Christmas is a time for celebration which means many of us will be sinking a few tipples over the next week.
But, nobody wants to lose Boxing Day to the dreaded post-Christmas hangover.
So, whether you indulged in too much port or forgot to hydrate throughout the day we’ve got some tips to help you recover from your hangover… quickly.
Lucy Jade Webb, ANutr, Nutritionist and Healthy Lifestyle Advisor at Vitamist, said: “Alcohol can reduce the absorption of certain key nutrients that you need (B vitamins, vitamin C, Zinc, Folic Acid) so after a heavy night drinking, you will need to eat a good breakfast to help restore these, such as toast with almond butter and banana.
“Supplements can also help, especially B12, which can help replace the B vitamins lost the night before and boost your energy levels.”
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She added: “A lot of hangover symptoms come from being dehydrated as alcohol can act as a diuretic, meaning that we lose a lot more water from our body (and feel like we ‘break the seal’) by urinating more, causing a lot of our hangover symptoms such as headaches.
“Make sure to drink plenty of water before you go to bed and throughout the next day to help ease those symptoms.”
Meanwhile, Sue Jones, Director of Wellbeing & Nutrition at We Are Wellbeing commented: “try dosing with ginger. Ginger has been shown to relieve hangover symptoms and it is a potent antioxidant and therefore can help to relieve symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
“Coconut water has been shown in medical studies to be an excellent choice when you need rehydration as it contains high levels of electrolytes, is less acidic and has a relatively low sugar content.
“If you wake up feeling hungover, your blood sugar levels will be low which can make you feel lethargic, weak, and may give you a headache. Eat some carbohydrates for energy, try to replace vitamins and minerals, eat some protein and avoid fatty, oily food and salty food if you can. “
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And, Dr. Sue also busted some common myths about hangover cures.
She explained: “Being sick won’t help when you’re suffering with a hangover.
“When you drink alcohol, it’s very quickly absorbed from the stomach into your bloodstream, so vomiting now will make very little difference to your blood alcohol level.
“To get over a hangover you need to be rehydrated. Vomiting makes you more dehydrated, so this is totally counterproductive.”
The doctor also added: “It’s a common myth that a sweaty session in the gym will help you to rid the alcohol from your body. Sadly, this is not the case.
“The only way to get rid of that excess alcohol is to let your liver work it’s magic. Sweating in the gym will cause further dehydration and is likely to make you feel worse. Your cognitive function is notably reduced when you are hungover and this affects your risk-taking behaviour and decision making abilities, meaning you’re more likely to overdo it in the gym and risk injury.”
If you’re struggling to control your alcohol intake please contact your GP for support or visit drinkaware.co.uk for further resources. The NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol in a week.
