When all sounds are too loud, any light is too bright, you slept on your toilet seat, and the pounding in your head is enough to make you forget all about the fun you had last night, you’re probably thinking the end is near. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be.
Well, sort of. A hangover is your body’s reaction to alcohol. Your immune system kicks into overdrive, which affects your appetite and memory. Your stomach is churning because alcohol consumption raises the production of stomach acids and slows down the rate at which the stomach empties itself, which causes nausea, vomiting, and stomach aches. Drops in blood sugar levels caused by consuming alcohol cause moodiness, tiredness, and weakness. Alcohol consumption causes blood vessels to dilate, which can cause headaches. The scientific truth is that only time can heal a hangover once it has set in-- more alcohol, greasy food, and chugging coffee won’t help after the damage is done. But there is a lot you can do to prevent a hangover from ever happening in the first place!
It might be a little late for this now... but for future reference: Before the drinking begins, you can get ahead of the game and beat the hangover before it starts! The night before a big bender, drink a lot of water and get a good night's sleep.
Eat a big, greasy meal. Food has to be in your stomach before you drink to help your body absorb all the junk you’re about to fill it with. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means you easily become dehydrated, so drink a glass of water between cocktails to ease the impact of that morning-after headache. The first and most efficient way to avoid that queasy feeling is to drink in moderation. But if you’ve already overindulged, read on.
Morning-after headaches come from a mix of dehydration and your body's adjustment to its rapidly dropping blood-alcohol level. Drink as much water or Gatorade as you can and take two aspirin before going to sleep.
If you’ve still got a headache when you wake up, you can take two more aspirin. Though we know the science doesn’t support it, people in the SideChef office swear by a spoonful of peanut butter and a sports drink, a spicy Bloody Mary and McDonald's hash browns, a chocolate milkshake and a tuna melt, or a bagel and a nap.
Now that you have the cures, remember it’s still important to drink responsibly and to never drink and text your ex...!
