Hangover is a set of unpleasant psychological and physiological effects that you experience after consuming alcohol. Don’t worry you can get rid of alcohol hangover by using these time-tested natural home remedies.
It’s a feeling that makes you promise yourself that you will never touch alcohol again. Hangovers, usually, don’t last more than 24 hours but its effects, most of the time, makes even those 24 hours unbearable.
Ever woke up after a crazy night with a very bad headache, wondering if you had, by any chance, hit your head on the wall? Have you woken up feeling completely drained and nauseated?
Home Remedies For A Hangover
Time is the real cure for hangovers. However, one can do certain things to decrease the duration and cure the symptoms. Here are 17 remedies that one can easily do at home.
1.Bananas
One of the effective remedies is to have a banana. Bananas become man’s best friend when he has a hangover. It is filled with potassium and helps replenish it in your body.Moreover, it is easy to eat. Just peel and take a bite.
2.Water
Drinking a lot of water is also another remedy. Water helps to hydrate your body and dilutes the impurities that are there in our body. Aim to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water.
3.Lemons
Lemon helps to detoxify and break down alcohol. It is also refreshing and is gentle on an upset stomach during hangovers.Add two tsp of lemon juice(fresh) and one tsp of honey in warm water and slowly drink this 2-3 times or more from the time you wake up.
4.Ginger Tea
Ginger tea helps to overcome nausea and accelerate the process of alcohol digestion, which soothes the stomach. If you are in the position, make yourself some ginger tea.This best remedy to get rid of hangover headache.
Take about 12 slices of fresh ginger in about four cups of water and boil for about 10 minutes. Add fresh orange juice and lemon juice and 1/2 cup of honey.Voila! Ginger tea is ready.
5.Semi-Liquid Food
Start by having food like soup or porridge. Avoid any heavy food that is hard on your digestive system. This ensures that you get enough energy for the day without putting much workload on your sick stomach, during a hangover.
6.Sports Drinks
Drinking sports drinks help replenish the lost ions in your body. It helps to balance your electrolytes and glucose level in the body. Since these ions have been depleted from the body of a person having a hangover, due to the effects of alcohol, replenishing them will help provide energy and take away any form of tired feeling in the person.
7.Ice Compression
It is a good remedy for your headache. Crush some ice, place it in a towel and press it against your head where you are experiencing pain.
8.Tomato Juice
Having tomato juice is also an effective way to counter hangovers. It helps to metabolize and break down alcohol easily. You may also have tomato soup.
Put some tomato, some drops of lemon and honey into a blender. Blend the mixture, drain the juice and have it during the day of hangover.
9.Peppermint
Chew some peppermint leaves as this helps to relax your intestines. You can also have a dip in the warm water with some drops of peppermint oil.If you want to get rid of hangover anxiety then peppermint is the best option.
10.Rest and Sleep
Since you didn’t get the beauty sleep that you should, getting a proper sleep will help relieve you from your hangover.
11.Oil Pulling
Another technique would be oil pulling. It is a natural, detoxifying method. Take 1 tbsp of coconut oil and swish it around your mouth and teeth, for about 20 minutes.After that spit the oil out and rinse your mouth. Do this on an empty stomach, when you wake up.
11.Honey
Have a tablespoon of honey when you have a hangover. The fructose content present helps to break down alcohol faster and hence reduce its effect. Take a spoonful twice or thrice.
12.Eggs
Eating eggs for breakfast is also a good option. You could have it in the form of boiled, scrambled or omelet form. The high protein content helps in decreasing the feeling of nausea during the hangover.
It also contains cysteine, which is an amino acid and helps to counter the harmful effects of alcohol.
13.Toast
Spread some honey on some bread or some sugar and then toast it. Have it for breakfast. Toast helps increase your carbohydrates intake which in turn increases your blood sugar level.This helps as a person suffering from hangover has a low blood sugar level.
14.Black Tea
Another remedy is drinking black tea. Add some lemon drops or honey to increase its effects.The tannic acid helps in removing alcoholic toxins, which accumulates in your body and causes a hangover.
15.Green And Black Bean
Add some green beans in boiling water. The drink is ready when it turns a bit yellowish, and the beans will settle to the bottom.Drain the water and drink them. Do the same for the black beans. This helps to remove toxins from the body.
