How’s everybody feeling today? If you were like many people in America last night, you ushered in the New Year with some late night revelry. And if that celebration happened with the assistance of alcohol, there’s a good chance you’re not feeling great today. So what can you do to shorten the severity of that New Years Day hangover? There’s no magic pill really, but there are a few things you can do to make yourself a bit more comfortable.
A hangover is technically a form of alcohol withdrawal. So you feel worse and worse as the concentration of alcohol within your bloodstream decreases. But we also know that booze can dilate blood vessels, which can cause headaches. It also upsets the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes leading to an upset stomach.
The best thing to do is not to drink too much in the first place! It’s important to pace yourself when you drink alcohol. But if you’ve already gone overboard, here are a few tips to make yourself less miserable.
Partha’s Rx
1. Drinking alcohol makes you dehydrated. Make sure to replenish those fluids by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.
2. Don’t be tempted to drink more alcohol in order to feel better. That will prolong the symptoms, and may even make them worse.
3. Be patient. Time is the only thing that can really cure a hangover.
4. Sleep as much as possible. Lack of sleep will make you feel even worse.
What about taking some good old-fashioned ibuprofen before bed?
That’s an option, but you need to be careful with anything that thins the blood because alcohol already does that. Also, be sure to steer clear of acetaminophen because it’s bad for your liver when combined with alcohol.
