a hangover, but which remedies actually work?
MYTHS:
1. Some people think drinking more alcohol lessens a hangover by re-raising your blood-alcohol levels. Drinking more while hungover is clearly a bad idea and will only compound your hangover over time.
2. Activated charcoal is renowned for its cleansing properties but it binds poorly to alcohol so it won’t cleanse the booze out of your system.
3. Drinking lots of coffee while hungover is a common “cure” but coffee is a diuretic like alcohol so it will only dehydrate you even more.
4. Herbal hangover pills are a popular choice for getting rid of a hangover but they have proven to show no real scientific results.
5. Fish oil is considered a hangover cure because it lowers prostaglandin levels, the chemicals that can cause hangover headaches. But here’s the catch – fish oil takes weeks to work so you won’t feel any relief by taking the oil the morning after your night out.
FACTS:
1. Headache Pain: take an ibuprofen before drinking to prevent your body from releasing headache causing chemicals when you start drinking. If you have to take one after, try to wait at least four hours after drinking for the best results. Just make sure you don’t take any acetaminophen as it can damage your liver when combined with alcohol!
2. Stomach pain: Antihistamines can help stomach pain. But be careful – they can cause extreme drowsiness when taken with alcohol in your system. Also antacids are a great way to calm excess stomach acids caused by too much drinking and ginger tea is also known to lessen nausea.
3. To replenish nutrients: The tried and true method of drinking lots of water after a hangover is key! Drink some electrolyte-rich beverages, like coconut water or sports drinks, while you’re at it to restore electrolytes especially if you’ve been throwing up. Alcohol prevents the liver from producing glucose so you’ll want to eat complex carbs to increase your blood sugar levels as well. Taking a multivitamin wouldn’t hurt either.
