How to Best Get Rid of A Hangover

At one point in our lives, we shamelessly downed one too many drinks on a night out. The unforgettable memories, or lack of, may or may not slowly come back to you the morning after — along with the dreaded hangover.

While the only way to avoid a hangover is to drink in moderation or avoid drinking altogether, it’s often easy to overindulge. We put together a few hangover remedies to ease the head-pounding, body-aching regret we suffer through the next day — it’s best to sober up the smart way.

Water and Food

Alternating your drinks with water or other non-alcoholic beverages can help slow you down and stay hydrated. Though the thought of putting more liquid into your already full body may sound revolting, water can help. The negative symptoms of alcohol derive from dehydration, so water can in fact lessen the severity of headaches, fatigue, nausea and confusion. There’s no scientific evidence a greasy breakfast will do the trick — it will, however, give you heartburn. Stick to easy-to-digest foods like toast or cereal because you want to get calories right back into your system. Eat light and stay hydrated with juice, water or Gatorade.

Avoid the Hair of the Dog

While the thought of a mimosa or bloody Mary may appeal to you, the worst thing you can do is have another drink. The continuation of alcohol may temporarily subside your symptoms, but could come back to bite you in a few hours. You need to give your body a chance to recover from the alcohol, which is toxic to your body.

Alka-Seltzer

The famous fizzy medicine helps settle a queasy belly by neutralizing stomach acid. Alka-Seltzer has been known to treat hangovers for more than 50 years, although there’s a chance it may irritate your stomach due to aspirin and citric acid.

Avoid Hangover Pills

Sure there are plenty of hangover cures in a bottle, but little evidence supports them. Switch out the pills with a multivitamin to restore the nutrients lost during a binge.

Coffee

If you’re a regular coffee drinker, you may or may not want to skip it when you’re hungover. You could wind up layering a pounding caffeine-withdrawal headache on top of your hangover when missing your morning fix. The caffeine narrows your blood vessels and boosts blood pressure, possibly making the hangover worse. If you drink it regularly; however, try a small amount and then wait 30 minutes to see how you feel.

Choose Clear Liquor

The color of your spirits affect how you feel in the morning. You may be better off sticking to clear booze like vodka and gin. Darker drinks like bourbon, scotch and tequila tend to have higher levels of congeners which bring on the inflammation that makes your hangover worse.

Avoid Acetaminophen

While taking medication with alcohol isn’t necessarily the best idea, avoid acetaminophen — Tylenol. It can cause serious liver problems when mixed. If anything take ibuprofen — Motrin and Advil.