No one likes those smug Oh no, I never suffer from hangovers…” gits that are stood there, looking all rosy-cheeked and healthy while your eyes feel like they’ve been rubbed with sandpaper and your mouth tastes like a fisherman’s flip flop. Essentially hangovers are Mother Nature’s way of letting you know you need a night in. But there are ways to fight back.
11 Best Hangover Cures
- Fry Up – Carbs, fat, protein, it can help boost blood sugar and combat toxins.
- Hair of the Dog – Alcohol can take the edge off your suffering. But only short term.
- Vitamins – A hangover is a sign of dehydration and depleted vitamins so get rebalanced.
- Water – That headache is actually caused by the brain dura shrinking. Rehydrate.
- Sleep – Simple, comfortable and you can do it at work.
- Caffeine – Although it will help, it is short term and your symptoms will return.
- Fruit Juice – A quick way to get those precious vitamins and blood sugars back up.
- Running – Endorphins release natural chemicals to help you fight back.
- Personal Cure – Everyone has their own favourite cure. Garlic and ice cream?
- Painkillers – As recommended by the NHS, no pain… no pain.
- Self-pity – Go on, you’ve earned it. It’s definitely a duvet kind of day.
1. A fry up
No, it’s not just a really tasty wives’ tale, there’s science behind the need to fry the s*** out of something. Fat and carbs will give you a much-needed blood sugar boost, plus eggs and meat are good for clearing out toxins. So, a fry up is actually a way to detox (huh?!?). Professor Richard Stephens revealed scientific data from the Alcohol Hangover Research Group.
2. Hair of the dog
The good news, alcohol has been scientifically proven to lessen the hangover effect caused by alcohol. The bad news, it’s only short term. You may avoid some imminent hangover hell but it’s not for everyone and it could just make things worse in the long run.
3. Vitamins
Since a hangover is caused by the toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism, dehydration and Vitamin A, B and C depletion, putting these back into your body makes hangover beating sense.
4. Water
The splitting headache you experience is caused by the brain dura becoming dehydrated (the membrane that encases your brain) causing it to shrink. “My brain’s melting!!!”. Drinking plenty of H2O is one of the best routes to curing the lingering evils. It’s even recommended by Havard Medical School and they’re much cleverer than us!
5. Sleep!
Probably not that you need any persuading, but you pop yourself back off to bed and let the restorative powers of sleep do their thing. Off you go, we’ll keep the noise down.
6. Caffeine
Another one that’s proven to provide some short-term help, just prepare for the hangover to hit you later on! However, you could use that window of opportunity to ship in a couple of additional hangover cures.
7. Fruit juice
Your body will have shed all the vitamins to make way for the onslaught of alcohol so embrace the juice! It’ll boost your energy levels and can assist in clearing out toxins.
8. Go for a run
“Run it off!” it’s not just what your dad used to shout when you broke your leg playing football. The endorphins released through intensive exercise can have a healing effect. Of course, the downside is it does mean running with a hangover. True ‘kill or cure’ stuff.
9. Your personal cure
We all have our own personal cures to lift us out of a debilitating hangover funk whether it’s medicinal, the three S’s, a garlic and banana toastie, even chomping on a Yorkie. It could be the but if it works for you, roll with it.
10. Painkillers
While some might say painkillers are for wimps (we’re guessing those people have never tried childbirth or caught their little chap in their zip), even the smart noggins at the NHS recommend having some painkillers at hand. But never exceed the recommended dosage, of course, if you’d applied that thinking to the drinking you wouldn’t be in this mess now.
11. Self-pity
If all else fails then book in some good, old-fashioned, front of the tv, junk food supported self-pity. Memories of the night before are probably a blur of saying the wrong things, dancing on tables and regretting “that last pint”. So own-it, park yourself remote to hand and catch up with a non-judgemental TV.
8 Tips For The Morning After
- Don’t drive (this is the time to get a taxi, pick up your car later if you have to).
- Clear the diary, don’t make any testing social plans. You’ll feel like crap, you’ll look crap and you’ll probably be crap company.
- Have a good (believable) excuse ready if you need to make cancellations and make sure you cancel early.
- Let the emotion come, just keep it private, we’re men after all.
- Don’t let “the fear” takeover. Sure, you might have acted like a bit of a bellend but so did most of the others. Probably. As long as nobody got hurt it’s all good and if you need to apologise… simple… man up and apologise.
- Do not call anyone who isn’t a serious mate.
- Have some spare cash ready for pizzas and the corner shop.
- If you have another half, negotiate a “man down day” and promise them a day in lieu.
Sober Note
Whether it was peer pressure, your own stupid fault or an accident (“Those tequilas just kept falling into my mouth. Repeatedly.”), there are websites to help you know a little more about your drinking:
