Ben-official

Author: Ben Benson

Over the past couple weeks I've been getting several suggestions for topics to write about, yet they all seem to share a common theme: "You should look up the nutrition of hard alcohol versus beer." "How much alcohol does it take for any serious side effects?" "Is drinking wine every day good for you?" "Check out the differences of light beer and heavy beer." These are all valid suggestions, and I'm pretty sure my ninth grade health teacher did a great job covering them, though I don't know how many of us listened. So for all you 21+ folks, I decided to look up what might be a few more employable hangover remedies.

First off, identifying your specific hangover symptoms is the key to recovery. Most common symptoms include fatigue, headaches, nausea, thirst, sweating, dizziness and irritability. (Unfortunately, your sore throat and stuffy nose are more likely from sharing a Solo cup with half the party than from alcohol.) Fatigue is due to the disruption of sleep that alcohol causes by severely limiting REM sleep, the time you spend dreaming. Headaches and dizziness come from both dehydration - which alcohol causes by increasing urinary production (see: toilet seat, bathroom floor, trashcan, roommate's bureau) - and from low blood sugar levels. Energy for the brain comes from glucose, and alcohol consumption depletes the body's stores of accessible glucose.

Though it might not always be feasible, a great way to decrease a hangover is to think ahead before going to sleep. Consuming water or an electrolyte-filled beverage, like a sports drink, before bed can replenish blood sugar and help with dehydration. Also, both vitamins C and B before bed are helpful. vitamin C speeds up the body's alcohol breakdown process by stimulating the liver and vitamin B helps speed up the body's carbohydrate metabolic rate - alcohol is all carbs. Good accessible sources of vitamin B are bananas, eggs, chili peppers, whole grains and potatoes. So if you can remember to consume chili peppers, a couple of oranges, a Gatorade and a liter of water before bed, then good for you.

If not, there are a few things you can do to help recovery the next day. Vitamins B and C, sports drinks and water will still help the next morning, and getting back to full hydration will ease the headache. In addition, eating bland foods such as crackers or multigrain toast can help settle stomach nausea. Many people suggest aspirin in the morning to ease a headache, but it could cause further nausea as aspirin is a known stomach irritant.

Depending on the severity of your hangover, a few cups of caffeinated beverages may break you free from irritability and fatigue; just make sure to drink water in addition to stay hydrated. On the other hand, if you're in a real rough state, avoid the caffeine and try to catch up on some sleep. Also, mineral-rich foods like pickles help replenish the body, and tomato juice is a good morning beverage as it contains a type of sugar that helps metabolize alcohol more quickly.

The most popular remedy that I came across during my extensive internet research is a simple banana milkshake. The exact ingredients vary slightly but the main idea is bananas for vitamin B, milk to soothe the stomach, and honey to replenish blood sugar. Also, getting up and either exercising or going for a walk, though it might sound terrible at the time, will get blood flowing and speed up your body's breakdown of the remaining toxins.

I hope you don't have to use any of these techniques, but nobody wants to be hungover while sitting on the beach during spring break.