Fact: In general, the more alcohol a person drinks, the worse the hangover will be. This is true regardless of whether a person drinks beer, wine, distilled spirits, or a combination of these.
“This is what we call the 'BRAT' diet,” says Zumpano. “Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.” These plain foods are easy for the body to digest and are often recommended when someone is not feeling well, specifically an upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea or having trouble eating or keeping food down.
Tuck in to a nourishing breakfast – it's the best way to replace the vitamins and minerals that your body will have lost as it worked hard to process the alcohol. If you can't face food, even a bowl of breakfast cereal fortified with folate and iron should help to redress some of the damage and lift your energy levels.
Hangovers vary from person to person, but usually involve a headache, nausea, tiredness and dehydration. Dehydration is one of the main causes of your hangover symptoms.
That said, to make it abundantly clear, drinking water obviously isn't going to do any harm — it's relatively pointless if you're trying to alleviate a hangover but it's hardly likely to make it any worse.
"When you're hungover, you need to hydrate your body. The way you feel – that headache – it's mostly caused by dehydration. Something like Coca-Cola has lots of sugar and fluids and will put those back into your body to get your energy levels up. The caffeine will also give you an energy boost."
Throwing up naturally after drinking may help relieve symptoms of excess alcohol in the bloodstream. Generally, a person may feel better after throwing up the alcohol. If a person throws up shortly after drinking, the body may not have absorbed the alcohol, potentially lessening its effects.
“Some people find carbonated water or soft drinks help to settle their stomach, so drinking these might be helpful the morning after.”
When hangover symptoms last several days or get worse as time goes on, it could indicate alcohol withdrawal. (Photo source: iStock) Have you ever over-indulged, drinking four or even more alcoholic beverages in a short period of time.
Alcohol detection tests can measure alcohol in the blood for up to 6 hours, on the breath for 12 to 24 hours, urine for 12 to 24 hours (72 or more hours with more advanced detection methods), saliva for 12 to 24 hours, and hair for up to 90 days. The half-life of alcohol is between 4-5 hours.
A good rule is to drink a glass of water — or another non-alcoholic beverage — between drinks and to have at least one big glass of water before going to sleep. Summary Drinking plenty of water can help reduce some of the main symptoms of hangovers, including thirst and headache.
Drinking plenty of water
Rehydrating the body by drinking water may help to improve the symptoms of a hangover. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it increases the amount of urine a person passes. The resulting loss in fluid can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
Alcohol is an osmotic diuretic, which means that when you have a high amount of alcohol in your blood, you pee more than you normally would. Alcohol also blocks the re-uptake of water in the kidneys. So it's a double whammy kind of dehydration.
You Could Become Dehydrated
Not only can alcohol be toxic at high doses, but it is also a diuretic, which means it draws water out our body and is dehydrating. Hultin says this can lead to all sorts of symptoms, like headaches, nausea, vomiting and dry mouth.
' What you are feeling are the effects of dehydration and low blood sugar. To bring your blood sugar back up to normal, you really just need to eat anything with some carbs, but balance it out with protein or healthy fats to prevent further blood sugar drops,” she says.
As for the ice cream, like most cold dairy substances, it helps with the nausea. The entire sugary dessert gives you a much needed energy boost.
THE ANSWER
Yes, studies show that your body's ability to process alcohol gets less efficient as you age. Key body functions that help metabolize alcohol, like liver enzymes and total body water weight, tend to decrease with age.
Is it okay to go to the hospital because of a hangover? Certainly, if you show signs of alcohol poisoning (from the Mayo Clinic bit.ly/HungoverOuch ): confusion, vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, blue-tinged skin or pale skin, low body temperature, difficulty remaining conscious or losing consciousness.
Alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning that it causes the body to lose water. Although replacing the lost water won't cure your hangover, it will make it less painful. Try Gatorade or another sports drink to replenish lost electrolytes and get a bit of sugar at the same time.