TOPIC: What Is The Best Cure For A Hangover?
The Question:
Hopefully the holiday hangovers taught us not to drink too much. If not, maybe we've learned a way to drink and avoid the next mornings effects.
What is the best cure for a hangover?
How can you avoid a hangover the next morning?
Bonus Question: What do you think is the best remedy to help avoid/cure a hangover?
Show off your knowledge to the world!
The Winners:
- Opiewags99 View Profile
- fp8950 View Profile
- mawt View Profile
- Prizes:
- 1st place - 75 in store credit.
2nd place - 50 in store credit.
3rd place - 25 in store credit.
1st Place - Opiewags99
View This Author's BodySpace Here.
Hopefully the holiday hangovers taught us not to drink too much. If not, maybe we've learned a way to drink and avoid the next morning's effects.
Hangover Cure
What Is The Best Cure For A Hangover?
A night out on the town is always a great way to loosen up after a hard week of work and a full set of workouts. The problem is that the next morning tends to be usually less than enjoyable. This is what is traditionally called a "hangover."
The goal of this article is to talk about the ways to cure this dreaded condition, but in order to do that, we must first define the problem.
A hangover is a self-inflicted condition which typically consists of a few different symptoms such as headache, nausea, moodiness, as well as an overall feeling of being tired. A hangover is actually caused by dehydration in the body, Acetaldehyde intoxication, hypoglycemia, and an overall lack of the vitamin B-12 in the body.(1)
This is all based on scientific suspicion, so there still is a little bit of experimentation necessary to find the most effective cure for yourself. But there are a few general concrete natural occurrences that will essentially make up a classic hangover:
1. A Hangover Can't Be "Cured"
First, a hangover can't be "cured" until the toxins and remnants of alcohol have left the body. One of the main toxins that are in the body in excess is acetaldehyde. This organic compound is essentially what the liver turns ethanol (alcohol) into before turning it into the harmless substance acetic acid (which is most commonly found in vinegar, but is harmless to the body.)(1)
Since the body does not under normal circumstances have to deal with excess amounts of alcohol, the liver isn't able to convert massive amounts of alcohol into harmless products as quickly as some of our other biological processes.
2. Alcohol Is A Diuretic:
Secondly, alcohol is a diuretic. This is because alcohol has an inhibiting effect on the body's ADH production (Anti-diuretic hormone.)(2) This hormone is one of the key factors in the body's ability to retain water, meaning that without this hormone, you would pee every five minutes.
This is exactly why you have to pee so often when you're drinking. This can't really be readily stopped, so as long as you drink alcohol, you will lose water at a rapid rate. And no, holding your pee in (not "breaking the seal") doesn't stop this water loss. Your bladder will continue to fill as water leaves your bloodstream.
3. Alcohol Causes Changes In Digestive Patterns:
Third, alcohol causes changes in digestive patterns. This is the major cause of the nausea involved with alcohol intoxication. Normally, there is a constant flow of food products into waste products that are then excreted from the body. Partially due to the changes in hydration in the small intestine, the contents of the small and large intestine can come to a halt or even move in the opposite direction.(3)
Nausea is a general symptom in the body which is intended to let the person experiencing it know that something is not right in the body, so be wary because nausea can be a representative of something more serious than a hangover, so if symptoms don't subside within 24 hours of your last drink, be sure to seek medical attention.
4. Alcohol Decreases Digestive Enzyme Secretion:
Finally, alcohol inhibits the body's ability to break down nutrients into usable molecules by decreasing the secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas.(4) This is due to the stress that is placed on the body with the excess of alcohol circulating around.
Alcohol is toxic to the body, so the body essentially puts all of its efforts into the removal of it, and its toxins from the body. This is one of the reasons that alcoholics look so malnourished. Although alcohol provides more calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates, alcoholics can't absorb the nutrients in addition to the vitamins.
A Few Possibilities
Since we've looked at what happens to the body during the condition we call a hangover, we see that there are a few possibilities in attempting to cure a hangover:
1. Drink Plenty Of Fluids:
- Dehydration is the easiest hangover side-effect to deal with. Depending on your body type and the amount of alcohol consumed, the amounts of fluids necessary to re-hydrate the body can vary. People will argue what to drink, but it seems that clear liquids seem easiest on the stomach.
Water, drinks with added electrolytes such as Gatorade and others are my suggestions. Basically, if you wake up with a hangover, drink more than you think you need. Basically this will aid in recovering from a hangover in two ways. The first is that it will re-hydrate the body, the second is that the extra fluid will aid in the excretion of the toxins and metabolic byproducts. So drink your favorite (non-alcoholic) beverage, it will speed your recovery.
