Basically, you can’t really ‘cure’ a hangover. It must run its course and flush all the alcoholic toxins out of your body so you can feel better. However, there are a lot of remedies (like Pedialyte- see Pedialyte Best Hangover Remedy Hands Down ) that can make your hangover better by rehydrating, nourishing, and uplifting your abused body. And there are a lot of remedies that don’t do squat. Here is what you do not want to do in the event of a hangover.
What is a hangover? Essentially it’s your body’s reaction to being poisoned by an influx of alcohol. A hangover will run its course within 24 hours typically, varying upon the weight, height, gender, and consumption of the individual who is suffering. So a hangover is no laughing matter. Don’t be stupid about getting over a hangover and you’ll feel tons better in no time. Which means…
Don’t drink certain alcohols. Some alcohols actually create worse hangovers than others. Red wine is known to cause headaches, so drinking this in excess can make your hangover worse. Same goes for whiskey. If you want a less severe hangover, stick to beer, vodka, and gin, which provide a more gentle experience the next day if you get slammed.
Avoid sugary drinks to hydrate you. Sugar speeds the body’s absorption of alcohol, so avoid beverages with sugar and juice in them while drinking. This includes the next day as well. Sure, orange juice sounds great to hydrate you, but regular water is better and will ease that hangover rather than put it in overdrive. Eat a banana if queasy, which has enough potassium to keep you from feeling like you’re going to die.
Don’t eat when you’re drunk. It’s true that if you eat salty, fatty foods before you drink, your body won’t absorb alcohol so quickly (meaning you can drink more longer without getting drunk so quickly). Also true is eating sugary treats before drinking and during will speed up your body’s alcohol absorption. For this reason people think if they eat after drinking, they won’t get a hangover. Unfortunately, once that alcohol is in the system, it can’t be flushed any faster, and eating can actually make you feel worse. Drinking water and taking an aspirin is your better hangover choice.
Don’t drink in the AM to avoid a hangover. Yes, a wake-up drink will curb that hangover for a while, but it won’t keep that hangover at bay forever, and when that bugger hits, it will hit hard. The worst thing you can do after a night of drinking is keep drinking. Suck it up, take a pain pill (the one you took before you passed out isn’t working anymore) and start drinking that Pedialyte.
Coffee is not your hangover friend, so don’t drink up. Sheesh, no juice, no beer, and now no coffee in the morning? Can this hangover get any worse? Actually, coffee can make a hangover a larger nightmare by making the body even more dehydrated. Can’t stress regular water enough for a hangover. Coffee just defeats the purpose of drinking water to begin with, and won’t wake you up any better anyhow.
Don’t Rely On Tea to Cure Your Hangover. Really, the only cure for a hangover is to let it run through your system, so expecting an herbal tea to get you on the mend entirely will leave you lacking. While many teas, like ginger, peppermint, and chamomile, can help with that rolling nausea a hangover brings, will the hangover just go away? Sorry, not likely, but you can feel a bit better.
Sources:
dealing with hangovers
webmd.com