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How to treat your hangover
Rehydrating the body by drinking water may help to improve the symptoms of a hangover. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The best advice to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much alcohol or get drunk.
- If you are prone to over-indulging due to peer influence or simply because the alcohol is available, there are steps that you can take to limit your intake and reduce the effects of a hangover.
A few bottles of beer or several glasses of wine will not only leave you with a hangover the next day but also affect your pattern of sleep. Although some people think that they sleep faster when they drink alcohol, the consumption of alcohol reduces the REM phase, a phase of rapid eye movement, dreams and bodily movements which is the phase of sleep during which the body recovers and prepares to stay awake the next day.
According to Dr Vincent Karuhanga, a physician at Friends Poly Clinic, a hangover is a collection of unpleasant symptoms that usually occur the morning after drinking too much alcohol. The symptoms may include, among others, headache, muscle aches, stomach pain, dizziness, fatigue, thirst, nausea, irritability, sweating, strong pumping of the heart (palpitations) and sensitivity to light and sound.
Alcohol may irritate the stomach and many parts of the body including the brain resulting in hangover symptoms such as abdominal pain, decreased appetite, nausea or vomiting, lack of memory and lack of concentration. Alcohol may also cause the body to produce more urine, causing one to frequently pass urine which may lead to dehydration accompanied by thirst, headache and dizziness, among other symptoms.
Apart from ethanol, alcohol contains other substances that occur naturally or resulting from the manufacturing process (distilling and fermenting) called congeners. It is these that can contribute to or worsen hangover symptoms, especially headaches.
The best advice to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much alcohol or get drunk. If you are prone to over-indulging due to peer influence or simply because the alcohol is available, there are steps that you can take to limit your intake and reduce the effects of a hangover.
Drink water
Some people drink more alcohol in order to get over a hangover but Dr Karuhanga remarks that more alcohol just dulls one’s senses, making hangover symptoms ease temporarily. Therefore, avoid alcohol and get plenty of sleep
“Also, use of alcohol to cure a hangover may lead to alcohol dependency and should be avoided. Alcohol is broken down by an enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase) into a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde, which may be responsible for some of the hangover symptoms. Water is useful in diluting toxic chemicals that cause hangovers and should be taken instead of alcohol.”
Taking water or fruit juice is better than taking coffee or more alcohol, which may cause more palpitations, more urination and a worse hangover.
Dehydration is one of the main causes of hangover symptoms such as headache. This is because alcohol acts as a diuretic, which makes you urinate more and become dehydrated. Drink plenty of fluids to rehydrate including unsweetened fruit juice to give yourself a little vitamin boost, or a smoothie made with milk and fruits.
Eat food before
Besides the hangover, alcohol can have very adverse effects if it is taken on an empty stomach. It is, therefore, important that you remember to eat something before you go for a drink. With the food in the stomach, there will be a delay in the absorption of alcohol into the blood and stop you from getting drunk so quickly.
Watch out for cocktails because they may be easy to drink but contain more alcohol than you might think.
Take little amounts of alcohol and have breaks in between to help reduce the effects of a hangover the next day.
This can be done by alternating alcoholic drinks with water. Also, drink plenty of water before you go to bed and keep more by your bedside. This will keep you hydrated and help reduce the effects of a hangover.
Dr Karuhanga advises that, “The best prevention of a hangover is not to drink at all since a hangover could be the body’s way of trying to deter one from drinking.”
Utility
Get some carbohydrates into your system. Drinking may lower blood sugar levels, so theoretically some of the fatigue and headaches of a hangover may be from a brain working without enough of its main fuel.
Moreover, many people forget to eat when they drink, further lowering their blood sugar. Toast and juice is a way to gently nudge levels back to normal.
