Home remedies for alcohol hangover

Hangover refers to the after-effect of the consumption of large amount of any drug. Mostly it is associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The general symptoms of an alcohol hangover include headache, nausea, diarrhea, sensitivity to light and noise, loss of appetite, shakiness, dry mouth, exhaustion and an overall feeling of sickness. In short, it has the feelings resembling to ‘flu’.

Causes

Drinking alcohol is the main cause of all hangovers. Drinking excess amount of alcohol and the resultant hangover means that you have ingested more alcohol than what your body can metabolize easily. This overall makes you feel sick.

The other causes of hangover cover empty stomach, lack of sleep, psychosocial factors, increased physical activity while drinking, and dehydration. Dehydration can be considered as both the cause and the symptom of hangover. Alcohol increases urination. That is, the more amount of alcohol you consume, the more amount of water is lost by your body. Also, the liver and the kidneys in your body need water to process the alcohol. Thus, when you lose water, your body has to struggle harder to get rid of toxins.
People who are already in a poor state of health are more likely to suffer from a hangover. Hangover can be hereditary also. Children of alcoholic parents report greater hangover symptoms as compared to the children of non-alcoholic parents.

Home remedies for hangover

There are a lot of hangover remedies. Here are a few effective home remedies that you may want to try:
•    Honey is the best remedy to get rid of hangover. It contains a large amount of a natural sugar called fructose. Fructose is burned quickly by the body, eventually helping the body to burn off the alcohol quickly.
•    Though a tired body prefers to have a cup of coffee, intake of coffee should be avoided during hangover. This is because it removes more fluids from your body instead of adding in.
•    Prefer eating foods rich in Vitamin C to get rid of alcoholic effect more quickly. Vitamin C-rich foods include oranges and grapefruits. They are one of the best ways to relieve the hangover.
•    While drinking alcohol, do have some food also. High-protein foods should be preferred as they take quite a long time to digest. Also, when there is food in your system, it will slow the absorption speed of alcohol and provide essential nutrients that would prove helpful in reducing the effect of hangover.
•    Avoid eating salty foods as they tempt you to drink even more.  Salty foods will dry you out, making the hangover even worse.
•    After drinking alcohol, drink a few glasses of water as well. This is because dehydration is one of chief causes of hangovers. Drinking water before you go to bed and also at the time you get up in the morning will help to cure the effect of hangover easily.
•    Having a hot bath is a good remedy for hangover. The heat during bathing helps to sweat out the toxins that are leading to hangover. Though you may feel quite dizzy while bathing, after the bath you will feel fresh.
•    Avoid sugary foods or artificial sweetener drinks to prevent hangover.
•    Eating six raw almonds before drinking alcohol helps to prevent the entry of toxins in the blood, thus preventing hangover too.
•    Chicken soup is a good option to get rid of hangover. Have a chicken soup after the drink.
•    Raw ginger in your food or drinking ginger tea is useful to control hangover.
•    After drinking alcohol at night, sip some lime water slowly when you wake up in the morning. It is a proven and trusted remedy for hangover.
•    Peppermint herb is also considered as one of the best remedies for hangover.
Along with adopting the above remedies for hangover, some precautions after hangover will avoid any serious damage or injury to you or to the people around you. For example, do not drive a vehicle after drinking alcohol. It is not only a legal offence but can also have disastrous consequences. Try not to mix two-three drinks to avoid hangovers. Exercise also will help you sweat the alcohol out of your body system.

The other serious consequences of drinking alcohol are: getting sick, damaging your body and being violent. So, think twice before drinking alcohol.

Note: Avoid resorting to any of the above remedies in case you are allergic to them. Consult your doctor in such a case.