Hangover: 14 ways to help ease the symptoms

POLOKWANE – A hangover (or babalaas, as many call it): the hammering headache, the queasy tummy, the shaking hands and the foggy but awful memory of doing something stupid the night before. This is a perfect example of a hangover. In the case of a hangover, prevention is better than cure, however, sometimes getting a hangover the morning after drinking too much is inevitable, especially during the festive season.

According to a local doctor, the two main reasons for a hangover are that one’s blood sugar drops when imbibing alcohol, and one’s body becomes dehydrated. “The best way to prevent this from happening is to drink a litre of water and eat something sweet before going to sleep. By doing this, you won’t feel so bad the next morning.”

Prevention is usually the wisest option.

Before you drink do the following:

• Take a fizzy multivitamin before drinking.
• Between your alcoholic drinks, drink water or fruit juice to keep you body hydrated.
• Reduce the amount of sugar you consume with your alcohol.
• Eat before or during your drinking session as well as immediately afterwards.
• Drink a hangover remedy cocktail eg: Bloody Mary.

Hangover remedy cocktail recipe:

• 50ml vodka
• Dash of lemon (or lime) juice;
• Worcestershire sauce;
• 2 or 3 drops Tabasco sauce;
• Pepper, salt and celery salt; and
• 150ml tomato juice.

Combined lemon juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces in a tall glass, add spices, then vodka. Fill with tomato juice and ice and stir. Garnish with celery stick and lime wedge.

Some more ways to cure a hangover:

• 1. Drink a fizzy multi-vitamin as it will replace much-needed vitamins and minerals back into your body.
• 2. Drink coffee. Lots of it This helps to ease the nausea you might experience. Instead of sugar you can try it with honey.
• 3. Aspirin or any pain tablets for the headache you will experience.
• 4. Drink Coca-Cola. The fizz will help for the nausea, the liquid for the dehydration you are experiencing and the caffeine and sugar boost will make you feel a bit more alive.
• 5. Drink fruit juice, this will give your body a dose of the vitamins you lost during your drinking session as well as helping to hydrate it.
• 6. Make yourself a cup of green tea or jasmine tea. These teas will cleanse your body of toxins, aid in hydration and if you add a teaspoon of honey your blood sugar will stabilise.
• 7. Eat bananas so that the sugar in the form of fructose and the potassium in your body will be replaced.
• 8. Have a hot bath as the heat will sweat out the toxins that are making you feel bad.
• 9. Sleep. After a long nap you will feel better.