It’s 8 a.m., you just woke up from a night of partying, and your head is pounding. You feel like you are going to throw up and you are in desperate need of water. You, my friend, are experiencing a hangover. We both know that you are not going to take out the partying part, so here is how to prevent the hangover.
We have all heard of the quote, “breaking the seal,” but for those of you who do not know, it is when you are drinking and you first go to the bathroom. After this, it feels like you have to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes. This is not magic. This is because you continued to drink more alcohol, which made you have to go to the bathroom more frequently, causing you to become dehydrated. WebMD says that “for every alcoholic drink you have, your body can expel up to four times as much liquid.” According to medicalnewstoday.com, alcohol increases the need to urinate, which then raises the chances of dehydration. Dehydration is what brings on the headache, the dry mouth and the H2O craving that comes with being hungover. If you are planning to be drinking all night, bring a water bottle. At a bar, fraternity, or house party water may not be very accessible. This is why it is a great idea for you to bring your own bottle of water for in-between drinks. It will not only save you from a hangover, but also help your body deal with the alcohol that is coming in. Drink water before, during, and after your night out drinking and you can prevent the hangover that comes from dehydration. Friendly reminder: this does not mean that you can take 20 shots, drink some water, and wake up feeling like you are ready to take on the world.
When you are at the party, the only way to prevent a hangover is to monitor your drinks. This sounds repetitive, but if you drink slowly, a one to two drinks per hour pace, you will be able to get a buzz, have fun, meet new people, and not feel like death in the morning.
The chances that all of you will end up monitoring your drinks is very slim, so here is what to do when you get home and after drinking heavily. Medicalnewstoday.com says “some people’s blood sugar levels can fall steeply when they consume alcohol, resulting in shakiness, moodiness, tiredness, general weakness, and even seizures in some cases.” Before you go to bed, you should eat items that will restore your blood sugar levels and decrease the severity of your hangover. Eating a piece of toast, white bread not wheat, will help raise your blood sugar levels quickly. This is exciting, but things like doughnuts can also raise your blood sugar levels quickly!
There are several myths about curing a hangover. Things like energy drinks, sports drinks, coffee, working out and more alcohol are not going to cure your hangover in the morning. If you wake up and experience a hangover the best thing is to take some Motrin and go back to bed. Do not take painkillers that contain acetaminophen because according to Medicine Plus this can severely damage your liver. Drinking things like coffee, tea and soda that contain caffeine will just continue to dehydrate you. You have to let your body process everything and get rid of the hangover on its own. Just like when you are intoxicated and there is no way to magically sober up, a hangover will act in the same way.
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