Holidays like Christmas or New Year’s Eve, but also weddings, birthdays and many other occasions invite to drink a glass of alcohol. Often, however, it does not remain with a glass and the morning after you wake up with a bad hangover: the head thunders, the stomach rumbles, the body craves water and not infrequently nausea and vomiting are the result of too much alcohol. We give you tips on how to avoid a hangover and what you can do if you have nevertheless looked too deep into the glass.
Fight hangover: what to do after too much alcohol?
No matter what you do – you will sober up faster by no hangover remedy in the world. With a few tips, however, you can at least combat unpleasant hangover symptoms such as headaches, nausea or dizziness.
- The next morning, especially a lot of water helps to alleviate the discomfort. Especially the strong thirst, which probably plagues every hungover, is alleviated by the water. Still water is best suited, as carbonated water irritates the stomach. To replenish the mineral balance, fruit spritzers are also well suited.
- Also a hearty hangover breakfast can help to get rid of the hangover symptoms again. Who suffers from nausea, should do without food intake, however, initially and better only well-digested drinks such as a herbal tea to take.
- Likewise, fresh air can help fight the hangover, and is therefore preferable to a day on the sofa. Through the movement, more blood is pumped through the body, the circulation is activated and regeneration processes can run better. If the sun is shining, it is advisable to take sunglasses, because too bright light can increase the headache.
7 home remedies for nausea
Hangover breakfast: what to eat when you have a hangover?
Eating a hangover breakfast the next morning can help fight off a hangover. If you are feeling reasonably fit, you can also do the breakfast in a social setting with a few friends. Typically, a hangover breakfast involves a high fluid intake and a diet that is particularly high in fat and protein. To restore the electrolyte balance, it is also advisable to eat foods that are particularly rich in nutrients. However, you should decide for yourself – depending on how you feel – what and how much you eat. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste and not easily digestible, but often recommended as an effective hangover breakfast, is rollmops. Because this contains many minerals and thus brings the mineral balance back into balance. In addition to rollmops, foods such as pickles (sour cucumbers) or stews with vegetables are also suitable for banishing hangovers. While sweets are generally not recommended for a hangover, fructose, on the other hand, is a helpful exception: honey and fruits with vitamin C can help break down the alcohol and thus alleviate the hangover a little.
Salty and hearty as a remedy for hangovers
Likewise, salty foods such as pretzels or salt sticks are recommended. The mineral balance can also be replenished by various drinks. A hot soup or a glass of tomato juice with salt is said to be particularly effective. Chicken or vegetable broth are also popular anti-hangover remedies. Alcohol consumption can also cause a slight hypoglycemia in the body – the next morning, this becomes noticeable mainly through an increased appetite for hearty, spicy foods. Then the Kater breakfast can be supplemented prima by occupied breads. Wholemeal bread and cheese are usually well tolerated and help quickly back on the legs.
On counter beer rather do without
The fingers should be left against it from the so-called counter beer: Who fights the hangover with alcohol, can alleviate his discomfort in the short term, however, the liver is further burdened by the alcohol and the problem of the hangover only postponed, but not solved. 10 tips against hangover – iStock.com/craftvision
Hangover: this helps against headache
The morning after consuming too much alcohol, you can resort to a painkiller if you have a severe headache. Most often, painkillers with the active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid (for example, in aspirin) are well suited, since they are not broken down by the liver compared to other analgesic agents such as paracetamol. However, if you suffer from nausea, it is better not to take painkillers despite a hangover.A good substitute to fight a headache without painkillers is peppermint oil. The smell of the oil relaxes the muscles and improves blood circulation to the scalp – without stressing the stomach or liver. Simply apply a few drops of peppermint oil to the forehead and temples and massage gently. The effect of the oil sets in about 15 minutes after application. Espresso with lemon is also considered an effective remedy for headaches. The combination of the two foods dulls the sensation of pain and can thus help to soothe the grumpy head as an alternative to painkillers.
Prevent: the 5 best tips against a hangover.
