We’ve all done it. We go into our wine drinking exploits with the best of intentions. “I’ll only have one glass of Italian wine,” you say to yourself. Soon, one glass becomes two. Then three, maybe even four or five. Before you know it, you’ve overdone things a little.
Like we said, it happens to all of us and it isn’t a bad thing. Getting carried away during a great night is one of the joys of life.
However, the feeling during the morning after is definitely a bad thing. The dreaded hangover can hit you like a ton of bricks, leaving you feeling nauseous and as though every noise you hear has a personal vendetta against your raging headache.
Hope is not lost. There are plenty of remedies out there to help you deal with the morning after.
Eat a Good Breakfast
We know, eating may not be the first thing on your mind after a night where you’ve drank too much. However, a good breakfast is one of the best hangover cures.
It’s all about restoring your blood sugars. Drinking to excess messes with the chemicals in your body, which is the reason for your hangover in the first place. After all, your liver’s having to do overtime just to stay on top of things. You get the acidic feeling, which comes directly from the wine.
A low blood sugar is also a contributing factor for many hangover symptoms, such as nausea and headaches.
Your choice of breakfast is up to you. Though we recommend healthy foods, such as fruits and cereals, there’s also no denying that fried meats do a great job. Hopefully, the food will restore your blood sugars to normal levels, allowing you to get on with your day.
Drink Plenty of Water
Alcohol may come in liquid form, but it actually dehydrates your body. This is as true for wine as it is any other form of alcohol.
You’ll experience this whenever you wake up with that dry, cottonmouth feeling. That’s your body telling you that it’s starved of water and the liquids you drank last night aren’t helping.
Water can help in two ways. Having the occasional glass of water while you’re drinking can counteract the dehydrating effects of the alcohol. If you’re really lucky, you won’t wake up with any hangover symptoms at all.
If you do have a hangover, you should still drink loads of water. This rehydrates your body, which often gets rid of the headache. It also helps your body focus on clearing out the undesirable chemicals that come from excessive alcohol consumption.
Get Plenty of Sleep
If you’ve overdone it the night before, there are few better cures than a good night’s rest. Unfortunately, this is also one of the hardest hangover tips to put into practice.
You see, alcohol has a sedative effect. You may go to sleep easily after a few drinks, but it’s not a natural sleep. Once the alcohol starts wearing off, you’ll likely wake up earlier than you’d planned.
The sleep you did get didn’t do enough to replenish your body. But you have the illusion of being well-rested until the hangover hits.
Avoid this by drinking some water after waking up, and then putting your head back down. This leads to a more natural sleep, and gives your body time to process the alcohol without disrupting you.
Stay Fit
An active body is better able to deal with a large amount of alcohol. It’s strange, but it’s also true. Staying fit means that you put fewer unneeded toxins into your body. As a result, your liver isn’t constantly working to cleanse your body. You eat cleaner and work out, which also boosts your metabolism.
How does this benefit you when you’re hungover? It works in two ways. The higher metabolism that comes from keeping fit means your body can deal with the alcohol quicker. That means the hangover lasts for less time, if nothing else.
However, the healthy eating also plays a part. This means your liver doesn’t have to deal with as many toxins as it does with a less healthy person. As a result, it can put all of its efforts into helping you to overcome those headaches and nausea. Again, being healthy means that hangovers don’t last as long.
Try Supplements
Many companies sell supplements that they claim are the perfect cure for a hangover. There’s even a soft drink, name Sprite, which many recommend.
Red Ginseng is among the most popular, as some studies have shown that it’s able to reduce the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream. Borage oil, prickly pear, and ginger are all recommended by some as a cure for the symptoms of a hangover.
There’s still some consternation about whether or not these techniques work. But this herbs, and most supplements that contain them, don’t have any adverse effects on your body. If you’re struggling for a cure, they may provide the answer.
Avoid Caffeine
Remember how we spoke about alcohol being a dehydrator? The same goes for caffeine. A couple of strong cups of coffee or tea may seem like the perfect way to rehydrate your body and wake yourself up. However, the caffeine they contain may end up dehydrating you further.
The more dehydrated you are, the more extreme your hangover symptoms become.
Now, we’re not saying to avoid caffeine entirely. A weak cup of tea or coffee may at least give you enough energy to put some of these tips into practice.
However, drinking an entire pot of coffee is not the solution. Replace that coffee with water and you’ll see much more beneficial effects.
The Final Word
Hangovers happen to the best of us, no matter how much we want to appreciate our Italian wine. The morning after is a constant reminder about the consequences of going past your limits.
These hangover cures can help you to combat the effects of too much drinking. At least until the next time that you get carried away.
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