LIFESTYLE NEWS - Every year around this time the media is filled with warnings about the evils of excessive drinking and would-be cures if you’ve ignored them like most people often do.
The fact is that, there is no real cure for a hangover.
We nevertheless insist on listing a few possible preventative and coping tips garnered from hangover experts and aficionados from across the globe.
1. Choose the clear drinks
Methanol, a common congener of which high volumes are found in popular drinks such as whiskey, cognac and tinted tequila, is strongly associated with hangover symptoms, they say ("they" always being the real experts on… whatever, as you should well know). On the other hand the clear drinks such as vodka, gin and rum have low levels of congeners. (Vodka, in fact, as the experts of alcoholic excess from Moscow to Chokurdakh will tell you), contains almost no congeners at all. Comparative studies showed that the intensity of hangovers were considerably enhanced in whiskey drinkers.
2. Drink more
After drinking, your body converts methanol into formaldehyde, a highly toxic substance believed to be partly responsible for many hangover symptoms. Having some hair of the dog the next morning, however, can inhibit this conversion process, preventing formaldehyde from forming (now say that fast after seven beers if you can). Instead, methanol is discharged harmlessly through breath and urine. (This is also why ethanol is often used to treat methanol poisoning.)
3. Water yourself
Alcohol is a diuretic, that can drive you to the urinal with great frequency and cause dehydration. And although dehydration might not be the main cause of hangovers, it could contribute to symptoms such as thirst, headache, fatigue and dry mouth. Avoid the big D by imbibing lots of water during and after the binge.
Isotonic sports drinks go one step further, designed as they are to replace sugars and salts quickly, give you energy and rehydrate you. A final consideration could also be the Dioralyte sachet – which could even help with the diarrhoea you may well have after Christmas Eve or the January 1.
4. Counter the 'drinker's dawn'
Alcohol can interfere with both the quality and duration of your sleep, contributing to the condition known as “drinker's dawn”. Getting plenty of sleep after heavy drinking can help your body recover. One trick is to have a banana ready next to your bed when you wake up at 02:00. It will balance out your sugar levels a bit so you can still get in a couple of hours before the real dawn arrives.
5. Sugary blood
Hangovers are associated with low blood-sugar levels – or hypoglycemia. Although this is not a major cause of hangovers, it may contribute to symptoms such as weakness or headaches. After drinking, having a nutritious breakfast or a late-night meal might help maintain or restore your blood sugar levels.
6. The unorthodox option
Abstinence. Not for the fainthearted.
And finally…
Try this rehydrating-recipe that replenishes the starch, sugar, sodium, and potassium in your system between long naps.
•Stir 1 teaspoon of salt and 8 teaspoons of sugar into 5 cups of distilled water, whisk in ½ cup orange juice or ¼ cup mashed banana and sip the mixture slowly throughout the day, storing it in a cool place. It’s good for 24 hours.
* Sources: www.savethestudent.org; www.healthline.com; www.everydayhealth.com
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