The New Year is coming and we all know its a time to relax, spend time with friends and family, and have fun. New year's eve can also be a time to have a drink, or 2 or 3 etc. I am not here to suggest that you don't drink or tell you what to drink. If you do decide to knock a few back though I do want to give you some easy tips that can hopefully stop a hangover before it starts.
Tip #1: Eat
This is one of the few times I will actually recommend eating poorly, after all this blog is designed to keep you fit. When it comes to stopping a hangover though, the fatter the food the better. Pizza, pasta, French fries, etc. are all excellent food to have in your stomach for a night filled with drinks. Fat and carbohydrate rich foods slow the buildup of acetaldehyde in your system which is the main culprit for hangovers. So eat up, and then drink.
Tip #2: Take Vitamins
While trying to metabolize alcohol your body uses up a lot of nutrients. When your body lacks the essential nutrients it needs to function, it doesn't function quite as well. In order to get your body out of its drunken state faster, you need vitamins. So eat foods rich in vitamins, take a multi-vitamin or do both.
Tip #3: Drink 1 type of alcohol
Mixed drinks are like fuel for the hangover fire. All the different additives and flavorings can make it difficult for your body to know what to process and how. So once you decide on beer, wine, vodka, or rum, stick with it and don't mix them up.
Tip #4: Stay Hydrated
Drinking water before, during, and after a night filled with drinking can do wonders for preventing a hangover. One of the most common causes of hangovers is dehydration. When your body is not well hydrated it makes it much easier for alcohol to concentrate your blood. Since alcohol is naturally a diuretic (makes you pee a lot) water will be loss throughout the night so be sure to replace it.
Tip #5: Don't drink coffee
Many people think the caffeine in coffee will provide them with that much needed spark when they feel a hangover coming. Well caffeine will only make it worse. Caffeine is a stimulant which means your heart rate will increase making it easier to keep all the chemicals causing your hangover flowing. Caffeine, like alcohol, is a diuretic which means you are doubling up on dehydrating yourself.
If you do decide to drink this New Year, try to do so responsibly. But if you do plan on having a hangover causing night of drinking, try a few of these tips; it may make your morning just a little bit brighter.