Hangover - Symptom, Treatment And Causes

5 simple and effective ways to cure that hangover

Most people experience prominent side effects on their body and mind the morning following a night of heavy drinking. These after-effects of consuming excessive alcohol, popularly called a hangover, include rapid heartbeat, headache, anxiety, exhaustion, vomiting, dizziness, lack of energy, and body pain.

Drinking too much alcohol (5 to 7 drinks for men and 3 to 5 for women) not only causes a hangover but also can negatively impact your health by damaging your liver, central nervous system, brain and gastrointestinal system. It takes about 8 to 24 hours to cure a hangover completely, but you can try these natural remedies to get quick relief from the symptoms and reduce the recovery time.

1. Have a banana

A hangover is often associated with decreased potassium levels in your body and having a banana will help replenish it as it contains an adequate amount of the mineral.

Directions: you can either have one or two whole bananas or a banana smoothie with few drops of honey to get relieve from most hangover symptoms.

2. Try honey

Honey contains fructose, which helps to neutralize the negative impact of alcohol on your body. Moreover, honey provides relief from the hangover as it also helps digest the alcohol better.

Directions: take 3-4 teaspoons of honey after each hour (post-hangover) till you feel yourself getting better. You can increase the dosage according to the severity of your hangover.

3. Go for a glass of tomato juice

Tomato juice proves to be very effective in curbing the symptoms of a hangover as it compensates for the dehydration caused in your body due to excessive alcohol consumption. Also, due to its fructose content, tomato helps in metabolizing the alcohol present in your body.

Directions: drink a glass of fresh tomato juice or soup laden with 1 tablespoon each of honey and fresh lemon juice. You can have this juice in the morning once and repeat in the afternoon if needed.

4. Drink a lot of water

When it comes to beating a hangover, there is no substitute for water. Drinking water is not only a tried and tested remedy, but is also the most effective way to cure a hangover. This happens because water fights the dehydration of fluids in your body caused by drinking alcohol.

Directions: to keep the hangover at bay, drink one glass of water after each glass or shot of alcohol you consume. If you forget to do this, starting your day with a bottle of water the next morning will help reduce hangover symptoms drastically.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

A night out with its fair share of drinks is enjoyable, but it is the morning after which tends to have the after affects. Hangovers are a problem with anybody who has had a drink too much the night before and it might leave you in an incapacitated state due to nausea, headaches and dehydration.

Here are some of the known homemade remedies which can cure hangovers:

1. Make sure you take a lot of water and fluids: After you have woken up after a night out where you had lots to drink, you are bound to have a hangover as alcohol is known to dehydrate the body. Thus it is advisable that you drink plenty of water and other fluids. Only water isn’t going to be enough as water can hydrate you but many of the other nutrients will only be supplied by juices, rehydrating drinks, sports drinks or other such. Thus it is important to consume a variety of these fluids.
2. Eat a hearty breakfast: The longer you are with an empty stomach, the longer it is going to take the hangover to go away. Eating a hearty and filling breakfast will relieve the hangover to a great extent. However, eat foods which are easy to digest, such as cereals and toast. Avoid greasy and oily foods in the morning as they may add to the nausea. Including dates and raisins help.
3. If you have nowhere important to be, go back to bed: If you have the time and nothing to do, then it is advisable to sleep a little longer while you keep rehydrating yourself whenever you wake up. This is going to give your body the fluids it needs while resting is going to give it plenty of opportunity to heal itself.
4. Eat ginger, both before and after drinking: Ginger has been used as a home remedy across cultures for centuries to treat nausea. It is thus wise to eat crystallized or candied forms of ginger, both before and after consumption of alcohol as it will lessen its effects on the body. You can take ginger the night after as well to reduce the nausea that comes with hangover.
5. Stretch out and exercise a little: Between naps it may not be a bad idea to stretch out and exercise a little, which will help you release endorphins to make you feel better. However, ensure that it is light exercise so that the nausea and headaches are not exacerbated. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

• Hangover wad first described 3000 years ago in ayurvedic text called sushruta samhita as a madatayay (post drinking condition charactetized by thirst, pain in head and joints, and heaviness of the body) 
• As alcoholic drinks contain ethanol which the body breaks down into the toxins formaldehyde and formic acid about 10 hours after drinking, making you feel ill.
• Ginger honey water- honey contains potassium and frutose which neutralise the lethal impact and metabolize and flushes out faster. Add 1 tea spoon of ginger juice in 1 cup of warm water and add on 1 tea spoon of honey and consume it warm and repeat as many times as required or bite couple of little pieces of ginger.

INDIAN SCENE OF FESTIVALS AND USE OF EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL:

With festival season approaching fast, the use of Alcohol goes beyond normal consumption limits by otherwise normal alcohol drinkers. Members of societies which forbid alocohol drinking also are seen tempted towards fun by relaxing, intoxicating and inebriating themselves by use of alcohol.

