Hangovers are absolutely terrible, and if you are one of those people who does not get hungover, you're either lying to yourself or not drinking enough to get one. There is one question that I am sure everyone has had pass through their pounding head as the sunshine breaks through your curtain on a Sunday morning: Are hangovers "curable?"
1. Stay hydrated
Generally speaking, there are two main factors when it comes to a hangover: dehydration and alcohol withdrawal. If you can conquer one of those two factors, you're already halfway there. Alcohol does a great job of dehydrating you and it is very easy to not realize this due to the fact that you have to drink to consume alcohol. Try to have a glass of water for every drink or two that you consume. Trust me, you will thank yourself in the morning.
2. Sleep
Sleep plays a very important role in the intensity of your hangover, but this can be a tricky one. Alcohol can greatly affect your sleeping pattern, allowing you to fall asleep quickly, yet alcohol makes it very difficult for your body to get the full REM sleep it needs. Exhaustion can amplify your other hangover symptoms so I would recommend taking a nap as soon as possible upon waking up.
3. Have another drink
I'm sure you have heard of people swearing by Bloody Marys the morning after a night out or that having a drink is the best way to cure a hangover, and there is definitely some truth to this. If we refer back to the two main causes of a hangover, hydration and alcohol withdrawal, it makes sense why having a drink upon waking may actually help out with that hangover. Stopping your body from having that withdrawal or slowing down the withdrawal process can be very beneficial.
Now I'm not saying you have to wake up and pound drinks all day as you were the night before, but one drink has a good chance of helping more than harming. That being said, if you find yourself hugging the toilet bowl the next morning, I would probably opt out of this remedy as there is a very good chance your stomach won't be able to handle the smell, let alone a full drink.
4. Eat a good meal
If your stomach can handle it the next day, you should try and consume a good, filling meal as soon as possible the next day. There is a very good chance that your blood sugar levels are going to be extremely low after a night of drinking, so a good meal to restore those levels will have you feeling a bit better in no time.
5. Exercise
Now I know what you're thinking. Exercising the morning after a night out is probably at the absolute bottom on your list of things that you want to do, but hear me out.
You may start out slow, and definitely make sure that you are hydrated prior to starting your workout, but once the blood starts flowing and you start sweating, I guarantee you will feel much better. Your sweat will alleviate your body of all of the toxins it had just consumed the night before, and the sooner those toxins are out of your body, the sooner you will be feeling like yourself again.
Your hangover does not stand a chance. These steps are fairly easy to follow, and almost anyone should be able to handle these remedies, no matter how bad the hangover. You'll get through it!