16.Thyme
Add some thyme leaves(crushed) into boiling water to make a tea that helps recover from nausea. Thyme helps to soothe your stomach and muscles. It helps to relieve pain during the hangover.Using this remedy you can get rid of hangover stomach ache.
17.Warm Bath
Take a nice, hot shower when you wake up with a hangover. It helps you become fresh and drains the toxin from your body.This is best way for hangover recovery.
Causes Of Hangover
It is widely accepted that alcohol is the main culprit when it comes to the causes of hangovers.Alcohol leads to a drop in the blood sugar level. This may lead to tiredness, moodiness, weakness and shakiness.
Alcohol leads to dehydration of the body.Alcohol dilates and expands blood vessels which cause headaches.Alcohol interferes with the functions of the stomach.
It makes the stomach secrete more acid and affects the digestion process. This can cause stomach ache and vomiting, along with nausea.Alcohol affects the quality of sleep and makes you feel drowsy and tired.
Symptoms Of A Hangover
The symptoms related to having a hangover is different from person to person based on the type and quantity of alcohol consumption. Even it’s intensity and duration may vary.
Nevertheless, the most common symptoms shown by a person having a hangover are listed below.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Excessive thirst and dehydration
- Sweating
- A Headache and muscle pain
- Irritability and anxiety
- Inability to concentrate
- Disturbed sleep patterns
- Decreased attention span
- Mood swings and depression
- Stomach pain and inflammation of the stomach lining
- Tremors and elevated pulse rate
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- High blood pressure
- Low blood sugar
- Drowsiness
- Excessive urination
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Weakness and fatigue
How To Prevent Hangovers?
The saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure’, holds true for hangovers too. Nobody likes to wake up in the morning feeling terrible and regretting every decision that one made the night before. So it’s best to try and prevent hangovers rather than trying desperately to cure one.
The best way to prevent a hangover is to ensure that you consume alcohol in a moderate quantity without over drinking. It goes without saying that the less amount of alcohol consumed is directly proportional to the intensity of the hangover you face the next day.
It is recommended that women have one unit and men have not more than two units of alcohol a day. One unit of alcohol can be calculated as equal to 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine. In simple words, don’t consume more than your body can take.
Choosing your drinks carefully is another effective way because it is not necessary that your body reacts to every drink in the same way. Sometimes certain drinks may not give you a hangover even when consumed in large quantities while a small glass of some proves to be a disaster for your body.
Let us say you decide to let yourself loose on your alcohol consumption after a very tiring and intense week. All of us need a break at some point in time. But ensure that you keep these points in mind when you do so.
Do not have your drink on an empty stomach. This also doesn’t mean that you stuff yourself with food. Take a moderate quantity of food which is rich in carbohydrates, before your drink. The food helps to slow down the absorption of alcohol by the body.
Try not to drink fizzy drinks with your drink as it speeds the process of absorption.
You can have water or non-fizzy drinks in between your alcohol consumption. Drinking water also helps to keep you hydrated as alcohol dehydrates your body. Also, make sure that you have some water before sleeping and make arrangements to have some when you wake up.
Avoid taking unwanted medication as many of these lead to liver damage when consumed with alcohol.
Also drinking slowly helps to ensure that the effects of alcohol consumption are slow on your body.
Lastly, keep a watch out for congeners. These are natural chemicals or impurities and are usually more in dark-colored drinks. Less the congeners in your drink, less likely for you to have a hangover next morning.
When To Seek Medical Attention?
If the person suffering from a hangover has the following symptoms, it can be because they have alcohol poisoning and hence should see a doctor immediately.
- The person keeps vomiting continuously and is unable to take food or liquid.
- He or she loses consciousness.
- Experiences fits or seizures.
- There is a drop in the body temperature.
- The skin is pale or has a blue tinge.
- Breathing troubles or problems like irregular rhythm in breathing or slowing down of breath to less than eight inhalations per minute.
Bottom Line
Hangovers can be pretty nasty and terrible. Give it time, rest and make sure you keep a gap of two days before you have another glass of your favorite drink.
Nobody knows your body better than you. Next time, when you go out drinking ensure that you limit your alcohol consumption based on the amount your body can take.