Last week, I woke up the same way so many of my wonderful peers do — with a raging hangover.
Shortly after waking up, I rolled over in bed, rolled my eyes and exclaimed “WHY GOD WHY?” I then promptly vomited. My roommates are pretty familiar with this routine. As a health and wellness guru, I thought to myself, “This couldn’t possibly be healthy.”
As I write this, I’m currently prepping for another Saturday night on the town, and bracing myself for the worst. I’m frantically trying to research healthy ways to prevent a hangover for my own personal edification. In the past, I’ve tried to pregame my pregame by eating an entire pizza to prevent a hangover. But like vomiting, that couldn’t possibly be healthy either.
The number one thing that keeps coming up on every health-related website I read is that essentially, the best way to prevent a hangover is to drink in moderation — but if we’re unwilling to do that, what other options do we have?
After digging a little deeper, my research began to yield more fruitful results. One of the most useful tips I’ve found is to avoid alcohol with congeners, which are toxic byproducts of alcohol production. Some icky examples of congeners are methanol, isopentanol and acetone. Drinks that have high levels of congeners include whiskey, cognac and tequila. Bourbon whiskey in particular is extremely high in congeners. Alcohol such as vodka, gin and rum contain low levels of congeners, with vodka containing the lowest of all. As a general rule of thumb, if it’s colorless, you’re less likely to have a hangover.
This next tip might seem kind of obvious, but drinking plenty of water is essential in avoiding a hangover. I didn’t know this until tonight, but alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it increases the amount of urine you produce. My plan tonight is to drink a glass of water or a nonalcoholic drink for every alcoholic drink I have — staying hydrated ain’t no joke!
Hangovers are often associated with hypoglycemia, the science-y term for low blood sugar. To prevent low blood sugar, having some late night noms is a good call, and having a healthy breakfast is essential.
My biggest frustration with drinking in general is that if I’m drinking a lot, I feel the need to consume a ton of carbs and unhealthy food in order to prevent a hangover. Perhaps it’s a placebo effect, but generally, after nights where I eat a ton and drink a ton, I feel less hungover than I do after nights when I eat a normal amount and drink a ton. I’m sure science could back me up on that.
One life hack I’ve been trying to work into my routine is to prepare a healthy, hearty, home cooked meal before I go out, so I avoid eating two entire pizzas in one day. I usually cook it in a pretty large quantity, because in these instances, I’m looking to nourish myself better, not necessarily eat less. Past hangover prevention meals of mine include pasta with ample veggies, stuffed sweet potatoes with avocado toast and chicken curry and brown rice. My all time favorite? Two Trader Joe’s Super Burritos (which are super yummy and contain quinoa and sweet potatoes), hummus and some pita chips. My savvy meal planning doesn’t always save me from a hangover, but it does help me avoid spending money on T. Anthony’s, and I’m certainly fueling my body better than I would with pizza.
My number one piece of advice for dealing with a hangover is to listen to your body, nourish it well and when possible, use common sense. It doesn’t take a rocket science to understand that those of us who drink are regularly and intentionally ingesting stuff that our bodies aren’t particularly keen on.
There are an innumerable amount of reasons why hangovers are the worst, but for me, it usually takes me an entire day to recover from a night out, and dealing with a hangover is simply a waste of time. So this week’s tip is to be mindful, plan your nights out and always listen to your body.
