There are countless scenarios why one feels the need to drink: (1) it’s your friend’s wedding therefore an edict was announced that it’s going to be a drink-‘til-you-drop feast; (2) your incompetent-evil boss finally resigned from his position, causing the entire work force to party like you’ve all won the $240 million lottery jackpot;

(3) you were just dumped by your boyfriend over a wench he met online; or (4) Holidays, i.e. St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas and the New Year. All these, plus more, may validate your need to party like a rock star.

Then, as the morning sun shines in the east after the “epic” event, comes the nausea, headache, loss of appetite, dry mouth, soreness, weakness, trembling, and diarrhea – all symptoms of an “epic” hangover. But fret not, the following are 10 trouble-free remedies for that throbbing distress.

1. Sleep!

   A good 8-hour sleep will help your body recuperate. Since it’s the recession, it might be helpful to inform your supervisor at work that you’ll be taking the day off due to a horrible stomach flu, since it’s a guarantee that you’ll need to snooze for the rest of the day. But make sure that nobody from the personnel department saw you having a blast by the bar last night.

2. Eat!

   Choose a healthy meal instead of empty calories that are found in chips. You may want to indulge in a bowl of hot chicken soup – it will work wonders for you. And before you decide to drink another bottle of alcohol once more, remember this:  Under no circumstances should you drink alcohol on an empty stomach again. Not ever.

3. Keep yourself hydrated (water, water and more water)

   Go for pure, simple water – and remember to take lots of it.  You may not be aware of your frequent trips to the bathroom during the time when you were drinking heavily.  That cost you a lot of fluids. So drink water in order to replenish what you have lost.  Adding a teaspoon of honey in a glass of hot water can also bring relief. The honey will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and will help speed up recuperation. There are also beverages supplemented with essential electrolytes needed by the body like sodium, potassium and magnesium.

   You may also go for other healthy options such as freshly squeezed orange juice made from 2-3 big oranges and ginger tea. Most of all, stay away from caffeine-rich beverages.  Instead of relieving hangover symptoms, caffeine actually worsens it.

4. Keep Moving – Exercise!

   While the temptation to stay in bed for the rest of the day is too great, it does not actually help. After 8 to 9 hours of sleep, it’s time to get up – even if it means having to drag yourself out of bed.  If you have the desire to wage a war against hangover immediately, a decent exercise, will aid your body to chuck out the toxins that you’ve ingested which caused your nasty hangover.  Brisk walking will improve circulation and, in the process, increases blood flow and brain oxygenation. This will help relieve hangover symptoms such as headache and it will also aid you to become mentally alert and more focused.

5. Fruits, Nuts, Herbs and Prebiotics

   Most people wrongly believe that greasy, oily fast food is the answer to the gurgling sound of their stomach.  Contrary to popular belief, consuming these kinds of food will actually do more harm than good.  As soon as you wake up in the morning all weary, tired and hungry, resist the urge to run down the block and grab a super sized meal.  Instead, go for something that is capable of absorbing fluids – such as a dry toast or crackers.  Munch on these for a while until your stomach begins to settle.

   But hold it. Remember to keep your meals healthy.  To help you during the day, here are a few meal time suggestions:

   • Apples – these are rich in magnesium and aids the body in getting rid of toxins
   • Bananas – eat at least 1-2 bananas in order to replace the potassium that was exhausted due to over consumption of alcohol.
   • Almonds – a technique used by American Indian, consuming at least 5-6 almond nuts that are chock-full of nutrients will help reverse the effects of intoxication.
   • Peanut butter – a remedy well-known in Africa. Peanut butter helps decrease alcohol concentration because of its high fat content.
   • Bifidus Powder – known as the “good bacteria” that purifies acetaldehyde, this is a digestive derivative of alcohol that causes tremendous hangovers.  It is advised to drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of bifidus powder before bedtime to help alleviate the nasty effects of a hangover.
   • Peppermint – this herb relaxes your intestines and helps prevent gastrointestinal symptoms.
   • Silymarin – this helps in the prevention and removal of the existing toxins from the liver.
   • Prickly pear cactus extract - it helps relieve nausea that is commonly associated with hangover.  It also abates inflammation and abdominal distention due to ingesting too many cocktail drinks.
   • Good bacteria, like probiotics found in natural yogurt aids our digestive system take in nutrients and expel toxins from our body.
     
     

6. Know your Genetic Make Up

   Study shows that women and people of Asian descent have lower tolerance to alcohol, since they have minimal supplies of alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that lessen the effect of alcohol. So if you belong to the Asian race, try to keep this fact in mind.

7. Know your limitations

   They say that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. The key to preventing the nasty side effects of a hangover is to know and set your limits. Drink – but not to the point of intoxication. True, it is easy to lose count especially if you are having too much of a good time. Also, it would be better if you enlist the help of a friend so that she can tell you when to stop. But then again, this all boils down to self-discipline.

Sources
associatedcontent.com
ehow.com
health911.com
.essortment.com
drinksmixer.com
soyouwanna.com
mensgarage.com