"Come on, it's party time! The festive season is here, and you probably have already been flooded with invitations to parties. All-night-long parties are usually accompanied by lots of drinking and eating. My usual advice to you is, "Moderation is the key," but in the midst of all the fun and booze, would you still remember what I say? I doubt it.
After a night of excessive drinking and binging, you will probably wake up to a throbbing headache, dry throat, queasy stomach and weakness all over the body - all symptoms of a hangover. Now all is not lost, because if you are prepared for a hangover, you can reduce the discomfort to a minimum. Here are some tricks and tips to help you prepare:
1. Are there any remedies to prevent hangover? No, you can't prevent hangovers 100%, though there are some good methods to reduce the absorption of alcohol by your body.
2. Before you start drinking, remember these tips:
* Never drink on an empty stomach - You will be knocked out even before you start enjoying the party. The best way is to keep eating before, after, and during drinking, even if the food is in small portions.
* Foods such as grapes, yogurt and fried foods help to line the stomach and slow the alcohol from entering the bloodstream. Eating also speeds up your metabolism of both food and alcohol, thereby removing toxins from your body faster.
* Ladies, do not act macho and compete with guys over who can drink more. From a biological viewpoint, men have been proven to withstand more alcohol than women, regardless of their height and weight. You can prove your ego elsewhere!
* Do not mix different types of drinks. Imagine you are mixing different poisons together within a drink that is poured into your body. These toxins could react badly with one another, creating a huge hangover later. Spare your one and only poor liver, who has to work doubly hard to flush the toxins out afterward.
* Once your wine intake exceeds two glasses, you should eat, never mind if it is already 2 a.m. Choose fried foods or high carbohydrate foods, which help to speed up your metabolism, thereby flushing the toxins out faster.
3. Herbal preventatives. Before a drink, if you can, try consuming either one or both of these two natural herbs:
* Chinese senega root. Mix 20 drops with ¼ cup of water and drink it before reaching for that wine. It serves to block the toxins in your wine from being absorbed into your bloodstream (as best as it can) and also helps to neutralize the toxins already present in your bloodstream.
* Silybum marianum. Drink some before your wine. It protects your liver from damage by toxins.
4. If you want to perk up from a hangover, do coffee and tea help? The harm has been done, and now you have to pay for it.
Coffee or tea cannot cure your hangover, but they can dull the throbbing pain for a while. However, I would strongly advise you to refrain from coffee and tea, as they will dehydrate your body and probably upset your stomach further, adding burdens to your liver and heart. But if you really have to, do remember to drink more water.
If you have been partying all night and are just ready to get into bed in the early morning hours, avoid coffee or tea. In addition to the reasons given above, it will also disrupt your sleep quality. But if you really must drink that cuppa joe out of sheer force of habit, then limit yourself to just one small cup and more water.
5. Some natural remedies do help in treating hangovers, so it's good to set some aside:
* Milk Thistle. Protects the liver and assists it in flushing out toxins.
* Ginger root (3 slices), vinegar (50 ml) and brown sugar (25 grams). Mix and boil into a ginger tea. It helps to relieve a queasy stomach and nausea.
* Feverfew. Used as a substitute for aspirin.
* Honey. Speeds up the breakdown of alcohol and helps discharge it from your body.
* Vitamin B6 (found in celery). Studies have shown this vitamin can reduce symptoms of a hangover.
6. What should you eat for breakfast after your hangovers?
* Lots of fruits to replenish lost energy and fluid. Ideal fruits include grapefruits, grapes, watermelon, persimmons and olives.
* Vegetables and bread are easily digestible, fill your hunger and replenish lost nutrients.
* Yogurt, rich in calcium, helps to lift your spirits.
* Bananas are strongly recommended, as they replenish your energy, potassium and magnesium. These minerals are important in relieving your throbbing headache and feelings of nausea.
7. Should you rest at home or exercise after sobering up? Light exercises such as strolling or brisk walking can help to detoxify your body as more oxygen is introduced into the brain and blood.