2. Take A Multivitamin:
Now as an avid health-conscious reader of the articles here, you should already be taking a multivitamin to aid in your muscular gains, but if you're not, a hangover is an essential time to get the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Since alcohol doesn't allow normal nutrient absorption, you really need to take a multivitamin and not only for hangover recovery, but for regular daily use.
3. Avoid Painkillers If You've Had A Drink Within 12-14 Hours:
Painkillers and alcohol most certainly do not mix. Oddly, many people suggest them as the ultimate hangover cure. No!!! Combining alcohol and the common painkiller Ibuprofen has side effects such as bleeding stomach, inflammation or even permanent ulceration.(5)
Alcohol remains in the body for approximately 24 hours after consumption, but is relief from one headache really worth permanent stomach problems? No it isn't. So if you want to take painkillers to relieve some of the suffering, wait as long as possible, ideally 12 hours of so, where the alcohol has had the chance to leave the digestive system.
4. Relax! Take It Easy!
Hopefully you don't have work the day after successfully drinking your Aunt Helga under the table. But one more thing, remember that alcohol remains in your body for almost 24 hours after consuming it. When you wake up the morning after a night of heavy drinking ... you are almost certainly still over the legal limit, and shouldn't drive anywhere.
If you plan on getting pulled over on the way home, you could be arrested with a DWI/DUI charge. And no I'm not blowing steam up your behind here. One of my good friends got a DWI the morning after a night of beer pong without even being drunk. So be careful!
Avoiding A Hangover
How Can You Avoid A Hangover The Next Morning?
Prevention is always a good way to avoid problems. Obviously, as you have guessed the simplest way to avoid a hangover is to not drink. That seems like a cop-out, but it really is an option. Just nominate yourself the designated driver and you'll have no problem dealing with criticism on "Why you're not drinking." But this is not really the goal of the article here.
Personally, the most effective preventative measure I found is to drink as much water as you can before lying down to pass out for the night. This aids in preventing the dehydration part of the hangover, even though you might have to do a lot of waking up to pee during the night. (Just make sure to get out of bed first!)
Since the presence of toxins and other physiological changes that alcohol causes can't be prevented, it's good to take advantage of the fact that dehydration can be. Although typically I wouldn't drink water right before bed for fear of having to wake up during the night multiple times to ... "relieve myself", it's much better than the alternative. I would certainly take being tired in the morning due to waking multiple times than a wicked hangover.
Bonus Question
What Do You Think Is The Best Remedy To Help Avoid/Cure A Hangover?
This whole article essentially answers this question, but I will paraphrase the general ideas shown above.
- First, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and aid in flushing toxins from the body.
- Second, be sure to take a multivitamin the morning after a night of drinking. It will supply essential nutrients that are lost and supply the vitamins and minerals necessary for proper body functions to resume.
- Finally, take it easy the day after. Hangovers are a rough thing to deal with, but time lapse remains the ultimate and unarguable cure. Although you may think you are suffering more than imaginable, remember that it will pass, and that you inflicted it upon yourself. Then drink more water and relax.
Thanks for Reading!
-K (Opiewags99)
References:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangover
- http://www.drugs.com/dict/alcohol-diuresis.html
- http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa22.htm
- http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=867
2nd Place - fp8950
View This Author's BodySpace Here.
The lure of alcohol - we all know the harmful effects that it causes to the body; the poor decisions it pushes us to make; the sickness that it causes when we have too much. The list goes on and on.
What makes us continually return to this popular drug? Maybe it is the social aspect? Maybe it is the feeling you get after a few drinks? Maybe it's the loss of one's inhibitions and social anxieties? Whatever the case people go out in packs to purchase and consume these alcohol packed beverages.
When your friends give you the call Friday night to partake in bar hopping it is often nearly impossible to say no. So lets delve into this dangerous world of drinking and the dreaded after-effects.
Why should you take my word over anyone else's? What puts my word and my opinion above other individuals? Here are a few details of my experiences, although not proud of them. I'm 23-years old and have been drinking since I was 16. I spent more than 4 years in college. (I won't go into detailed time frames; let's just say it was 4 years minimum).
I spent the majority of those years in a college fraternity (I don't think I have to say more about that). I have been to countless bars on the U.S. east coast. I live in New Jersey and have experienced New York as well. However I did not stop there. I drove down to Morgantown, West Virginia, just to experience the Mountaineer campus and bars. I know ALL about the hangover and have tried many different remedies and cures. What I wrote below is what I found to work the best.
Hangover Cure
What Is The Best Cure For A Hangover?
The best cure is to never get involved and stick to non-alcoholic beverages if possible. One of the greatest ways to limit the amount of drinks you intake is to be the designated driver. (Trust me, all your friends will love you for this, and it makes SURE to keep your drink intake low as long as you're responsible).