The simplest – and the most beneficial for health – tip to avoid a hangover is, of course, to drink no alcohol at all, or at least only a little. But if things do get steamy, you can use the following tips to avoid a hangover or at least lessen the discomfort. By the way: The saying “Beer on wine, let it be. Wine on beer, that’s my advice” is wrong! The order of drinks does not play a role in the development of a hangover, rather it is about the amount of alcohol, individual tolerance and other accompanying circumstances.
1) Do not drink on an empty stomach.
Create a proper foundation before drinking. It’s best to eat a meal high in fat – the fat means the alcohol is absorbed into the blood more slowly and the alcohol level doesn’t rise as quickly. Typical party snacks such as nuts, salty cookies or cheese also make it harder for alcohol to be absorbed into the blood and can therefore prevent a hangover.
2) Drink a glass of water in between.
Drinking a glass of water in between meals ensures that the body is not too dehydrated. The blood remains thin and the risk of waking up the next morning hungover with a headache decreases. Alternatively, a fruit spritzer can be drunk instead of water.
3) Avoid accompanying alcohols (fusel alcohols).
If one consumes alcoholic beverages in larger quantities, one should pay special attention to the fact that these contain, if possible, only ethanol and not other alcohols. Accompanying alcohols such as methanol or isobutanol are contained, for example, in whiskey, dark rum or cognac, as well as in red wine. Although there is no scientific proof, it is generally accepted that accompanying alcohols are partly responsible for the hangover the next morning. Relatively free of accompanying alcohols, by the way, is vodka.
4) Abstain from smoking.
Do not smoke when you drink alcohol – this usually increases the headache the next morning. This is because nicotine lowers the level of alcohol in the blood, making you feel like you can drink even more.
5) Avoid alcoholic drinks with sugar.
Some alcoholic drinks, such as punch or mulled wine, contain a mixture of alcohol and sugar. However, the sugar inhibits the breakdown of acetaldehyde in the body. This breakdown product of alcohol is partly responsible for the hangover the next morning. That’s why the hangover is often particularly bad after drinking punch, mixed cola drinks or mulled wine. By the way, carbonic acid also accelerates the absorption of alcohol into the blood.
Pain pill before bedtime?
A pain pill before bed to prevent a hangover? This is usually not recommended due to the possible interactions. For example, acetylsalicylic acid, which is popular in such cases, further attacks the stomach lining, which is already irritated by the alcohol. Anyone who already fears waking up hungover the next morning should drink a large glass of water before going to bed.
How a hangover develops
Headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, palpitations and dizziness are typical symptoms that await us the next morning after a night of drinking. When we drink alcohol, it enters the blood through the digestive tract and is subsequently distributed throughout the body. In this way, the alcohol is also transported to the brain, where it influences the transmission of information between the nerve cells. Among other things, this leads to impaired perception and concentration, as well as a reduced ability to react. Alcohol also inhibits the hormone vasopressin in the body. This hormone is responsible for the recovery of water from the primary urine. The inhibition of vasopressin leads to a dehydration of the body – that is, the body excretes more water.In short, alcohol removes water from the body. The loss of water causes the blood to thicken, which can lead to irritation of the meninges and headaches the next morning. Along with the water, more minerals are also excreted, so that excessive consumption of alcohol can also lead to disturbances in the mineral balance. In addition to the high water loss, hangover symptoms are also caused by the toxic degradation products of alcohol – especially acetaldehyde. Since alcohol makes you tired but significantly impairs the quality of sleep, the symptoms of a hangover usually include fatigue and exhaustion.
How long does a hangover last after drinking too much alcohol?
A hangover usually begins six to eight hours after consuming the alcohol. Such a hangover can last up to 24 hours, with some people still feeling bad for several days after excessive alcohol consumption. As a rule, it does not take quite so long to break down the residual alcohol, so driving a car would usually be permissible again before then in view of the blood alcohol level. Nevertheless, you should only drive when you feel fit and focused enough, i.e. only when the hangover has been completely overcome. 10 tips against headaches
