7 steps to cure your hangover - Harvard Health

Hangovers seem to be the body's way of reminding us about the hazards of overindulgence. Physiologically, it's a group effort: Diarrhea, fatigue, headache, ... RecentBlogArticles Consideringpregnancyandhavelupus?Planahead Somemenwhoseprostatecancerprogressescansafelydelaytreatment Heart-healthyhabitsforchildrenandteenslengthenlives Monkeypox:Anunfamiliarvirusspreadingfast—soundfamiliar? Diabetes:Doesalong-termstudyreinforceorchangeapproachestoprevention? Waranxiety:Howtocope Canwepreventdepressioninolderadultsbytreatinginsomnia? Wanttotryveganism?Here'showtogetstarted VitaminB6fliesundertheradar:Areyougettingenough? Theformulashortageishurtingfamilies:Whatparentsshouldknowanddo / StayingHealthy 7stepstocureyourhangover November16,2021 Drinkingfluidsmayhelpwiththemorning-aftermiseryfromgettingdrunk. Hangoversseemtobethebody'swayofremindingusaboutthehazardsofoverindulgence.Physiologically,it'sagroupeffort:Diarrhea,fatigue, headache,nausea,andshakingaretheclassicsymptoms.Sometimes,systolic(theuppernumber)bloodpressuregoesup,theheartbeatsfasterthannormal,andsweatglandsoverproduce—evidencethatthe"fightorflight"responseisrevvedup.Somepeoplebecomesensitivetolightorsound.Otherssufferaspinningsensation(vertigo). Thecausesareasvariedasthesymptoms.Alcoholismetabolizedintoacetaldehyde,asubstancethat'stoxicathighlevels.However,concentrationsrarelygetthathigh,sothat'snotthecompleteexplanation. Drinkinginterfereswithbrainactivityduringsleep,soahangovermaybeaformof sleepdeprivation.Alcoholscramblesthehormonesthatregulateourbiologicalclocks,whichmaybewhyahangovercanfeellike jetlag,andviceversa.Alcoholcanalsotrigger migraines,sosomepeoplemaythinkthey'rehungoverwhenit'sreallyanalcohol-inducedmigrainethey'resuffering. Hangoversbeginafterbloodalcohollevelsstarttofall.Infact,accordingtosomeexperts,theworstsymptomsoccurwhenlevelsreachzero. Thekeyingredientseemstobe"drinkingtointoxication";howmuchyoudranktogetthereislessimportant.Infact,severalstudiessuggestthatlightandmoderatedrinkersaremorevulnerabletogettingahangoverthanheavydrinkers.Yetthere'salsoseeminglycontradictoryresearchshowingthatpeoplewithafamilyhistoryofalcoholismhaveworsehangovers.Researcherssaysomepeoplemayendupwithdrinkingproblemsbecausetheydrinkinanefforttorelievehangoversymptoms. Whathelpswithahangover Dr.RobertSwift,aresearcherattheProvidenceVeteransAffairsMedicalCenterinRhodeIsland,coauthoredoneofthefewreviewpapersonhangoversin1998.It'sstilloneofthemostfrequentlycitedsourcesonthetopic.Therundownonhangoverremediesthatfollowsisbasedonthatreview,aninterviewwithDr.Swift,andseveralothersources. 1.Hairofthedog. Drinkingtoeasethesymptomsofahangoverissometimescalledtakingthehairofthedog,orhairofthedogthatbityou.Thenotionisthathangoversareaformofalcoholwithdrawal,soadrinkortwowilleasethewithdrawal. Theremaybesomethingtoit,saysDr.Swift.Bothalcoholandcertainsedatives,suchasbenzodiazepineslikediazepam(Valium),interactwithGABAreceptorsonbraincells,heexplains.Andit'swelldocumentedthatsomepeoplehavewithdrawalsymptomsfromshort-actingsedativesastheywearoff.Perhapsthebrainreactssimilarlyasbloodalcohollevelsbegintodrop. Evenso,Dr.Swiftadvisesagainstusingalcoholasahangoverremedy."Thehairofthedogjustperpetuatesacycle,"hesays."Itdoesn'tallowyoutorecover." 2.Drinkfluids. Alcoholpromotesurinationbecauseitinhibitsthereleaseofvasopressin,ahormonethatdecreasesthevolumeofurinemadebythekidneys.Ifyourhangoverincludesdiarrhea,sweating,orvomiting,youmaybeevenmoredehydrated.Althoughnauseacanmakeitdifficulttogetanythingdown,evenjustafewsipsofwatermighthelpyourhangover. 3.Getsomecarbohydratesintoyoursystem. Drinkingmaylowerbloodsugarlevels,sotheoreticallysomeofthefatigueandheadachesofahangovermaybefromabrainworkingwithoutenoughofitsmainfuel.Moreover,manypeopleforgettoeatwhentheydrink,furtherloweringtheirbloodsugar.Toastandjuiceisawaytogentlynudgelevelsbacktonormal. 4.Avoiddarker-coloredalcoholicbeverages. Experimentshaveshownthatclearliquors,suchasvodkaandgin,tendtocausehangoverslessfrequentlythandarkones,suchaswhiskey,redwine,andtequila.Themainformofalcoholinalcoholicbeveragesisethanol,butthedarkerliquorscontainchemicallyrelatedcompounds(congeners),includingmethanol.AccordingtoDr.Swift'sreviewpaper,thesameenzymesprocessethanolandmethanol,butmethanolmetabolitesareespeciallytoxic,sotheymaycauseaworsehangover. 5.Takeapainreliever,butnotTylenol. Aspirin,ibuprofen(Motrin,otherbrands),andothernonsteroidalanti-inflammatorydrugs(NSAIDs)mayhelpwiththeheadacheandtheoverallachyfeelings.NSAIDs,though,mayirritateastomachalreadyirritatedbyalcohol.Don'ttakeacetaminophen(Tylenol).Ifalcoholislingeringinyoursystem,itmayaccentuateacetaminophen'stoxiceffectsontheliver. 6.Drinkcoffeeortea. Caffeinemaynothaveanyspecialanti-hangoverpowers,butasastimulant,itcouldhelpwiththegrogginess. 7.Bvitaminsandzinc. AstudyrecentlypublishedinTheJournalofClinicalMedicineevaluatedthedietsfor24hoursbeforeandafterexcessivedrinkingoccurred.Itwasasmallstudyandresultswerebasedontheparticipantssayingwhattheyate.However,theydidfindthatpeoplewhosefoodandbeverageconsumptioncontainedgreateramountsofzincandBvitaminshadlessseverehangovers. 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