last updated 22 March 2024
3 minute read
While we would never suggest that you indulge to excess, the unfortunate fact remains that every now and then, a few too many drinks are drunk and the next morning … suffering ensues.
Unfortunately (and you’ll read this everywhere) – the best way to ‘cure’ a hangover is to not have one in the first place. Now while ‘only having two drinks’ is a great way to do this, if you’re out at a restaurant or a pub over a few hours this is going to be tricky. So instead, interleave your alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic. While you can absolutely stick with water, take the opportunity to try out a non-alcoholic beer (some of these are actually very good indeed), a non-alcoholic wine (often quite sweet) or a mocktail. This has the added bonus of helping to keep you hydrated.
Also in the preventative category, one of my friends swears by a Berocca and two paracetamol before a night out. This is definitely a proceed with caution/infrequently option – both alcohol and paracetamol put stress on the liver and, in general, mixing the two is not advised. A one off? Fine. Long term use … not so good.
But let’s assume the horse has bolted and you’ve woken up feeling less than stellar.
- Drink water. And that doesn’t mean drink a litre in one fell swoop – drink little and often (the same way you would if you were dehydrated … because that’s what you are!). The little sips are also more likely to stay down if you’re feeling nauseous.
- Eat. A lot of people forget to eat while they’re drinking so the next morning your body is running on very low blood sugars. Simple carbohydrates are a great way to nudge those blood sugar levels high relatively quickly – toast is a great start (and perhaps have a sip or two of juice – more sugar and more fluid).
- Pain relief. Once you’ve had something to eat. Avoid the paracetamol (see above) and, if your stomach is feeling dodgy, avoid ibuprofen as this can irritate your stomach further. That does still leave you with aspirin.
- Caffeine. OK – this one isn’t going to fix the hangover but it is going to make you feel a bit more alert!
You’ll notice that this is short and simple. Science might be awesome but it hasn’t yet provided the silver bullet hangover cure. And maybe that’s a good thing because it does teach us prevention is better than cure!