.Alcoholism is a major health and social problem throughout the world though it is a major cause of motor accidents particularly for young people.

GLOBAL SCENE OF ALCOHOLISM:

Alcoholism is a major health and social problem throuhout the globe though it is amjor cause of motor accidents and incidental deaths particularly for young people. The consumption of alcohol has existed in human society since time immemorial. In modern world all types of alcoholic beverages are freely available in global market.

Heavy drinkers suffer from HANGOVER which is a collection of signs and symptoms linked with recent bouts of heavy drinking. Hangovers may occur at any time of the day but commonly the morning the night of heavy or excess drinking and person may experience:

1. Physical symptoms: headache, dizziness, sickness, sleepyness, thirsty and confused

2. Psychological and mental fatigue: feels elevated levels of anxiety, regret, shame, embarrassment, depression etc and less the sleep worse the hangover.

CURE AND PREVENTION:

Modern science clearly indicates that there is no cure but resting, drinking water and replacing electrolytes by food may help. Generally symptoms go away after 24 hrs. Preventive measure is responsible drinking.

EFFECTS ON LIVER:

Drinking heavy and excess alcohol can increase your risk of developing alcoholic liver disease e.g.  fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis/ cirrhosis etc. When liver tries to breakdown alcohol, the resultant chemical reaction can damage its cells. Similarly heavy alcohol damages intestinal lining/ intestines thereby allowing gut bacteria to enter liver causing inflammation and scarring of liver. When regular excesses in drinking is the way of life, you may guess what can be the worst in a particular person.

AYURVEDA's PERSPECTIVE FOR PREVENTION and CURE:

Ayurveda has clear opinion and rules on the use of Madya - the Alcohol. Ayurveda has defined views on npreparation of Herbal wines called Asavas and Arishtas. Western Herbalism also uses tinctures etc in the same way as Ayurveda to extract active ingradients of herbs.

In Ayurveda MADATYA ROGA is associated with effects of alcoholism. Ayurveda's herbal bitters like Neem, Guduchi, Bhuiamla, Kalmegh, Amla and many others not only protect and cure liver inflammation by Pittavirechan and detoxification but there are other home remedies like dates, raisins, Kokum butter, tamarind fruit, pomegranates, Amla etc which may be combined as powder and taken with 100ml of boiled, cooled water. It may be taken soon after alcohol intake or at bed time or in the morning. Make it fresh because it cant be stored for long. Amalvetas,Tvak, Ela, Marich, Safed Jeera, Souvarchal Namak, Vrikshamala, Sugar effectively overcomes hangover.

SO I MAY SAY THAT RESONSIBLE DRINKING AND USE OF HERBS ARE WISER STEPS TO COMBAT EFFECTS OF ALCOHOLISM.

Customised and readymade Ayurvedic Solutions are available for prevention and cure of Hangover and Liver affliction.

Most people experience prominent side effects on their body and mind the morning following a night of heavy drinking. These after-effects of consuming excessive alcohol, popularly called a hangover, include rapid heartbeat, headache, anxiety, exhaustion, vomiting, dizziness, lack of energy, and body pain.

Drinking too much alcohol (5 to 7 drinks for men and 3 to 5 for women) not only causes a hangover but also can negatively impact your health by damaging your liver, central nervous system, brain and gastrointestinal system. It takes about 8 to 24 hours to cure a hangover completely, but you can try these natural remedies to get quick relief from the symptoms and reduce the recovery time.

1. Have a banana

A hangover is often associated with decreased potassium levels in your body and having a banana will help replenish it as it contains an adequate amount of the mineral.

Directions: you can either have one or two whole bananas or a banana smoothie with few drops of honey to get relieve from most hangover symptoms.

2. Try honey

Honey contains fructose, which helps to neutralize the negative impact of alcohol on your body. Moreover, honey provides relief from the hangover as it also helps digest the alcohol better.

Directions: take 3-4 teaspoons of honey after each hour (post-hangover) till you feel yourself getting better. You can increase the dosage according to the severity of your hangover.

3. Go for a glass of tomato juice

Tomato juice proves to be very effective in curbing the symptoms of a hangover as it compensates for the dehydration caused in your body due to excessive alcohol consumption. Also, due to its fructose content, tomato helps in metabolizing the alcohol present in your body.

Directions: drink a glass of fresh tomato juice or soup laden with 1 tablespoon each of honey and fresh lemon juice. You can have this juice in the morning once and repeat in the afternoon if needed.

4. Drink a lot of water

When it comes to beating a hangover, there is no substitute for water. Drinking water is not only a tried and tested remedy, but is also the most effective way to cure a hangover. This happens because water fights the dehydration of fluids in your body caused by drinking alcohol.

Directions: to keep the hangover at bay, drink one glass of water after each glass or shot of alcohol you consume. If you forget to do this, starting your day with a bottle of water the next morning will help reduce hangover symptoms drastically. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.