Hangovers, much like a good exam season mental breakdown or a particularly fun PMS week, are not one size fits all. Some people end up extremely hungry after a night on Drury Street, and others lose their appetite completely. I have one friend that swears by a simple bowl of cereal after a night out and another cannot go home before a chicken roll from Gay Spar. Me personally, I like a Dunnes scone and a debrief: simple carbohydrates and the assurance that I am still a human being capable of proper, coherent, social interaction (at least somewhat).
Some people don’t get much of a hangover, but whether you have one beer or 10, most of us have felt at least some of the after effects of drinking. There are, however, some remedies and recommendations that can help curb your hangover’s temper.
Many of us are well acquainted with college drinking culture and as such, most of these hangover solutions may sound like common knowledge. If they are not, I’ve done my job. If they are, at least it’s good to know the science behind them so you can sound even more pretentious talking down to those UCD students the next time you’re out on the town. And if any Medicine students read this article and find any of it factually incorrect, the author’s name is a typo.
“In order to cure a hangover, one must understand the physiological responses that take place in the body”
In order to cure a hangover, one must understand the physiological responses that take place in the body, and cause so much misery, after drinking copious amounts of alcohol. As the body metabolises alcohol, the liver does most of the heavy lifting by converting the alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound which induces nausea, sweating and (hang)anxiety. This toxic compound is then further broken down into acetate, a less harmful chemical. Additionally, alcohol is a diuretic which means that the body loses a lot of fluids while drinking. This explains the headaches, fatigue and dry mouth that plague poor, unfortunate hungover souls. It also explains why the line to the girls’ bathroom in a club or bar is always astronomically long (it does not, however, resolve the mystery of the lines in the arts block). Other bodily responses to alcohol include fluctuating blood sugar levels, which can lead to shakiness and irritability, and inflammation, which won’t help any injuries you sustained while trying to crowd surf.
So how do you combat these unpleasant symptoms? Avoiding alcohol certainly isn’t the answer.
- Sports Drinks:
Hydrate or (die)drate! After losing so many fluids to alcohol’s diuretic effects (plus sweating on the dance floor), everyone gets at least a little bit dehydrated the day after a night out. Electrolytes are essential for rehydration because they help the body retain the fluid it ingests. It’s all well and good to drink water, but your body needs to be able to keep it and utilise it. Sports drinks, like Lucozade, which contain these minerals are a great way to ensure you rehydrate your body.
- Chicken broth
Chicken broth is another great way to hydrate the body and restore lost salts, while not being too heavy on the stomach. Salt is actually an important ingredient in rehydration as it helps cells hold onto water.
- Eggs:
Eggs are actually great for a hangover as they contain cysteine which helps the liver break down the toxic compound acetaldehyde. The faster the conversion of acetaldehyde into acetate, the quicker alcohol is cleared from your system
- Fructose
Similar to eggs, fructose stimulates the liver to convert acetaldehyde into acetate more efficiently. Honey and fruit contain natural sources of fructose, as do a lot of highly processed foods, and let’s be honest they’re way more fun to eat when hungover.
- Simple carbohydrates
This is where Dunnes scones shine. As previously mentioned, alcohol causes fluctuations in blood sugar levels which can lead to shakiness, irritability and fatigue. Simple carbohydrates like toast or digestive biscuits are great ways to raise your blood sugar without irritating a stomach already feeling the aftermath of too much drink.
- Blueberries
High in antioxidants, blueberries are a great anti-inflammatory food to tackle alcohol’s inflammatory effects. Other helpful anti-inflammatory foods include fatty fish and green tea.
- Carbonated drinks
Carbonated drinks are great to reduce any nausea caused by alcohol.
- AVOID
To be honest though, depending on your appetite the next day, a lot of these suggestions may be of no use if you don’t feel like eating. A lot of people pop a couple of painkillers and call it a day. The important thing to remember is that the type of painkiller is important. Tylenol is not recommended after heavy drinking as it is hard on your liver. Your poor liver. Do your liver a favour. Give it a break. Go get some ibuprofen.
This next recommendation is hard for me to admit and probably just as pointless to suggest considering, even knowing the facts, most people will ignore the science. That being said, coffee may not be the move after a night out. Another diuretic on top of post night out dehydration won’t do that headache any favours.
Some people, when they want to be productive, do the smart thing and stay in, spend time studying at the library and avoid excessive drinking. A lot of the time, however, agreeing to one chill drink at the Pav turns into Hogans at 2:30am. It’s important to know that when your well laid plans fall through, there are remedies to help mitigate the remnants of last night’s fun that turn sour in the Ussher’s hallowed halls.
