Imagine waking up to the morning after a fun night with friends, however accompanied with a few blurred memories, unpleasant headache and dryness in the mouth due to the amount of alcohol consumed. Hangover is a known experience in the adulthood and Hana’s Recipes has therefore prepared 5 best hangover cures to make the journey back to sobriety faster and less painful.
Typical state of hangover and its most common symptoms
Each of us enters the days after heavy drinking in a different way. That’s why the typical symptoms mentioned below may appear in one person more than the other, depending on the amount of alcohol taken in, the individual tolerance as well as hydration levels and overall state of health. Let’s take a look at the most occurring hangover pains:
- Headache, mainly as a result of alcohol’s dehydrating effects and its impact on blood vessels in the brain.
- Fatigue, as the amount of alcohol may have an influence on sudden disruption of regular sleep patterns.
- Nausea, possibly resulting in vomiting if the amount of one type of alcohol was higher than what a person is commonly used to or if one kind of alcohol was mixed with other types.
- Dehydration, since alcohol generally increases the urine production and therefore leads to dehydration and related symptoms such as dry mouth, thirst, dizziness, sometimes even muscle aches.
- Digestive problems, as alcohol can disturb the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in stomachache, diarrhoea or indigestion.
Symptoms normally peak either right after waking up or gradually during the day, as the body metabolises the alcohol and rehydrates. Let’s therefore take a look at chosen hangover cures that will help you manage such days more effectively.
5 useful hangover cures
- Bananas: What are bananas mostly known for is their rich content of potassium. That’s why they are considered to be one of the greatest remedies in times of strong hangover states. In general, bananas help with supplementing electrolytes (essential for our muscle, nerve and overall body function) that have been lost due to alcohol dehydration. Bananas are also easy to consume on stomach pains, providing a quick energy fuel to us.
- Eggs: Another ingredient that belongs to effective hangover cures is an egg. Eggs are generally rich in cysteine which is a popular amino acid with the ability to break down acetaldehyde, a known toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. Therefore, eggs would be ideal on a more pleasant journey back to sobriety. Moreover, they contain a lot of protein which generally keeps the person feeling full and brings additional nutrients necessary for such hangover states.
- Toast: The best type would be a whole grain toast. It provides complex carbohydrates for the body after the alcohol consumption, ensuring a great deal of energy as well as fiber to help with better digestion. The perfect scenario would be to combine a whole grain toast with eggs and avocado, since both of them are seen as hangover cures too. Not only would such breakfast or lunch add nutrients and flavour to the meal but it would contribute to a faster and more effective recovery from hangover days.
- Oats: Oatmeal, similarly to a whole grain toast before, is also an ideal source of complex carbohydrates for the hangover body, bringing in sustained energy as well as fiber for better digestion. Additionally, oats have the power to stabilise blood sugar levels. What is also important to mention is that oatmeal is easy to take in after heavy drinking experience and together with fruit or nuts may provide a well-balanced breakfast for people in strong hangover states.
- Chicken soup: Chicken soup will most probably come as one of the least surprising hangover cures, since this is a remedy many people prefer after drinking a lot. In general, soups perfectly rehydrate the human body after the alcohol consumption, provide missing nutrients and calm down the aching or weakly functioning stomach. Not to mention how comforting their warmth as well as savoury flavours are during the hangover state. Hana’s Recipes blog recommends trying out traditional chicken soup as well as tomato soup from Eastern European regions, as ideal hangover cures to ease “the day after”.
Hopefully our list will come in handy after your next night out! Enjoy!
