Hangover Relief
When you need hangover relief fast, where do you turn?
Most people trust one of a handful of "standard treatments" when they can't get relief from a hangover. Tossing back bottles of room temperature water, eating greasy food, and lying in a quiet dark room can't be the only things that work to give you hangover relief, can they? Surely there's some other magic bullet that can relieve the symptoms of a hangover.
How to Relieve Hangovers
Here's a breakdown of ten hangover relief tactics, how well they may work, and how you can perfect them to shake the hangover symptoms as fast as possible. Learning how to relieve hangovers means trying a few different methods like the ones listed below.
Coca-Cola
If you know anyone that experiences regular migraines, you're familiar with the old "ice cold Coca-Cola" as a curative. Migraineurs (as they're called) reach for a Coke with as much ice as you can fit in the glass early in their headache to relieve symptoms and possibly prevent them from getting worse. I don't know the science behind Coca-Cola as a hangover relief, but it makes sense in a strange way.
The carbonated water will help settle your rumbly stomach, and Coke does provide liquid for rehydration, but the caffeine and sugar in a Coke may make some of your symptoms worse. To do the Coca-Cola hangover treatment right, try buying caffeine free sodas or even sugar free. You'll get all the relief of Coca-Cola without worrying about worsening your symptoms.
Coffee
This always struck me as odd -- if ice cold Coke works as a hangover relief, why would steaming hot coffee also be a relief tactic? Also with coffee you don't get the fizzy bubbles to help you lose your nausea. But I guess depending on what type of person you are, you may prefer a hot cup of coffee to a freezing cold glass of bubbly water. One way to drink coffee as a hangover cure without worrying about worsening your symptoms is to use honey as a sweetener instead of sugar and consider drinking decaf coffee.
Ginseng
Ginseng is a good choice for an energy supplement during a hangover. Caffeine acts as a pretty strong diuretic, like alcohol, and can turn your tiny headache into a pounding monster. Ginseng does not act as a diuretic, and is a kind of "herbal equivalent" to caffeine.
The best way to use ginseng as hangover relief is to get a good level of ginseng in your body before you start drinking. Do the same thing with Vitamin B6 and you may avoid the hangover altogether. Talk about a relief.
Burnt Toast
Ah, I remember my first hangover like it was yesterday. My dad busted me the night before taking long pulls out of his whisky bottle, and was quick to prescribe a diet of burnt toast in the morning. People swear that burnt toast settles their stomach like no other food. When you need to have food on your belly during a hangover but you can't fathom what to eat, burn a little toast and eat it dry.
The next time you try the burnt toast recipe, consider the forces at work. Carbon forms during the burning -- is that the curative feature or is it just the comfort of eating something so simple?
Aspirin
We've all seen our friends setting bottles of aspirin and supplies of water out right before they hit the bar. People pop aspirin during hangovers like they're going out of style. But does it work?
Since aspirin acts as a blood thinner, it may relieve some kinds of headaches. The problem is, aspirin has side effects just like any drug. Adding an extra drug to the mix in your head after a night over overindulging in ethanol seems like a no win situation. The worst idea is to take aspirin before bed, as though it would somehow magically prevent a headache in the eight hours or so you have in front of you. This could add to your dehydration and pretty much ruin your morning.
Bananas
This is one of my favorite hangover relief tricks, one that I use on a regular basis and really believe in the science of. Eating a banana or two during a hangover (if you can stomach it) will put you on the fast track to hangover relief.
Sugar in bananas takes the form of fructose (for quick relief of sugar shock symptoms) and they contain tons of potassium which will actually work to reverse the symptoms of a hangover. Bananas are a natural antacid (which helps your poor stomach) and contain another chemical (magnesium) that helps relieve pounding headaches.
Vitamin C
While many people believe that Vitamin C is the hangover killing vitamin, they're way of course. Sure, Vitamin C is good for you -- it is always good for you -- but it may take longer to absorb than you have time to deal with the nasty symptoms of too many glasses of wine. If you want to use the Vitamin C treatment, it is best to maintain a high level of this vitamin in your body even when you're not drinking.
The real hangover killer in the vitamin world is Vitamin B6 (pyridine). If you don't have access to B6, try a glass of orange juice, some tomato juice, a big Vitamin C tablet, or any number of other Vitamin containing foods and drinks. They can't hurt.
A Hot Bath
This has to be one of the oldest and most effective tricks for true hangover relief. A hot bath or shower will help you sweat away your problems, but don't buy into the whole "sweat out the toxins" thing. Sure, you're sweating out remnants of toxins, but they've already done their damage. It is too late for a single tactic for hangover relief.
Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk is the shocking entry here -- I tried this treatment for the first time a few weeks ago and was surprised how quickly I bounced back.
Milk contains lots of water, so you rehydrate. Also, drinking milk soothes your stomach, coating it, relieving stomach symptoms.
For a quick dose of magnesium, vitamins, and sugars, reach for a tall glass of cold chocolate milk during your next hangover.
Sauerkraut
Most people in the grips of a hangover wouldn't dare go near something as chunky and weird smelling as Sauerkraut, but people in Europe swear this one works. While I agree that eating is good to reduce a hangover's symptoms, I'm not sure there's anything magical about fermented cabbage.
If you just can't eat the stuff, try a little sauerkraut juice mixed with tomato juice. We know that the Egyptians and the Greeks (hard partyers) both used raw cabbage for preventing and even curing hangovers.
The best way to get hangover relief is to avoid the hangover altogether. Drink in moderation, eat while you drink, and stay hydrated. When you overdo it and you wake up feeling three feet underground, most of the above methods for hangover relief will do you some good. Keep this list handy. Put it with your bottle of aspirin and your water stash.