›› Cure For A Hangover
Hangovers can
completely ruin your day. A bad hangover can make suicide
seem like a reasonable treatment. Dizziness, severe nausea,
throbbing headache, fatigue, weakness, sensitivity to light and noise,
and just overall polluted and unhealthy feelings are the markers of a
bad hangover. Even milder hangovers can be pretty miserable
and debilitating. Finding a good cure for a hangover has
therefore been a quest for regular drinkers for hundreds of years.
Because hangovers are so rotten, and because drinking has been so
popular for so long, there are thousands of remedies that supposedly
qualify as a cure for a hangover. I used to be a heavy
drinker when I was younger, and I think I probably tried them
all. Here’s a quick run down on my experience
looking for the best cure for a hangover.
First of all, there are some specific medications marketed specifically
as cures for a hangover. These are basically combinations or
painkillers, antacids, and caffeine. If you’re
suffering from a mild hangover, medications like these will probably
help a lot. If you’re suffering from a really bad
one, they’ll actually make you feel worse. I found
that caffeine should be avoided at all costs for severe
hangovers. Although coffee and caffeinated beverages are
often touted as cures for a hangover, in the long run they’ll
serve to dehydrate you even more than you are already. Since
a lot of the symptoms you are experiencing in a severe hangover are due
to dehydration, you should avoid caffeine.
If you can keep them down, analgesics and antacids may help.
They certainly aren’t the magic cure for a hangover you are
probably hoping for, but they may take the edge off. As for
antacids, avoid using ones with calcium carbonate; try aluminum
hydroxide, or acid reducers such as Zantac or Pepcid AC.
Once your nausea has subsided enough to keep down liquids, drink
steadily and often. Don’t drink too fast no matter
how thirsty you are. A slow but steady intake of Gatorade or
some other clear liquid always worked best for me.
Rehydrating in this way is the best cure for a hangover that I was able
to find. It takes some time, but once you’ve kept
some fluids down for awhile you’ll start feeling better
fast.
Of course, the best cure for a hangover is not to drink so much in the
first place. Preventive measures are always better than
treatments. Don’t drink on an empty stomach, and
make sure you drink plenty of water or non-alcoholic beverages along
with your booze.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
