How to get rid of a hangover

Presenting quick tips to help you get rid of the after party blues.

Image: Mislav Marohni?/Creative Commons

It's that time of the year when you indulge in merriment with friends and family over late night parties and binge drinking.

Sounds fun for sure, but are you all geared up to deal with the after effects of heavy drinking and late night parties?

Here are some tips to prevent and overcome a hangover.

Prevention is better than cure

Don't drink on an empty stomach. "If you eat a greasy meal before you head out for a party, the fat will help to line the walls of your stomach. It slows down the rate of alcohol absorption. This means that you will be less likely to wake up with a splitting headache," says model Nikita Sahay.

Don't drink too much. Alternate your drinks with water. Nutritionist Naini Setalvad suggests, "Drink water instead of alcohol when you feel thirsty. The more water you drink, the more it will help you in cutting down the consumption of alcohol."

Hang that hangover

Image: boo lee/Creative Commons

What happens if you don't drink smartly to prevent a hangover?

You end up getting one!

But don't worry.

Here are few home remedies that will help you cure your hangover the day after.

One of the smoothest ways to get over that ugly hangover is by consuming vitamin C.

"Drinking hot water with honey and lemon juice boosts your blood sugar levels," says Sahay.

"Detox by having guavas and pomelo, popularly known as pink grapefruit. You can also have vitamin B rich food supplements and include carbohydrates to your meal from whole grain food items to fight fatigue," says Setalvad.

"Drink a glass of fresh carrot juice the following morning," says model Sanea Sheikh.

Scrub

Scrubbing your body combats a hangover. How?

Nutritionist Shonali Sabherwal shares the process.

"Fill a small tub with hot water -- as hot as you can bear.

"Take a face towel sized washcloth and soak it in hot water, wring it. Scrub your body.

"Keep dipping the hot water and continue scrubbing, especially behind your ears and around your joints.

"The skin is the largest breathing organ, and detoxification takes place through the pores, so chances of getting back to normal are increased when this is done."

Beat that headache

Don't reach for a coffee. 

"Ginger and peppermint are two excellent food items for curing headaches. Drink herbal infusions made of these, and watch your headache disappear," Setalvad advices.

Holistic healing

Image: Relaxing Music/Creative Commons

It's time to roll out your yoga mat.

"Pranayama oxygenates your cells, something that they have been deprived off when you binge drink. 

"Adding a few pranayamic breathing exercises like bhastrika, anulom vilom and nadi shodhana are helpful.

"Some yoga poses specially inversions like uttanasana, adho mukha svanasana or halasana boosts the endocrine system to get you back to normal," says Sabherwal.

Treat your stomach

Feeling queasy? Ginger makes it easy!

According to Setalvad, drinking a ginger shot with lemon juice is a common hangover cure.

You can also boil water, add some grated ginger, drink this infusion every hour.

If you are constipated, add California prunes, fresh figs, beet, carrot and brown rice to your meal.

Cut down on white flour and white sugar, apples and pomegranates.

But if loose motions bother you, Sabherwal advices to stick to the famous P. C. BRAT diet, namely P – Pomegranate, C – Curd, B –Banana, R – Rice, A – Apple, T – Toast.

Hangover recipe

If you wake up with a heavy head on January 1, treat yourself to a generous helping of a Pressed Salad.

When you binge drink, your stomach requires good bacteria for easy digestion.

Pressed Salad is a quick fermentation process that reduces the bad bacteria and harmful toxins from your system.

 

Image: Phalinn Ooi/Creative Commons

Here goes Shonali Sabherwal's Pressed Salad recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup white radish (mooli), sliced
• 1 tsp salt (rock or sea salt preferred)

Method

• Mix all the vegetables in a flat dish.
• Add the salt and massage gently into chopped vegetables.
• Take a flat plate and press the vegetables down with a heavy weight on top.
• Allow the salad to be under pressure for one hour until the salt seeps into the vegetables and release water.
• Rinse the wilted vegetables under fresh water. Pressed Salad is ready.

Note:You can drink the water after an hour as it is rich in good micro-organisms or discard if you find it too salty.

Also See

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