By Andreas Gkoumplias,
One of the most unpleasant situations that, anyone of us has had to face at least once in our lifetime is a bad hangover after an amazing night out with friends. Perhaps even more unpleasant is having to go to work or having tasks to complete in such situations, so in this article, we are going to be, going over how to avoid that or if for whatever reason it is too late to avoid a hangover, how to at least treat one.
In order to better understand the situation we have to first understand what happens to the body when alcohol is consumed. So when we drink, we consume ethanol which is found in alcoholic drinks. Ethanol functions as a diuretic, making the need to urinate more frequently as time goes by. And because we urinate, we get rid of liquids, including electrolytes leading to dehydration. So basically, we get hangovers because during our ‘’drinking sessions’’ the alcohol levels in our blood increase a lot and after a period of time when we stop drinking they drop back to normal, which is normally when we experience the hangover effects.
Now the real question that there is to unfold is how do you avoid the unavoidable, or at least how do you limit the effects and the toll that it is going to have on you? While there are no certain answers, as each individual tolerates alcohol differently and can handle a different amount before getting drunk, some general ‘’rules’’ apply to most cases. For instance, a good idea in order not to experience heavy hangover effects would be to not mix up drinks and/or other substances, so as for your body to have an easier time metabolizing one thing at a time.
Another good piece of advice is, to stay hydrated throughout the time you are consuming alcohol; as mentioned before, every time you are using the bathroom you’re losing fluids so it is preferable to sip some water in between each drink, so as to not be completely dehydrated. Also, eating something bland beforehand (before going out for drinks) is a good piece of advice, as drinking on an empty stomach can cause you to get drunk and experience the symptoms of hangovers easier.
Of course, prevention is always better than cure, but what if you already have a hangover when reading this article? There are some ways to help you get rid of that uneasy feeling, but the key is always to be patient. Usually, the worse symptoms occur when alcohol in your system reaches zero levels, so it will get better from this point onwards. Antacids could also come in handy here as they will help you settle your stomach completely after a period of time. Plenty of water before going to bed is also helpful; in order to reduce the hangover effects that are going to take place the next day. And, last but not least, many people resort to techniques like vomiting voluntarily, which is efficient but can cause issues with your digestive system and esophagus in the long run, so it is not recommended.
Alcohol and drinking out with friends can be extremely fun, and if it were not for the hangover effects I am pretty convinced that many people would do it on a daily basis. The basic thing to always remember, apart from the aforementioned advice, is to always set limits when drinking and to always drink and enjoy responsibly!
References
- What causes a hangover. news-medical.net. Available here
- Hangovers: symptoms, causes. mayoclinic.org. Available here
- The science behind hangovers and what to do when you get one. ideas.ted.com. Available here
- Hangover. my.clevelandclinic.org. Available here
