THE HANGOVER CURE

DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP

The only way to avoid a pounding head and queasiness

the morning after is to drink in moderation, or to stay

away from alcohol entirely. But it’s often easy to overindulge. 

Alternating your drinks with water or another non-alcoholic

beverage can help you slow down and stay hydrated. If you

still wind up with a hangover, you may be inclined to try one

of the many supposedly tried-and-true remedies.

However, traditional hangover remedies are often

ineffective, and some of them may actually make you

feel worse.

HAIR OF THE DOG

Even though the thought of a Bloody Mary may appeal to you,

a Virgin Mary is a much better choice the morning after.

The worst thing to do is to have another drink.

The alcohol may temporarily help your symptoms

but could hurt in the long run. Hangovers make you feel

horrible because alcohol is toxic and you need to give

your body a chance to recover. That morning drink could

lead to an even worse hangover the following day.

GREASY BREAKFAST

There’s no scientific evidence that a heaping helping of bacon

and eggs will ease hangover anguish, even though many

people swear by it. "Greasy food is just going to give you

heartburn, sticking with easy-to-digest foods such as

toast or cereal as you need to get calories back into your system." 

Eat light and stay hydrated, no specific foods are recommended,

although honey sandwiches are helpful to some people.

ALKA-SELTZER

Alka-Seltzer turned 80 in 2011, and the famous fizzy medicine

has probably been used to treat hangovers for nearly that long.

In 2001, the company even introduced a Morning

Relief formulation specifically for hangovers.

All Alka-Seltzer varieties contain sodium bicarbonate

(also known as baking soda), which will help settle a queasy

belly by neutralizing stomach acid. Still, other ingredients,

notably aspirin and citric acid, may irritate your stomach after

a night of heavy drinking.

HANGOVER PILLS

There are lots of hangover "cures" in a bottle out there but very

little evidence to back up claims. "Hangover pills that have been

studied are not effective, or only help against a few complaints but

not all.

Take a multivitamin instead to restore the nutrients that your

body may have lost during a binge.

COFFEE

If you’re a regular coffee drinker, skipping a cup when you’re

hung over may—or may not—be a good idea, You may wind up

layering a pounding caffeine-withdrawal headache on top of your

hangover woes when you miss your regular morning fix.

That said, caffeine narrows your blood vessels and boosts

blood pressure. "Both of these may make the hangover worse. 

If you drink coffee regularly, you might try a very small amount in the

morning. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and see how you feel.

WATER AND SPORTS DRINKS

Conventional wisdom holds that the dehydration caused by

heavy drinking is what makes you feel so sick the next day.

In fact, experts actually know very little about what causes a hangover.

Potential culprits include disrupted biological rhythms or even

alcohol withdrawal, and research suggests that the toxic substances

found in alcohol, especially dark liquors such as whiskey

may also play a role. 

Nevertheless, replacing the fluid you've lost will likely help you

feel a little less miserable. "Juice, water, all those things,

they're going to make you feel better.

EXERCISE

A gentle workout could help you feel better, if you

can manage it (and that's a big if).

"Remember: If you've been drinking heavily, you could be

a little dehydrated, you could be metabolically behind on your

nutrition, and exercise is going to require hydration and nutrition.

SLEEP

People sleep poorly after a night of drinking. Alcohol will put

you to sleep quickly, but when it begins to wear off several hours later,

the withdrawal your body feels can disrupt sleep and jolt you awake.

Although sleep deprivation won't by itself cause a hangover,

it definitely can make the symptoms feel worse.

If you have the luxury of "sleeping it off" the next day, do so.

Your foggy brain and achy body will thank you. The body’s got an

amazing capacity to heal on its own.

In the end, the only sure fire treatment for a hangover is time.