The unfortunate downside of any great weekend is the impending hangover that follows, provided you’ve been drinking, of course. It’s always fun to hang with your mates, throw back a few tequila shots, and exchange banter over some beers, but as you get older, the hangovers just seem to get worse. Not one to lecture people or tell them to slow down, I’d rather offer a few solutions to the hangover crisis so that you can get the best of both worlds.
Why Hangovers Make You Feel Crap
Alcohol blocks the creation of vasopressin, which is what causes the kidneys to send water all around the body. Without this, the kidneys simply send water to the bladder, which is why you need to run to the loo so often during a night of drinking. As alcohol in the bloodstream increases, so too does the expulsion of water from the body, leaving you dehydrated and hungover. The frequent trips to the bathroom also expel essential salts and potassium from the body. Interesting, right?
This is also the reason why the morning after leaves you with the “desert-mouth” syndrome and also why you crave salty foods and need to drink so much water to help yourself feel hydrated.
Five Hangover Remedies You Need To Try
After spending a night consuming, it’s nice to take a natural route to help yourself recover. Filling yourself with the right foodstuffs and loads of water (LOADS of water) will set you on the right track, without having to put unnatural medication or “cures” into your system. Don’t forget – LOADS of water!
Here they are! Our five best natural ways to survive a hangover (aside from the water):
1. Bananas
We love bananas here at The Physical Evolution, mainly because they’re a whole lot of goodness packed into one neatly packaged fruit. Seeing as though drinking alcohol reduces the levels of potassium in your body, bananas are your best bet to replenishing those stores.
2. Himalayan Salts
These can be added to your food to replace the lost salts in your body, but they can also be used to help your body detoxify. Pink Himalayan Bath Salts are exceptionally good for use in detoxing the body. As much as a third of toxins are expelled through the skin so it makes sense to soak your body in a hot bath full of salts to help sweat out the nasty toxins from the night before. This detox can leave you feeling wiped out, which makes for a good excuse to spend the afternoon on the couch with a few great DVDs.
3. A Shot Of Wheatgrass
Nothing like a shot to help you recover from innumerable shots. Wheatgrass is an incredibly powerful detoxifier that cleanses the blood and intestines while energising the cells of the body and restoring the natural pH. It’s also a fantastic antioxidant, but perhaps not the tastiest shot you’ll ever have! Still 100% worth it for the detox benefits.
4. Honey
It’s debatable how you want to consume your honey, perhaps by the spoon or best in a cup of rooibos (South African red bush) tea. But it’s another great source of potassium and the inherent fructose helps metabolise alcohol. It’s probably best to drink a cup of tea with honey before you go to sleep the night before, but if you forget, make it a first thing in the morning choice. With loads of honey!
5. A Good Old Glass Of OJ
Vitamin C is your friend when it comes to being hungover. Pour yourself a tall, cool glass of 100% fresh orange juice and allow the vitamin C to rapidly metabolise the alcohol in your system.
The best cure is always prevention, but these will work for you if you’re not too good at that!
Photo by Alice Pasqual and Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.
