It
is true…The older you get the worse the hangover. I’m
of course not condoning over indulgence, but ‘tis the season
and with all of the holiday parties, many of us will suffer the
dreaded hangover.
A hangover
is caused mostly by-products of alcohol, and one particularly nasty
chemical by the name of acetaldehyde. It may be responsible for
the worst of your hangover. After you ingest alcohol, your body
breaks it down into (among other things) acetaldehyde, before converting
it into less harmful substances. The acetaldehyde causes the pain
in your brain and at the same time a host of depleted minerals are
short-circuiting your nervous system, as well as low blood sugar
and the classic headache-and-dry-mouth caused by dehydration. The
result: nausea, twitchy nerves, unpleasantness, pessimism, terrible
brain pain, and a temporary suspension of balance.
The
severity of a hangover varies according to . . .
The amount you've guzzled in a given period of time
Your
own innate enzymatic capacity to deal with the poisons
Your
age
In
essence the more you drink in a short amount of time, the more you'll
feel the alcohol. One's weight is also a factor (the less you weigh,
the more you'll feel it), as is a genetic predisposition. Finally,
the older you get, the more you'll feel the alcohol the next morning.
So,
what can be done… well the easiest solution is to drink less
and responsibly. Also prepare for a night out. Try to get a good
base of pasta or other carbohydrate in your system. The reason that
food is so important is because it' will help to soak up the alcohol
so that it doesn't all go directly into the bloodstream.
Hydrate
hydrate hydrate. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Every glass of juice or water you drink at night is worth two in
the morning. Alcohol acts as a diuretic. You need to replace that
liquid.
So
the basics are to eat, drink (water), and you'll be merry in the
morning.
There
are poisons besides alcohol that contribute to a brutal hangover.
Chemicals called congeners occur naturally in all fermented drinks.
The general rule is that darker drinks, such as red wine, bourbon,
scotch and brandy have more congeners than lighter drinks like white
wine, vodka, and gin. Also keep in mind that whatever your drink's
color, the cheaper it is, the more poison will be in it. So avoid
cheap booze. Red wine also contains an extra hangover-inducing poison
called tyramine. So be especially careful of a double whammy with
cheap red wine.
Alternate
alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic beverages. This simple measure
will help keep you hydrated. Fruit juice (which is particularly
good at re-hydrating the body is an especially good choice. Another
good choice is soda water with a lime or lemon. It looks like you
are having a cocktail so you won’t have to worry about feeling
uncomfortable without a “drink” in hand.
Consume
less than one drink per hour. Your liver breaks down alcohol at
the rate of about a beer, glass of wine, or shot, an hour, so spreading
out the drinking over the course of an evening will lessen the likelihood
of a hangover.
When
you get home drain the contents of a very large, very full glass
of water. Drink as much water as you can even if it is unpleasant.
If you prefer, drink some orange juice or Gatorade. The thing is,
you need electrolytes, which will keep you hydrated.
Finally,
remember that you shouldn't take analgesics (that is, headache medicine)
of any kind at this stage. Some folks pop pills as a preventative,
even though the inevitable headache hasn't yet arrived. This isn't
a good idea. Aspirin upsets the stomach and aggravates the symptoms
of a hangover. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), when mixed with the alcohol
still in your bloodstream, might cause your liver to explode (and
you REALLY don’t want that). If you want to take a pill, a
multivitamin might help by replenishing some of the B vitamins that
have vanished from your body through the course of the night.
In
the morning lay off the coffee. Any sort of caffienated beverage
will aggravate dehydration. At this point it is probably better
just to take an aspirin instead. And the old “hair of the
dog” cure does not work either. It’s just going to prolong
you hangover.
However,
there are some things that are great to put into your body to ease
the pain and assist rapid recovery, including rest and a little-known
substance called cysteine. Cysteine directly counteracts the poisonous
effects of acetaldehyde. I also found that the following milkshake
is so loaded with the anti-toxins your body needs, that it can really
help ease your hangover and get you feeling like a real human being
again.
Take 2 aspirins
Take 200mg cysteine (available at specialty food stores)
Take 600mg vitamin C
Take
1 tablet vitamin B-complex
Mix the following ingredients together in a blender:
- 1 banana
- 1 small can V-8
- 6 large strawberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1-2 cups milk (or soy milk), to desired consistency
- ¼ tsp. salt
- dash of nutmeg
Prepare this the night before indulging and drink it all up the
morning after.
A
few other quick cures I found that seem to have some credence are:
-
500-1000 mgs aspirin, a rehydrating sports drink like Gatorade,
and one 25 mg Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate) tablet which will drive
vertigo, and nausea.
- Eat a banana as they contain potassium which is guaranteed to
revitalize your body after a heavy session.
- Excedrin Migraine. Its got a little bit of caffeine, pain reliever
and anti-nausea medicine. Although I shy away from the caffeine,
some swear by it.
- Pedialite Popsicles. They taste better, have the same effect as
regular Pedialite which tastes terrible and work just as quickly.
It's also easier to keep the ice down when you are feeling sick
and it's nice and cold to help your pounding head.
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