Well we’ve all been there, dragging ourselves out of bed for no particular reason after a night of over-drinking and shame.
‘One more beer?’ I hear you say, ‘yes mate, go on then!’. The same recurring pattern emerges and then you find yourself sitting in the corner talking to your hand….
Here is my personal list of what helps (food and fluid wise) and what actually you should be doing.
1. Fry up
Those two words are all you need to know. Wake and drag yourself to the nearest cafe, being careful not to vomit on the way.
Gradually take your head out of your hands and ask for the following:
Large English (or Irish) Breakfast
That should consist of the following ingredients to make the masterpiece
Bacon
Eggs
Sausages
Beans
Hash brown
Fried tomato
Black pudding if you’re really on it
Chips (Fries) if you’re lucky
Toast
Cup of tea
Orange juice
You can of course add or delete whatever you want from that list. But for me this is like a pilgrimage to the cafe that will always happen.
Eggs in particular are full of amino acids. This helps to boost liver function and break down chemicals that give you a headache.
2. Water
Of course!! This is an obvious one but a go to when you wake up. I usually down a pint of water before bed just to prehydrate myself, a bit like prehab before an op ?
I’ve been told of Doctors hooking themselves up to a saline drip the morning of a ward round, to give the essential fluid and salt. Now obviously we can’t all do this so a glass will have to do.
Alcohol forces water out of your body because its a diuretic. When nothing is left it’ll take fluid from anywhere it can. This includes your brain leading to a headache.
3. Sports drinks
water can also give you back the electrolytes, containing five of the electrolytes found in the human body.
4. Porridge and a cup of tea
particularly helps to reduce nausea. All those pregnant ladies having herbal tea and ginger must find some relief! Either that or they like the taste of it.
Myself, I prefer a good old cup of English tea with a bowl of porridge. Porridge is well known to keep you going through the day with slow release of sugars. Add a bit of maple syrup for an extra pep up!
It also has a multitude of nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamin B.
5. Smoothies
Now many of you may do this already, but a well made smoothie just fills you up the right way and makes you feel great. Especially if you make it yourself and can see all the great ingriedients!
Brightly coloured food like Bananas and greens contain potassium which is often lacking following a booze up. It’s an important electrolyte to get the body moving again.
I get out the nutribullet and whack in some spinach, one banana, some orange juice, a handful of red berries like raspberries or blackberries and top it up with some coconut water. This gives a full hit after a heavy night out. Add other ingredients to your taste, such as a few nuts or dates to max out the benefits.
6. Sleep
I know, I know I said 5!!!!! But seeing as its not a food or drink I thought I’d add it in.
My number one cure for a hangover is sleep, which is great as long as you dont have to get up in the morning…
Now remember drink sensibly, and then maybe you wont even get that hangover in the first place!
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