Tis The Season For Hangovers, What To Do

Well, the holiday season is upon us once again, which means many of us will eat a little more than usual and drink a little more than usual, but that’s OK. For those of you who follow me you know, I am a fanatic about nothing. You want to have a cookie, have a cookie, you want to have a piece of cake, have a piece of cake, you want to have a drink, have a drink, just don’t overindulge. Remember what I always say; one unhealthy meal will not make unhealthy just like one healthy meal will not make you healthy.

In my younger day, I was a big party guy, I drank, I smoked, and got little sleep because of my partying ways, now my life is the complete opposite. With the holidays upon us, I will have a couple of cocktails. Remember my philosophy, “Life was meant to enjoy, just don’t enjoy too much.”

This post is about hangovers, for those of you who might overindulge. 

First of all, experts know little about what causes a hangover. Some theories say that alcohol disrupts biological rhythms; others that alcohol withdrawal is the culprit. Research suggests that impurities produced when alcohol is distilled can make you feel nauseous. The sweeter the drink, the higher the level of impurities. Malt liquors and red wine are especially toxic. That headache? It may come from dehydration — alcohol is a diuretic — and your body’s adjustment to your dropping blood alcohol levels after you’ve stopped drinking.

Now let’s be honest, the only sure-fire way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol. 

Harvard Medical School listed 7 ways to cure a hangover, here they are.

1. Hair of the dog. Drinking to ease the symptoms of a hangover is sometimes called taking the hair of the dog, or hair of the dog that bit you. The notion is that hangovers are a form of alcohol withdrawal, so a drink or two will ease the withdrawal.

There may be something to it, says Dr. Swift. Both alcohol and certain sedatives, such as benzodiazepines like diazepam (Valium), interact with GABA receptors on brain cells, he explains. And it’s well documented that some people have withdrawal symptoms from short-acting sedatives as they wear off. Perhaps the brain reacts similarly as blood alcohol levels begin to drop.

Even so, Dr. Swift advises against using alcohol as a hangover remedy. “The hair of the dog just perpetuates a cycle,” he says. “It doesn’t allow you to recover.”

2. Drink fluids. Alcohol promotes urination because it inhibits the release of vasopressin, a hormone that decreases the volume of urine made by the kidneys. If your hangover includes diarrhea, sweating, or vomiting, you may be even more dehydrated. Although nausea can make it difficult to get anything down, even just a few sips of water might help your hangover.

3. 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.

4. Avoid darker-colored alcoholic beverages. Experiments have shown that clear liquors, such as vodka and gin, tend to cause hangovers less frequently than dark ones, such as whiskey, red wine, and tequila. The main form of alcohol in alcoholic beverages is ethanol, but the darker liquors contain chemically related compounds (congeners), including methanol. According to Dr. Swift’s review paper, the same enzymes process ethanol and methanol, but methanol metabolites are especially toxic, so they may cause a worse hangover.

5. Take a pain reliever, but not Tylenol. Aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, other brands), and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help with the headache and the overall achy feelings. NSAIDs, though, may irritate a stomach already irritated by alcohol. Don’t take acetaminophen (Tylenol). If alcohol is lingering in your system, it may accentuate acetaminophen’s toxic effects on the liver.

6. Drink coffee or tea. Caffeine may not have any special anti-hangover powers, but as a stimulant, it could help with the grogginess. Coffee is a diuretic, though, so it may exacerbate dehydration.

7. Vitamin B6. A study published over 30 years ago found that people had fewer hangover symptoms if they took a total of 1,200 milligrams of vitamin B6 before, during, and just after drinking to get drunk. But it was a small study and doesn’t seem to have been replicated.

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season.