Waking up with a bad hangover after a big night out is arguably one of the worst feelings. Headache, muscle aches, nausea, and alcohol-related anxiety are just some of the dreaded symptoms.
We all know that drinking less alcohol is the key to avoiding bad hangovers. But it can be hard to stay within your limits, especially during the festive period where work, friends, and family parties are frequent.
In this article, we're going to go over the best hangover prevention tips you can follow.
Everyone knows that drinking alcohol causes dehydration. The reason is that alcohol is a diuretic which means it makes you lose excess water from your kidneys.
The best way to hydrate properly when drinking alcohol is to drink a glass of water between every alcoholic drink. This way you can ensure you maintain hydration and delay the time between each alcoholic drink.
You could also consider investing in a rehydration product that contains essential salts and minerals that speed up hydration.
There are various different products on the market that support recovery by boosting vitamin and antioxidant levels. These supplements contain a mixture of natural herbal extracts, vitamins, and amino acids that you take before or after drinking alcohol to support liver function.
Drinking on an empty stomach causes big rises in blood alcohol concentration. That's because alcohol is absorbed quickly through your stomach and intestinal lining. Having food in your stomach slows this down.
You may benefit from sticking to lighter-colored drinks because they contain fewer congeners . Congeners are biologically active compounds that are found in high amounts in dark-colored drinks like rum and whiskey.
While you're out, try and avoid mixers containing caffeine. The reason is, caffeine is a diuretic like alcohol that exacerbates dehydration. Furthermore, caffeine takes hours to be cleared from your bloodstream. That's a problem because caffeine is a stimulant so it keeps your brain more alert and prevents it from reaching the deep stages required for a good night's sleep.
The key to beating bad hangovers is prevention. By the time that you've already woken up with a hangover, it's already too late. That's why taking all the necessary steps to make sure you have the best chance of waking up hangover-free is so key!
Obviously, the best thing to do is drink less alcohol. But following the above tips can also add an extra edge to your hangover recovery goals.