So what happens when you're asked to join your friends for a night out on the town and want to have a little more than your body can physically handle? The consequence of this will most definitely end with the dreaded hangover.
Let me get to this quickly and point out the obvious.
There is NO cure for a hangover.
Yes, I said it. Once you wake up with that hangover there is NO immediate cure. The only treatment, sadly, is time. There are ways to help speed up this time, but there is no magical remedy that makes you feel like you can run a marathon after a tough night of drinking.
So how can we shorten this time frame of feeling awful? I have tried many different remedies to speed up the recovery process. I may not have a lot of experience in the bodybuilding field, however my experience in the field of partying is quite vast.
We all know the feeling. Open your eyes, head pounding, acid reflux burning your chest, dry mouth and the exclamation "I'm never drinking again!" There are a couple ways to avoid some of these symptoms I will go over in the next section. However lets just say you forgot your preventative measures this time.
To begin with, you're dehydrated, consuming those carbohydrate, sugar, and alcohol "enriched" drinks all night sucks the water right out of you. Get some water into your system as soon as possible. It would be even more beneficial if you can consume some Gatorade or something similar. It may not be the best for your body in simple sugars etc, however the night before you were just dumping poison into your body, Gatorade should be the least of your worries. Continue drinking water over the next couple steps to get your body hydrated.
- Remember always know your limit.
- Drink with people you trust.
- Drink Responsibly!
- Don't Drink and Drive!
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Lethargy
- Irritation
- Dysphoria
- Thirst
- Joint Pain
- The amount of alcohol consumed
- A person's own innate enzymatic capacity to deal with poisons
- And Age
- "Eating a meal high in saturated fat causes the effects of alcohol to peak earlier and last longer than diets high in polyunsaturated fat. Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville." So eat foods high in polyunsaturated fat and avoid high saturated fat foods.
- Energy drinks high in electrolytes also help in preventing hangovers the next morning along with a larger than normal consumption of water.
- Take one tablet of activated charcoal per drink while you drink. The charcoal absorbs impurities in alcohol, which are the cause of the hangover. The charcoal also absorbs important nutrients, so if you are a heavy drinker, don't use this remedy daily. You will end up with nutritional deficiencies.
Alka-Seltzer is the second step to recovery. This should help with the acid reflux and upset stomach commonly linked to a hangover. Some people experience the acidic upset stomach; others do not. I am one of those people who gets horrible acid in the morning after drinking.
I will usually deal with the headache. The damage I inflicted upon my liver the previous night does not need to be compounded with the effect of Tylenol. If you cannot deal with a headache for some reason or another I personally recommend Aleve or Advil.
We need to get those lost nutrients back into our body. A nice sized breakfast paired with your choice of a multivitamin will cover that task. Just be sure your stomach can handle what you put into it. You don't want to throw up what you just put in. Remember to continue to consume water/Gatorade continually to get your body re-hydrated! You are now on your way to a speedy recovery from that nasty hangover.
View Multivitamins Sorted By Top Seller Here.
Avoiding A Hangover
How Can You Avoid A Hangover The Next Morning?
So you know you're going to have a rough night of drinking ahead of you. but dread that hangover the next morning? There are a couple ways to minimize the effect or prevent it completely.
Start off the night with a high-quality meal. This will help slow down the absorption of alcohol in your stomach later on in the night.
It is vital to drink a good amount of water before, during and after your night of partying. Staying hydrated is essential. These alcoholic beverages you consume drain the water right out of your body. Drink Gatorade or something similar; it's beneficial to prevent a hangover in my experience. If you are into mixed drinks, and if it is at all possible, use Gatorade as your mixer. I found this will nearly eliminate your hangover if you only drink liquor mixed with Gatorade. Try orange flavored vodka mixed with orange Gatorade, you will be asking if there is even any liquor in the drink.
One of my biggest secrets in eliminating that upset stomach and acid reflux in the morning is very simple. Take a Zantac BEFORE you start drinking. This very simple step will eliminate that acidic/upset stomach in the morning by neutralizing the toxins in your stomach as they occur.
And finally, before you go to sleep, eat something paired with a multivitamin. It does not really matter what it is. Eat something at your local 24-hour diner or eat something healthy like a can of tuna. You have just spent countless hours consuming nothing but toxic liquids, get some food and nutrients into your stomach. Your body is starving for actual substance, vitamins, and minerals. This will greatly lessen the effect of your hangover in the morning.
There you have it, some simple steps that will help prevent the dreaded hangover. If you do wake up with a hangover it will be MUCH less severe than it would have been and will fade quickly with the steps I listed to cure a hangover.
Bonus Question
Have You Ever Experienced A Hangover?
Personally, I do not experience very bad hangovers unless I forget to follow the steps I listed above. If I start the night off with a good meal, my Zantac, and a lot of water I'm set for the night. By the end of the night the "Drunk Munchies" have set in. So I find no problem having a bite to eat before hitting the sack.
