The Surest Way to Cure Your Hangover

A night of too much booze often comes with a side of queasiness and a pounding headache. We’ve all heard rumors about what helps, from hot sauce to burnt toast to more alcohol, but here’s what doctors say really works as a morning-after remedy.

First, it’s important to recognize what your hungover body is trying to tell you. Alcohol makes you urinate more, and that depletes your body of much-needed fluids. At the same time, impurities in the fermenting alcohol essentially flood your body with toxins, causing those painful side effects.

It’s not always easy in practice, but the best way to avoid that nasty hangover in the first place is to alternate your alcoholic drinks with water.

Too late for that? On the morning after, the very best way to ease your stomach is to drink water. Water will rehydrate you, dilute the toxins that have built up overnight and flush them out.

Eating is also key, whether you want to fight or prevent a hangover. Filling your stomach before you drink, especially with heavier, greasier foods, can line the stomach and slow down the absorption of alcohol. And noshing after a night out, even if it’s last thing you feel like doing, can replenish your body with nutrients so it starts to function better.

READ MORE Should You Eat Whatever You Want For The Holidays?

If you remember, try taking two aspirin before going to bed, and another couple when you wake up. That can ease some of the head pounding that comes from the drop in blood alcohol and being dehydrated from all that drinking.

As for overeating, it’s sometimes inevitable, especially at holiday feasts. Try to cut down on your portions, or at least eat more slowly. That can help your brain and body stay in sync and work together to determine when you’re no longer hungry. Extra points if you load up on high-fiber foods like whole grains, vegetables and nuts; they’ll make you evacuate your bowels more frequently and make you feel less uncomfortable. Just remember not to bring it up during one of those big meals.