10 Jun How to decrease the chance of a hangover
The best way to avoid a hangover completely is to simply not drink, however there are definitely ways to fend off the nausea, headaches and dizziness that often follow a night of hard partying. Follow these simple steps to have a less painful Sunday!
- Pre-drinking Prep – Take a vitamin and avoid herbal teas.
Make sure your immune system is at its strongest before you start drinking Research shows that herbal teas make your body process alcohol slower, so your hangover lasts longer
- Eat carbs before drinking –
How your body metabolizes alcohol depends on what you have to eat prior drinking. Your body will absorb better if you choose to have a pizza over salad before drinking. Having a yogurt before drinking will line your stomach.
- Drinks to skip –
If you want to avoid a splitting headache the following day, avoid the following drinks – Champaign, sweet wine (E.G Riesling), any sugary mixers (E.G Cruisers/Double Blacks) and dark Liquor (E.G Rum).
- Drink more water/Powerade
Staying hydrated can reduce the negative affects of alcohol. Replacing lost fluids with water combats the dehydration you experience the next morning. Recent studies show that drinking energy drinks such as Powerade and Gatorade can actually be more beneficial than drinking water as they replace electrolytes faster than water.
- Drink Expensive Drinks
Studies show that cheaper liquors contain high levels of ‘congeners’. Congeners are substances other than alcohol produced during fermentation. People can often find themselves ‘allergic’ to these chemical substances, which can increase the chances of a hangover.
6. Burn Off Those Sulphates
If you often suffer from headaches the day after drinking you could be sensitive to the sulphates which will make you feel hungover even if you are not. These are the preservatives (generally 220) found in all wines – even organic. A tip from a top wine maker is to literally swish the wine around in the glass which air rates it and burns off the sulphates. Better still have two glasses and pour the wine from one glass to the other and drink from the glass containing a small portion of wine. Some companies such as Leeuwin Estate use 224 as a preservative which seems to agree with more people.
