Cure that hangover! Don't Drink and Pass Out!!!

So what exactly is a hangover? A hangover can be described as the various not-so-pleasant effects on the mind and the body that occur due to an abundant consumption of alcoholic drinks. The effects of hangover differ depending on one's gender, age, body weight, body's metabolic rate and the amount of alcoholconsumed. 

The most common effects of a hangover include a variety of symptoms like bad headaches, fatigue, upset stomach, sweating, nausea, bad taste in the mouth excessive thirst, sensitivity to light and last but not the least, a guilty conscience. Sometimes, the after effects of hangovers can also escalate to anxiety, depression and inability to think clearly. Besides binge drinking, hangovers occur due to other reasons like drinking on an empty stomach, dehydration in the body, insufficient sleep after consuming alcohol etc.

Hangover occurs because ethanol present in the alcohol causes an increase of diuresis or an increased urine production that causes dehydrating effects like severe headaches, fatigue, nausea and sometimes vomiting too. Nausea is generally caused due to the effects of alcohol on the lining of the stomach. So what do you do, when you get a hangover? Here are some tips:

The best thing to do to cure a hangover is to drink lots of water. Increasing liquid intake in the body, helps the body to flush out the toxins and alcohol accumulated in the body.

When you're experiencing a hangover, it is necessary to increase the vitamin C quotient in your body. Therefore, consume lots of citrus fruit juices, lime juice or nimbu paani, alternatively you can also take vitamin C tablets.

Drinking coffee and hot chocolate can help in reducing the severity of headaches that occur due to hangovers. Ginger tea, tomato juice and mint tea are other options.

Placing napkins soaked in cold water, on the forehead can be done to ease the severe headache and signs of an oncoming fever.

Take a hot shower, as this will help in making you feel fresh and reduce feelings of lethargy and fatigue in the body.

Sugars in the form of sucrose are beneficial in reducing effects of a hangover. Therefore, eating bananas or honey is a good option. You can also try yummy peanut butter. It helps.

Drinking black coffee without any sugar and with few drops of lemon juice added to it, is another effective remedy.

Boil some thyme leaves in some water. Keep sipping this water throughout the day.

Drink Bloody Mary because tomato juice and celery are rich in vitamins, and Hair of the Dog, which includes gin and hot sauce.

Remember 
To avoid hangovers:

Never drink excessively. Just drink how much you can handle.

Do not consume a mixture of different types of alcohol. Instead of guzzling hard drinks, preferably stick to beer or wine, as it gives a lesser chance of contracting a hangover.

Don't ever drink on an empty stomach. Be sure to have a good meal before or along with your drinks and preferably carbohydrates as it tends to absorb alcohol in the stomach thus, preventing the alcohol to get absorbed in the bloodstream at a slower rate.

Avoid consuming sweets while drinking. Alcohol raises the sugar levels in the body and consuming additional sugary foods will only give you a sugar-high.

It is a good idea to take vitamin B and C before drinking.