Hangover cures that work

Hangover cures that work

If your Fourth of July celebration included a few too many cocktails, you're likely experiencing the accumulation of side effects known as the dreaded hangover. The 4 most important include:

dehydration– because alcohol causes fluid loss from your body

Stomach/GI irritation– because alcohol irritates the stomach lining and increases the release of stomach acid

Low blood sugar– because processing alcohol affects your liver’s ability to properly regulate your blood sugar levels

Headache– due to the effects of alcohol on the vessels that supply blood to your brain

For some people, a single drink is enough to trigger a hangover, while others drink heavily and can avoid a hangover entirely. However, in general, more than 3 to 5 drinks for a woman and more than 5 to 6 for a man will result in the above-mentioned adverse effects. Any real “cure” works by relieving one or more of these symptoms. Here are five remedies drinkers swear by and what they actually do to ease your misery:

Cucumber juice

It is salty and water is attracted to salt like a magnet. So the more salt you eat, the more water you retain. If you are severely dehydrated and suffering from dry mouth, every little bit helps!

Coconut water and/or bananas

When you become dehydrated, you lose not only water, but also electrolytes, including potassium—and too little potassium can lead to cramps, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and heart palpitations. Both foods are loaded with potassium, and adding it back into your system can provide quick relief.

Tea with honey and ginger

Ginger is a natural nausea fighter and honey contains fructose, which helps break down alcohol faster. The trio is also full of antioxidants, which may protect against some inflammation and damage, especially to your brain.

Scrambled eggs or an egg sandwich

Eggs contain two amino acids that make you feel better: taurine and cysteine. Taurine has been shown in studies to reverse liver damage caused by a night of heavy drinking and help the body flush out toxins more quickly. Cysteine ​​directly counteracts the effects of acetaldehyde, an unpleasant byproduct of alcohol metabolism that is more toxic than alcohol itself - causing headaches and chills.

Hair of the dog (Bloody Mary etc.)

This works, but only for a short time. Then you're back to the hangover, only worse. When your body breaks down alcohol, chemicals build up that make you sick. When you have another drink, your body prioritizes metabolizing the new alcohol, giving you a brief reprieve, but once that added alcohol is processed, you're back where you started, but with even more toxic chemicals floating around.

One thing that's not on the list: fatty foods. When you have a hangover, the alcohol is either in your blood or it has been metabolized and the byproducts are in your blood. In other words, there is no alcohol in your stomach to “absorb.” I know people swear by it, but since alcohol irritates your digestive system, eating greasy food can actually make you feel worse (since fat irritates it too). It's probably the combination of salt (to relieve dehydration) and carbohydrates (to raise blood sugar), not the fat itself, that provides some relief.

Of course, the best way to truly cure a hangover is to prevent it in the first place by enjoying alcohol in moderation, defined as no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. One drink is equivalent to one shot of 80 proof distilled spirits, 5 oz. wine or 12 oz. of light beer. And no, you shouldn't "save them" by drinking zero drinks Sunday through Thursday and then seven over the weekend.

Cynthia Sass is a registered dietitian with master's degrees in nutrition science and public health. She is frequently seen on national television and works as a SHAPE editor and nutritionist for the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. Her latest New York Times bestseller is Cinch! Conquer cravings, drop pounds and lose inches.