Hangover Cures Fact Or Fiction

Do These Hangover Cures Work

Many alcohol hangover food have become somewhat of old wives tales with cures that include drinking more alcohol to battle hangovers other methods. So which methods have an element of truth in them and do any of them actually work?

Hair of the Dog - Drinking more alcohol the next morning to fight hangovers is a bad idea. The liver is still processing the alcohol toxins left over from the night before and to add on to that burden worsens the situation.

Burnt Toast - The belief that carbon in charred bread acts like a filter in the body is a misconception. While a treated form of carbon is used to treat some types of poisoning, it is not used to treat alcohol poisoning. Besides, alcohol poisoning is something different and far more serious than a hangover.

This myth is also perpetuated by some over the counter hangover cures that claim carbon as their active ingredient that absorbs congeners. Carbon found on burnt toast is not the same as activated carbon and therefore does not help cure hangovers.

Black Coffee - Although coffee helps with reducing headaches because caffeine is a vasoconstrictor - it reduces the size of blood vessels - it is also a diuretic, just like alcohol. A diuretic makes a person lose water by causing frequent needs to go to the bathroom. So caffeine makes a person become more dehydrated than before and increases the severity of a hangover.

Fried or Fatty Foods - Eating fried or fatty food before and after drinking is believed to help prevent hangovers. This is because fatty foods stick to the stomach lining longer and slow down alcohol absorption into the bloodstream. That gives the body more time to process alcohol toxins and reduces hangovers the next morning.

Eating dairy such as having a fruit smoothie provides energy and alleviates some symptoms by replenishing the nutrients lost.

Eggs - Hangovers contain the toxin acetaldehyde in the liver's easily depleted glutathione and this is broken down by cysteine found in large quantities in eggs. So eggs not only provide energy, they absorb leftover toxins from drinking.

Bananas - Rich in potassium, bananas replenishes the potassium lost as a results of alcohol's diuretic effect. Other potassium-rich foods that replace lost electrolytes include the kiwi fruit or sports drinks.

Water - As the body is depleted of its water after a night of drinking, drinking lots of water not only replenishes fluids and re-hydrates the body, water dilutes the toxins left in the stomach and flushes them from the body. Sodium and glycogen lost can be replaced by adding salt and sugar to water - this effect is similar to caffeine-free and non-carbonated sports drinks.

Reduce body dehydration by drinking several glasses of water to help the body break down toxins from alcohol. Since the body can only process three quarters of an ounce of alcohol in an hour, drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic drink helps to slow down drinking and gives the body more time to process the alcohol.

Fruit Juice - Rich in vitamins and nutrients to nourish the body, fruit juice also contains fructose that naturally helps to increase the level of energy by helping the body get rid of alcoholic toxins faster. Because of alcohol's diuretic effect that causes the body to lose its fluids, drinking fruit juices in the morning is an ideal way to replenish lost body nutrients. You can also take supplements that are high in vitamin C and B.

As you can see, although some hangover remedies are merely myths, there are many that actually help you with hangovers.

Easy To Prepare Hangover Cures

Hangover Cures Fast And Easy

A hangover cure you'll keep hearing is to drink lots of water since the body is dehydrated by alcohol due to its diuretic effect. Some hangover food made from ingredients around the house can be used for hangover remedies.

Banana. Rich in potassium, bananas are nutritious and delicious. Eat a banana to replace the potassium in your body lost through the many trips to the bathroom caused by drinking.

Ginger root. Commonly used to treat nausea and seasickness, ginger also works as a hangover cure. You can drink some ginger ale or prepare some delicious ginger tea that is really easy to prepare. Just cut a handful of slices of fresh ginger root and boil them with a few cups of water for 10 minutes. Strain and add half a cup of honey, half a lemon juice and juice from 1 orange.

Honey and Lemon. A really simple drink is mixing honey, lemon and hot water. Ideal for replacing lost body fluids and sugars, you can drink it several times a day since it's so easy to make but remember to use only honey and not white sugar. Honey contains fructose that prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that causes hangovers.

Rice, Soup, or Toast. These are food that is easily digestible and does not tax the stomach while it is still dealing with alcohol leftovers. Although you should stick with clear liquids until you can bring yourself to eat solid food, you do need some form of solid food for energy, so rice, soup or toast would be safe bets.

Sports drinks. Since sports drinks are specially formulated to contain high levels of mineral salts and sugars, they are a good way to replace lost fluids as well as electrolytes and glucose.

The last thing you want to do is tackle hangover recipes that are more difficult to handle than the hangover. These hangover cures are simple and easy to make for fast relief.

How To Prevent And Cure A Hangover

Ways To Reduce Hangovers

If you can't find hangover cures that work, the next best thing is to try and reduce chances of hangovers from happening. Since we are not ready to give up our alcohol, many ways to prevent hangovers have been suggested. Here is a list of some of the more common ones. Some are known to work with some people. If you go drinking often, you probably have the opportunity to try them all out for yourself to see which method is best for reducing or preventing hangovers.

Eat a light meal before drinking. Besides slowing down the effects of alcohol, having a full stomach also helps to replace the loss of essential nutrients. Others advocate eating bread and pasta or drinking milk to slow the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream.

Stick to 1 or 2 drinks. Foolproof and will most definitely work but would you be thinking about how to prevent or cure hangovers if you're only having 1 or 2 drinks?

Drink slowly. The more time you give your body to burn alcohol, the lesser the amount reaches your blood and brain since your body burns alcohol at a fixed a rate.

Drink the right drinks. The least perilous concoction is vodka. The most perilous is bourbon. Cognac and other brandies as well as single malt scotches are close behind. These are followed by blended scotch and other whiskeys and champagnes of all kinds (here it’s the bubbles that are the problem). Red wine can be a problem, but for a different reason. It contains tyramine, a histamine-like substance that can produce a killer headache. Gin and white wine are almost as benign as vodka, but in sufficient quantity, any form of alcohol can do you in.

Avoid sweet tropical mixed drinks such as zombies and pina coladas, Also, avoid eating sugary foods such as cookies, cakes and chocolate. You tend to drink more than you realise, because the sugar makes it difficult to sense how much alcohol you are consuming.

Avoid anything with bubbles in it. Rum and Coke is just as bad as champagne and is a special hazard. The bubbles put the alcohol into your bloodstream much more quickly. Your liver can’t keep up; the alcohol overflow pours into your bloodstream.

So drink if you must, but be informed about the choices you make so that you can not only enjoy your drinking but prevent nasty hangovers without having to think about hangover relief.