Hangover Cure: 10 Tips to Ease Symptoms
The festive party season is in full effect by this time of year. Hangovers are, for many, a necessary evil. Like man-flu, there is no real “hangover cure”. The best preventative advice Dr Mooney can give is for you not to drink but if you are going to, please drink responsibly!
Dr Mooney offers some sound advice for those that must partake in the season’s greetings and hopefully can help alleviate the impending beer and wine flu!
Before The Big Night (Or Nights):
1. Avoid alcohol on an empty stomach and eat something before you start drinking. You don’t have to eat much but choose something that will stay in your stomach and will delay the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Dr Mooney’s suggestion: a nice toasted cheese sandwich!
2. Hydrate! Make sure you are hydrated before you head out. Try to drink water before you leave and not alcohol.
3. Prepare yourself have water and paracetamol by your bed for when you get home.
During The Big Night:
4. Try to avoid rounds especially if you are in a large group. People drink at different paces and people have different tolerance levels. Pacing yourself is key. Limiting your drink intake to approximately one per hour is advised.
5. Avoid trying to have an alcoholic drink every round! Have a glass of water or a non-alcoholic beer. The key here is to slow the alcohol absorption down!
6. Choose clear drinks over coloured drinks. The science behind this is that dark drinks are known to have more congeners which only increase the effects of a hangover.
7. Consider taking Paracetamol (usual dose 2 x 500mg tablets) along with a dose of stomach acid suppression medication (such as Ranitine or Pantoprazole- these are available without a prescription from a pharmacy) just before you go to sleep so that these are in your system to counteract the symptoms due to the alcohol intake. Paracetamol-based remedies can help with headaches and muscle cramps.
Hangover Day:
8. Eat breakfast or lunch. Whichever time you wake up try to get some food into you. Choose a slow-release carbohydrate for sustained energy, such as eggs (scrambled, poached or boiled) on wholegrain toast, Eggs contain cysteine which breaks up acetaldehyde, a hangover-causing toxin, as well as essential fatty acids needed to help the liver heal your body.
9. Re-hydrate! Yes, again, make sure that you are keeping yourself hydrated. It will speed up the recovery process.
10. Rest! More than likely you are also sleep deprived. If possible, try to rest. You deserve it!
Do you think you might have something more serious than a hangover? Why not speak to a GP without leaving the comfort of your own home?