There really is no cure for a hangover once you wake up with that pounding headache. There are only some steps to help speed up the recovery process. I am a firm believer that there are ways to PREVENT or lessen the effects of a hangover on the body. With the steps I listed above, I experience fewer hangovers and much less severe ones if I do have one.
3rd Place - mawt
View This Author's BodySpace Here.
Hopefully the holiday hangovers taught us not to drink too much. If not, maybe we've learned a way to drink and avoid the next morning's effects.
Introduction:
OK, another topic. But this one should not be taken too positively. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle and drinking is out of the equation anyway. A topic that suggests cures for a hangover would promote drinking in my opinion. So I would not suggest drinking at all in the first place.
What is a hangover?
- This is more important. A hangover is a mixture of effects following heavy consumption of drugs or alcoholic drinks. These effects include:
Is Alcohol Really Dangerous?
- Intoxication isn't called intoxication for nothing. It really is poisonous. After alcohol enters the body, it gets broken down into other things, including acetaldehyde, before we convert it into substances that aren't as harmful. The acetaldehyde messes with your brain and at the same time depletes minerals that short circuit your nervous system. Along with this blood sugar levels lower (nothing good for a bodybuilder) and give you headaches and dry mouth symptoms that cause dehydration.
The severity of a hangover depends on:
Ethanol in the body causes more urine production, which causes the dehydration and this causes the headaches the dry mouth and lethargy. Dehydration causes the brain to shrink away from the skull slightly (hope no one wants that to happen regularly so drink electrolyte solutions). Alcohol's effect on stomach lining causes nausea and it also has negative effects on the liver and the kidneys.
OK, I won't make it too complicated, but what's bad is bad.
Hangover Cure
What Is The Best Cure For A Hangover?
First, prevention is better than the cure, so don't drink poison or be ready for the consequences. But what to do if you can't stay away from drinking.
Re-hydration:
- This is the most important thing to do, because if you're thirsty it means your body needs water and the best thing is to give it that water before it freaks out. Consuming food will also return some energy to the body and provide the lost moisture because of the hangover.
Bananas and Apples and honey are good sources of food that help in curing hangovers. Bananas would help calm the stomach while honey builds up the depleted sugar levels. Bananas are also rich in the important electrolytes, magnesium and potassium, which are severely depleted during heavy drinking.
B-Complex:
- Take the vitamins before you go to bed and let them work their magic while you sleep. If you forget, take them immediately after you wake up. B-Vitamins are important in aiding the carbohydrate (alcohol) metabolizing process and in dilating blood vessels. B-vitamins will help restore your energy level. You will need to take a high-potency B-complex supplement for this remedy to work (50-75 mg of B-complex twice a day, hopefully once before bed after indulging).
Vitamin B6 is also known for reducing hangovers. Over consumption of alcohol causes vitamin B12 deficiency as well.
Vitamin C stimulates the liver to break down the alcohol. Take 2-10 gm per day in divided doses. Start at 1,000 mg an hour and build up to bowel tolerance. An excess of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, and since you probably have stomach distress already too much C may cause a problem. So don't take too much.
View Vitamin B Products Sorted By Top Seller Here. Magnesium
- It is well studied that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a magnesium deficiency, or reduce levels of magnesium, as well as depleting zinc and other minerals. As you may know zinc and magnesium increase testosterone levels. Anyone who wishes to increase muscle mass would not want to decrease levels of these minerals.
Individuals with lower magnesium levels may experience more severe hangovers. A healthy diet that contains an adequate intake of magnesium and other minerals may help in the long-term to reduce the effects of hangovers.
Hangover symptoms like headache and light and sound sensitivity, similar to those of a migraine. A common treatment for chronic migraine headaches is magnesium. Some scientists hypothesize that a hangover may be exhibiting at least some symptoms of an acute magnesium deficiency.
Conclusion:
To avoid hangovers we have to give back to the body what alcohol consumption takes away. So a good multivitamin which includes B-Vitamins, magnesium, zinc and vitamin C should be taken along with a meal and lots of water.
Painkillers are only temporary relief and don't do much to reduce the damage. But I still would urge everyone to live happy and to avoid drinking. Along with this, a good workout would improve circulation and provide oxygen to the oxyge-deprived brain since the heavy drinking.
Avoiding A Hangover
How Can You Avoid A Hangover The Next Morning?
Bonus Question
What Do You Think Is The Best Remedy To Help Avoid/Cure A Hangover?
I've NEVER had a hangover for the simple reason that I've never consumed an alcoholic beverage. And this is exactly what is required for a bodybuilding lifestyle. So enjoy your gains and live healthy.
References: