You wake up, the first thing that runs through your head, besides that pounding headache, is “oh god, why did I drink that much last night?” We’ve all been there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you don’t then you’ll know one day. I’m referencing the bane of alcohol’s existence; hangovers.

Hangovers can definitely put a damper on your day (to say the least). There are no known immediate cures for a hangover, and if someone ever invents one, buy stock in that shit asap. But there are things you can do to help when you have one, and things you can do to help mitigate one. In this article we’ll teach you the ways of the hangover.

Let’s go over why you get hangovers. First off, for all you freshmen out there, a hangover is when you’re sick the day after drinking too much alcohol. Your body gets sick because technically alcohol is a poison. While your brain likes the effects alcohol gives it, your liver not so much. The liver breaks down the alcohol we drink into ethanol and that takes a lot of work so it’s also not getting enough glucose (fuel for cells) to your brain. Alcohol also dehydrates you and a dehydrated body is never a full functioning one. Symptoms of a hangover are; headache, nausea, fatigue, and sensitivity to light. Note that everyone’s body is different so everyone feels a hangover differently.

Like I said before, you cannot fully cure a hangover yourself, only time can (usually 8-24 hrs). But there are things you can do to help your body recover faster.

Sleep: The best way to deal with a hangover is to just sleep it off. If you plan on going hard then make sure you’re going to get enough rest the next day. It’s not wise to drink too much when you got to work an early shift the next morning (even though we’ve all done it).

Rehydrate: One of the main reasons your body feels so bad is that you’re really dehydrated because of all the alcohol you consumed. Drink water as soon as you get up and continually drink it through out the day. You want to shoot for at least 64 ounces that day. Don’t chug the water because you’ll probably just throw it back up, consistently sip it. Coconut water, Gatorade and Pedialite is also great because they have electrolytes.

Eat: It essential to replenish calories back into your body. Eat foods that are easy to digest, like toast or cereal. If you're nauseous then eat bland foods, crackers are good. Chicken broth or chicken noodle soup is great because it’ll give you protein and vitamins. Your body needs energy to feel better.

Take vitamins: If you have a multivitamin then take it, it’ll help your body heal faster. If you don’t have one then get your vitamins through food. The most effective are vitamin B and C. You can also get those by eating whole wheats, eggs, steak, dairy products, vegetables and fruit.

Treat nausea: A lot of the times when you wake up hung over you’re nauseous. A natural remedy for this is eating raw ginger. You can also squeeze a lemon into some water to help your stomach. There are also many over the counter drugs that are made to treat nausea.

Treat headache: Easily the worst part of a hangover is the headache. To treat this, you don’t want to take pain killers that have acetaminophen in it. Combined with the alcohol already in your system, it could overwork your liver. Also, your liver won’t be able to break it down properly because of the long night of drinking. Use Ibuprofen and also avoid aspirin because it could upset your stomach.

Distract yourself: When you can’t sleep anymore you won’t be feeling great so you need to distract yourself. Binge watching your favorite movies or TV shows will help you take your mind off of it and pass the time quickly. Just make sure you’re sipping water the whole time.

Exercise: When you start feeling a little better later in the day get up and take a short walk around the block. Getting up and moving around causes your brain to release endorphins that will make you feel better. Don’t over do it though because you’ll probably feel worse.

Don’t drink more: The “hair of the dog” trick will only put off the inevitable. It will also further dehydrate you and could make you even more sick.

Herbal Remedies: A big one comes to mind. If you know what I’m talking about then… you know what I’m talking about.

So there you have it. The next time you have a hangover you’ll have a game plan to get over it with the least amount of pain as possible. Unfortunately, nothing in this article will help the fact that you texted your ex while drunk again. That’s all you buddy.

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