How To Cure Your Hangover After The Fourth Of July
Now that we're days away from the Fourth of July, it's time to brush up on your hangover prevention and treatment methods. Not all of these tips are guaranteed to work for you, but one or two may save you from a morning of pure torture.
To help minimize your misery on July 5, we asked for professional guidance on how to survive that Sunday. Some of these recommendations are for those who plan to avoid a hangover altogether (good luck), while others are for people who have come to expect a hangover after drinking, like the sunrise after a night of darkness.
B Vitamins
B vitamins (specifically B1, B2, B6, and B12) are essential to brain function, metabolism, red blood cell production, and other crucial bodily processes. Drinking quickly destroys your B vitamin levels. A vitamin B complex will not get rid of your hangover, but may help you get well faster.
Bone Broth
"There is a reason your grandmother said to eat chicken soup when you are sick," says David Crooch, biomechanics specialist and the founder of Osteobroth. In a University of Nebraska study, proteins in chicken soup were shown to mitigating effect on throat and nasal inflammation, otherwise recognizable as the symptoms of a cold. The hangover itself is believed to be your body's inflammatory response to alcohol, so bone broth could potentially provide a similarly soothing effect.
For best results, Crooch recommends you pair it with a glass of water.
Coconut Water
The name of the game is electrolytes, people — and this hydrating beverage is full of them, without all the sugar that is often added to sports drinks. Coconut water, which is taken from young green coconuts, contains essential electrolytes like potassium and sodium, which are depleted every time you drink. The brand is less important than the label, which will tell you whether sugar has been added and whether the product contains additives. It's even better to take advantage of fresh coconuts, if you have access to them.
If possible, try to load up on electrolytes while drinking and before bed, because dehydration will not feel good the next morning.
Fish Oil
Although no doctor will tell you that fish oil will prevent your hangover, the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been proven to help reduce inflammation in the brain as a result of alcohol consumption — which can lead to brain cell damage and dementia in later life if untreated.
Healthy Fats
One of the best things you can do to stave off, or at least minimize, your hangover is to eat healthy fats — think avocados, nuts, and fish — to slow the absorption of alcohol into your system. Cysteine, which is found in meat, eggs, and soy beans, counteracts acetaldehyde, the compound produced during the metabolism of alcohol that is thought to be responsible for several hangover symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, skin flushing, headache, and vomiting.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle, which you can take in pill form or liquid extract, is a popular hangover treatment because of its effectiveness in treating liver conditions such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. This use of milk thistle has also been endorsed by Dr. Oz. Admittedly, his endorsements have been criticized for their lack of scientific support — but milk thistle was not among them.
Peppermint
If nausea is your biggest hangover hurdle, peppermint tea can help soothe your upset stomach by calming the stomach muscles and improving the flow of bile. In fact, pregnant women often turn to peppermint tea and other extracted forms to fight morning sickness.
Prickly Pear Cactus
If coconut water doesn't appeal to you, try prickly pear water. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that, when paired with a hearty meal, the extract of prickly pear cactus in capsule form effectively reduced three of nine known hangover symptoms — nausea, dry mouth, and loss of appetite — for test subjects. The other subjects, unfortunately, had to suffer through the full hangover for the sake of research. If you prefer to take your hangover helper in liquid form, try True Nopal Cactus Water.
Watermelon
In addition to being a scientifically backed libido booster with "Viagra-like effects," according to researchers from Texas A&M's Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, watermelon is a useful hangover fighter because it's so hydrating — water makes up 92 percent of a watermelon.