Land Of Sheep

Let’s face it. Most of us get hangovers from time to time. Hangovers suck and we need to know how to deal with them. Don’t you just want to punch the people and doctors who recommend things like, “limit yourself to two drinks”. I mean, who actually does that 100% of the time? What about, “you’re dehydrated, just drink some water”, as if that is the magic cure. I’ve researched and tried a lot of things for hangovers. Here is what actually works!

1. Take aspirin or ibuprofin before drinking. Don’t take Tylenol!

Alcohol consumption causes an increase in the body’s natural production of prostoglandins. Prostoglandins increase the body’s sensitivity to pain. Alcohol also increases inflammation. Aspirin and ibuprofin both work by decreasing the production of prostoglandins and decreasing inflammation. If you take this medicine before and/or during drinking, the effects will be much better because you will stop these problems before they start. Don’t take Tylenol because Tylenol and alcohol taken together can be toxic to the liver. Tylenol works by increasing the body’s pain threshold, so it’s not an anti-inflammatory anyway.

2. Drink a lot of water and electrolytes.

This is no big secret but it’s important not to overlook this one. If you can remember, drink a lot of water and/or fruit juices. Gatorade is perfect. Alcohol is a major diuretic which is why you urinate so much while drinking. You won’t notice those dehydrated cells until morning. It’s not a nice feeling. Drinking water before going to bed is the key. You should drink water when you wake up anyway, but by then a lot of the damage will have already been done. Prevent dehydration in the first place rather than needing to rehydrate in the morning.

3. Drink on a full stomach

Drinking on a full stomach does two important things. One thing is that it slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, and another thing is that it protects your stomach lining. Alcohol is very harsh on the stomach lining, and thats why it can cause such a horrible upset stomach the next day.

4. Drink caffeine

This one may surprise you but it’s a really good hangover tip. A lot of people say to avoid caffeine and alcohol together because they are both diuretics and you will wake up incredibly dehydrated if you drink both together. Caffeine is a diuretic so it is doubly important to drink a lot of water before going to bed if you take caffeine. Here’s the upside that most people don’t know about. Alcohol dilates the blood vessels and caffeine constricts them. The dilated blood vessels can cause a bad headache, and the caffeine helps to take the blood vessels back to normal size. I’ve tried this a lot and my friends and I all find that caffeine is one of the most helpful components for preventing/curing hangovers.

5. Vitamin B6 and magnesium

There have been some professional studies done that show that taking vitamin B6 and magnesium will help with hangovers.

6. Take gravol the next day if you have a really upset stomach

The gravol will help you sleep and it will really help to take the nausea away. It will make you really tired though, so think twice about taking it if you need to get up and work. Hopefully you don’t!

7. Tylenol 3 or aspirin 292 for really bad hangovers.

If you have a really bad hangover, Tylenol 3 or aspirin 292 work amazingly well. Unfortunately, your doctor likely won’t prescribe them to you for this reason. Just keep it in mind if you have any of these meds left over from surgery or something like that.

8. Drink clear liquor like vodka instead of colored ones like red wine.

Congeners are present in colored alcohols and are known to cause hangover symptoms in some people.

I hope this advice helps. Let me know! I’d also love for you to share any of your own hangover secrets.

Most people wait until they already have a headache before doing anything about it. By then, they are in reaction mode and need to wait until the medicine kicks in before they get any relief. Here are 7 simple things you can do to drastically reduce the frequency of your headaches.

1. Take 2 low dose slow release aspirins every day. (81 mg each)

That’s right. It’s a good idea to take aspirin before you get a headache (unless you have some other health reason why you can’t take the aspirin). Prostaglandins are naturally produced hormones that increase the body’s sensitivity to pain. If someone kicks you in the leg for example, your body will naturally produce more prostaglandins, which will make you more aware of the pain. Aspirin, among doing other things, lowers the body’s production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandin production is increased before a person notices a headache. Taking aspirin is a preemptive strike against a headache.

2. Do relaxation techniques before feeling stressed.

Stress and tension in the body are major causes of headaches. The stress and tension need to build up for a while before you will get a headache. Don’t allow this to happen. Practice deep breathing, meditation, listen to relaxing music, do yoga, or something else to get you feeling relaxed. Do this a few times a day whether you think you are stressed or not. Don’t wait until you get a headache before you realize you are stressed and tense.

3. Drink a lot of water

Everyone knows that dehydration causes headaches. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until you have a headache to realize that you need to drink water. Don’t go overboard with this but make sure you are drinking several glasses of water throughout the day.  If you wait until you are dehydrated, it will take a long time to get back on track.  First you have to wait until the water you drink gets to all your cells, and by the time it takes for the water to reach the cells, your body has already sent out a lot of pain signals that won’t go away for quite a while.  If you find drinking water boring, put a slice of lemon in it. You can also mix a bit of fruit juice into the water for some more flavor. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as well since they have a high water content.

4. Stabilize your blood sugar

Blood sugar fluxuations cause all kinds of hormonal changes in the body. Hormone fluxuations can easily cause headaches. Eat several small meals per day. Eat foods that are high in protein and low in simple sugars.

5. Get enough sleep and get regular sleep.

Getting proper and regular sleep keeps your hormones balanced. Being overtired, sleeping at different times, and sleeping too much will give rise to major hormone fluxuations which can often lead to headaches.

6. Have more fun.

Laughing, hanging out with your friends, and having a lot of fun is great for headache prevention. Enjoying your life increases the body’s natural production of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. Just because endorphins are natural, don’t underestimate how strong they are. They bond to the same receptor sites as morphine and heroin. High levels of endorphins are extremely pleasurable for their own sake, and also very helpful in preventing headaches. A lot of endorphins are released when laughing uncontrollably or during an orgasm.

7. Get plenty of exercise.

Endorphins are released during and after exercise. Exercise also helps regulate the body’s natural production of hormones, helps to rid the body of headache causing toxins, and helps to relieve stress.