I just woke up and I’m hungover. Now what? There must be something I can do! After waking up, there are many things you can and should do to begin the hangover recovery process. Here are 10 suggestions to get you feeling better soon:
These top 5 hangover recovery tips are recommended right after you get out of bed:
1) Rehydrate your body with plenty of fluids. Drink plenty of purified or spring water immediately after waking up and continue throughout the morning. Tomato juice (such as V8) and other fresh fruit juices are also very effective liquids. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, often speed up the body’s replenishment process by including electrolytes and other essential vitamins. Herbal teas, such as ginger tea, peppermint tea, and chamomile tea, can work wonders for a heavy hangover stomach.
2) Make sure you eat a decent breakfast, especially if your stomach is relatively empty from the night before. Avoid foods with a lot of starch, fat, or animal fats. A greasy sausage in the morning can make hangover symptoms psychologically or physically worse! Going to bed briefly after eating breakfast can help your stomach settle and speed up the healing process of a hangover.
3) With your breakfast, be sure to take vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies. Panax Ginseng can support mental alertness (and physical endurance). Herbs milk thistle root and dandelion can detoxify the liver. The minerals Magnesium and Calcium can replenish nutrients lost due to alcohol consumption. Finally, all of the B vitamins, vitamin C, and acidophilus can speed up the healing process.
4) Try not to overdo aspirin, ibuprofen, etc… – it’s easy to think you need more than what’s prescribed on the bottle, but often just a small amount is enough. Try to avoid stronger prescription pain relievers as they can be more addictive and have unwanted side effects such as drowsiness. NOTE: The pain reliever acetaminophen has been linked to liver damage, therefore drinkers should avoid this medication.
5) Just ‘let yourself sleep’ (if you can). After being awake and suffering for a while, consider going back to sleep (if you have no pending obligations). A good nap after breakfast, aspirin, a little water, etc… sometimes speeds up the healing process. Just an hour or two in bed may be what the doctor ordered. Consider using an alternative sleep aid, such as soft music, to help you get more rest. Also, always keep an eye mask on hand to block out unwanted light.
Here are 3 less conventional, but possibly effective, solutions to your hangover dilemma:
1) “Will” to exercise. This can be very difficult in the midst of a “blah” feeling, but if you can get past your feelings and lack of morning motivation, try exercising in any way you can. Getting your body moving ultimately energizes your spirit and mental alertness and possibly helps your body eliminate excess alcohol and toxins more quickly. An easy way to invigorate your body and mind is to take a brisk walk around the block.
2) Consider chewing gum aggressively, but don’t overdo it. By chewing gum quickly or by chewing several pieces at a time, you can temporarily become more alert by increasing blood flow around the head and brain area. Obviously, don’t chew if you have dental problems. Also avoid chewing for too long—your jaw muscles can get tired or sore, possibly leading to another headache.
3) Fill your sink with water and ice and keep poking your head in and out until you’ve had enough. This is sure to stimulate your senses! An icy shower can also have similar effects.
Finally:
1) If you have a nasty headache, try using an ice pack on your forehead. Not only can this help your headache, but the coldness could help jolt your overall system into overdrive. If you don’t have an ice pack, make one by filling a resealable plastic bag with ice.
2) Just give it time. One of the best remedies is to simply give a hangover time to heal itself. The severity or duration of a hangover varies based on a number of intangibles, such as exactly how much, what, and how quickly you drank your alcoholic beverage, how long you slept the night before, and how much food you mixed with your drink. In general, your hangover will peak within the first 2 hours after waking up and will improve steadily throughout the day. The average person will be free of most hangover symptoms by mid-afternoon or early evening.
As you can see, there are many ways to recover fairly quickly from terrible morning hangovers, ranging from scientifically proven common sense to radical wisdom. The biggest obstacle is having the ‘will’ to overcome what ails you. With these tips, you can easily reduce your recovery time by 50 percent or more.