How to Cure Your Hangover
Date Added: January 01, 2008 06:13:33 PM
There are occasions that we overindulge and hangovers are there to remind us of the hazards. The effects of a hangover range between, nausea, vertigo, fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, increased blood pressure, a faster heart beat, sensitivity to light, sweating and sometimes shaking.
One theory of what causes the symptoms is sleep deprivation. The alcohol will cause changes in the brains activity while sleeping. Alcohol also contains acetaldehyde which can be toxic when levels get too high. It interferes with hormones that regulate our internal clock and can result in feelings along the lines of jetlag. Alcohol has also been shown to bring on migraines that can be mistaken for a hangover.
The symptoms of a hangover will start up when the alcohol level in your blood begins to fall. In some cases you will feel your worst when the blood alcohol level is at its lowest or has reached zero.
The one common attribute seems to be people that drink into intoxication. Different people will require different amounts to get there, but the amount seems less relevant than the effects it has. Some studies have showed that moderate or light drinkers are even more susceptible for hangovers than heavy drinkers. There are other studies that show a different perspective though, that is drinkers with a history of alcohol abuse tend to feel worse hangover effects. Some drinkers that end up with drinking problems do so because they will drink afterwards in an attempt to relieve the hangover symptoms.
If you are suffering from the effects of a hangover there are some proposed remedies which are based on studies that may help with how your feeling.
Drink fluids – Alcohol will suppress the release of a hormone called vasopressin which decreases your kidneys urine production. Without that inhibitor you will urinate more frequently causing the effect of dehydration. If you have other symptoms such as sweating, diarrhea or vomiting that will increase the dehydration effect. Drink as much water as you can, even if only a few sips to help your hangover.
Drink some coffee or tea – These are no secret hangover fighters other than they contain some caffeine which can help with the grogginess that you could be feeling. The caffeine can bring on dehydration so you need to drink some water also.
Carbo load – Eat some toast and drink some juice to get those levels higher, because drinking can lower your blood sugar. Some of that fatigue or headache effect could be caused by this and many people don’t remember to eat while they are drinking.
Have a drink – Known as taking the hair of the dog, this may actually help you feel better. Since some of the effects of a hangover are thought to be a form of withdrawal from alcohol the thought is that a drink will ease those withdrawal effects. However, using this method is not recommended by medical professionals as it perpetuates a cycle without letting you recover from the hangover.
Pain relievers – To help you through the headache and body aches a ibuprofen, aspirin or other anti inflammatory that is nonsteroidal may help. Don’t take a medicine that could further upset your stomach or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Tylenol affects the liver and those effects are magnified by alcohol.
Stay away from the darker alcohols – There have been studies that show the clearer liquor causes less hangovers than darker colored liquor. The reason for this seems to be all alcohol contains ethanol. The darker colored alcohols also contain methanol compounds which are even more toxic causing worse hangover symptoms.
Extract of Artichoke - An old wives tale would have us believe that artichoke extract has beneficial effects on the liver and thus helps hangovers. Studies have proven this to have no benefit for hangovers much to the chagrin of supplement manufacturers.
B6 Vitamins – Another treatment that may help is to take a total of 1200 mg of b6 in equal increments before, during and after consuming alcohol.
Most effective way – By far the most effective treatment for a hangover is to drink in moderation to avoid it all together.
