How to Deal With a Hangover
What's that pounding pain in your brain as you try to roll out of bed? Why does the inside of your mouth feel like you've been munching on dirty sweat socks? And why are you wearing clothes that don't even look vaguely familiar to you? If you partied a bit too heavy with your pals the previous night and consumed more alcohol than you should have, don't count on your body to be very forgiving to you come the light of day. Here's how to start feeling like a normal human being again.
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Things You'll Need
- A comfy bed
- A washcloth
- Orange juice
- Water
- Sports drinks
- Honey
- Lemon
- Dry toast
- Pain relievers
Instructions
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1
Stay in bed. Cancel or reschedule until later in the day whatever you're supposed to do that morning. If you've got a whopper of a hangover, it's going to take you at least as long to get over it as it did to bring it on in the first place.
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2
Run cold water over a washcloth, wring it out, and place it on your forehead as you recline on your bed. Rest for as long as you can and try not to think too hard.
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3
Start rehydrating your body by drinking lots of room temperature water. If water is too boring for you, you can substitute orange juice or sports drinks.
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4
Put a few drops of honey in your water to make your throat feel less scratchy. A squirt of lemon will also help, plus it provides you with another zap of vitamin C.
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5
Make yourself a few slices of crunchy dry toast. Yes, it sounds pretty dull to eat toast without the added flavor of butter, jam or marmalade spread on its surface, but your stomach is not up for adventure right now. Didn't it have enough adventure last night?
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6
Take aspirin or ibuprofen to deal with your headache.
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7
Take a long shower.
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8
Engage in some exercise that will get your heart pumping and your body sweating.
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9
Abstain from making any important decisions until you are clear headed again.
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Tips & Warnings
To avoid a future hangover, be sure to eat a healthy meal before you leave for the party. Once you get to the party, nibble on snacks throughout the evening to keep your tummy full.
Limit yourself to one drink per hour; if you have more than that, you're just asking for trouble. If you simply must have a glass in your hand at all times to feel comfortable, make every other drink a non-alcoholic one.
An unopened bag of frozen peas on your forehead makes a good compress and will stay cold for quite a long time.
A lot of dark-colored drinks will do more damage to you than those that are light colored or clear. This also applies to drinking wine.
Cheap liquor will bring on a hangover faster than the expensive stuff.
Try not to make the same mistake again. If need be, snap a photo of yourself in your miserably disheveled state and take it out as a reminder every time you get ready to go to a party where drinking will be involved.
Whatever alcoholic beverage you decide to drink, don't switch to something else over the course of the evening (e.g., beer followed by margaritas followed by cosmopolitans followed by mojitos, etc.).
Always have a designated driver in your group. If you don't have someone, take a cab, or in the case of a house party, ask your hosts if you can crash on their couch.
Stay away from caffeine. As jumpy as your stomach is during a hangover, that caffeine jolt is going to make it feel even worse.
Abstain from dairy products while you're in your hungover state. As comforting as a nice cold glass of milk might seem, it's probably not going to stay down for very long.
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- Photo Credit Photo by Christina Hamlett
