Waking up with a hangover can throw off your entire day. You wake up with a splitting headache and feel like you didn’t sleep a wink. Anyone who has gone out drinking will agree that a hangover is the absolute worst, especially when you have plans or something to do the next day.
The good news is that there are ways to avoid a hangover or at least make your symptoms more bearable the next day. Let’s look at how to avoid a hangover after a night out.
Stay Hydrated
To start, always follow the tried and true rule of staying hydrated. Since alcohol is a diuretic, you’re going to urinate more often during happy hour. Dehydration isn’t the only cause of a hangover, but making sure you drink plenty of water will help you to avoid severe symptoms the next day.
While you’re out, try to drink a glass of water in between drinks, and drink another one before bed. You can even bring a water bottle with you to make sure you don’t forget. You should also drink water during the day before your outing.
Hair of the Dog
It may not seem like the healthiest option, but having a drink in the morning is a popular method to knock out a hangover. There isn’t much research to back up this method, but when you drink alcohol in the morning, your body will stop metabolizing methanol and you avoid hangover symptoms. This method can be very risky and do more harm than good.
Stay Away From Drinks High in Congeners
The ingredient in alcohol that gets you drunk is ethanol. Ethanol is produced when yeast ferments sugar during the distillation process. When this happens, congeners are created as a by-product.
Different types of alcohol will have higher or lower amounts of congeners. It depends on the carbs, sugar, and yeast strain that’s fermented during the process. To avoid a hangover, choose drinks with a lower amount of congeners. These include:
- White wine
- Clear rum
- Gin
- Sake
- Light beer
Avoid drinks like whiskey and tequila, which are extremely high in congeners. They can make you have a much worse hangover. Hangover pills could also support recovery by boosting antioxidant levels to neutralize free radicals.
Limit Your Drinks
The best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink at all, but sometimes we want to have a little fun. If you have been experiencing really bad hangovers, try drinking in moderation. Set a drink limit and stick to it so you don’t go overboard.
Since everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, you need to figure out the number for yourself. Some people drink 1-3 drinks and have a horrible hangover, for others the number is much higher. Again, if you want to avoid the risk altogether, just don’t drink.
The Bottom Line
To sum it up, if you’re drinking alcohol you’re going to run the risk of a hangover no matter how much you drink. Stay hydrated, limit your drinks and watch out for congeners. As always, drink responsibly and have fun!
