Helpful tips to get you through the holiday season

Dec 19, 2011 by blackbook

Hangover prevention and cures

The festive season is upon us, time for merriment and fun, which means partying and drinking a fair amount of alcohol. But there is one side effect of all this fun and that is the dreaded hangover!

Now you can’t completely prevent a hangover but you can take steps to ensure it’s not too bad. I have a list of helpful tips which if you follow before and during a night out you should find you don’t suffer from a really bad hangover the next day. I also have a few tips on what to do if you do find yourself with a really bad hangover.

Before the booze:

Eating a full meal before you start drinking is really important and the fattier the meal the better really as this is one of the times extra fat can be beneficial but not greasy food. Because fat is digested slowly, it protects you stomach from the irritating effects of alcohol, which will stop you from having that dodgy stomach feeling towards the end of the night.

Take milk thistle tablets before drink, milk thistle has been used for over 2000 years because it protects your liver against toxins. It’s good to take before you have a heavy night out on the booze to offer some protection to your liver from the damaging effects of alcohol.

Make sure you drink water as well throughout the night, at least two glasses as this will dilute the alcohol in your stomach.

Stick to lighter colour drinks, keep away from dark ones such as red wine, whisky, port and brandy, these contain large amounts of “congeners”, which is what can cause more severe hangovers. Also don’t mix drinks, this old adage is the best to follow when drinking, mixing spirits with wine and beer will lead you down the road to hangover hell!

After the booze:

Before you go to sleep, drink another two glasses of what, it may make you pee more during the night but it will stop you from dehydrating which is what generally leaves you with the thick head when you wake up in a morning.

Sleep is one of the most important ways to get over a hangover, it gives your body chance to rest and recover. You will probably find that your body naturally will sleep longer than usual to its best not to force yourself to get up. If you have to work then its best calling in sick if you have to, however better planning is more appropriate so you don’t end up in this position in the first place.

Most people reach for the coffee after a heavy night however coffee may give a quick boost however it will dehydrate you even more. If you want energy boost turn to sports drinks instead they should give you the energy you need as well as helping you fight dehydration.

Other drinks which will give you a much needed boost also include orange juice and other fruit juices for Vitamin C. Drinking alcohol causes you to lose more much needed vitamins and minerals so make sure you stock back up again after drinking.

When it comes to eating, your first response might be NO, NO, NO with the worry you will be back around the toilet bowl, however it’s better to eat something than nothing. You need a healthy pick me up so a slice of whole wheat toast lightly toasted and sprinkled with cinnamon to give you a boos and help balance out the glucose spikes which is associated with excessive alcohol consumption. Eggs are also good for fighting a hangover and they are high in cysteine, which helps break down acetaldehyde which is associated with hangovers.

If you have a dodgy feeling tummy sometimes taking Alka Seltzer Morning Relief can help, however I find sometimes it can either get rid of my yucky tummy or can make me sick so it might be a bit of a gamble, but in the end ether way I tend to feel better.