The hangover cure
We’ve all seen hangovers portrayed in movies as something slightly funny and always as a result of a fun night out. We’ve also heard the rumors and urban myths about how hangovers can be cured by standing upside down or by drinking a particular alcoholic cocktail or beverage. And in fact, although the famous “hair of the dog” hangover remedy is not really a cure, since all it does is temporarily put a stop to the symptoms, which will be resumed as soon as the effect wears off, it is effective to an extent.
In order to know how to better fight a hangover, we need to know what causes hangover. The obvious answer is: alcohol. Heavy drinking will mean that your organism is flushed and battered with alcohol, which the liver will have to process. In small doses, there are no visible side effects to this process, but when a lot of alcohol runs through the liver, the toxic byproduct of the breaking down of ethanol and methanol will overrun your organism and make it have to fight against it, creating the body sores and aches, as well as the stomach problems, so commonly associated with a hangover. But the number one hangover symptom, the splitting headache, is caused by something a lot simpler. Alcohol is a diuretic, as most people that regularly drink beer are painfully aware of. As such, it makes you release a lot of water in the process of stimulating your kidneys and making you urinate. This causes severe momentary dehydration, which in turn makes your brain swell, which causes the severe headaches. So the first advice we can give you to cure your hangover starts while you’re still drinking. If you regularly drink water in between drinks, or if you drink a lot of water before going to bed, you’ll not only help your stomach not have such a strong acidic content, you’ll also keep hydrated and nip the headaches in the bud. The excess water in your organism will also help your kidneys get rid of the toxic byproducts your liver is producing by decomposing the alcohol, which will help reduce the side effects on your body and stomach. A friend of mine took this very seriously, and he would not only drink regular cups of water in between whatever he was drinking at a given night, he’s also make a point to down a whole bottle of water right before bed.
