Even the best drinkers occasionally get a hangover. Fortunately, Harvard University has been looking out for us. They got in touch with Dr. Swift, a hangover expert (aren’t we all?), and put together a list of the seven steps to cure your hangover. Most of the them are no brainers for seasoned beer drinkers. But it is nice to know science backs up our extensive experiential evidence. And we can always use a reminder about how to recover from a rough night.
Hair of the dog. Damn straight. I absolutely love that this is the number one recommendation from a professor of hangovers and the hallowed halls of Harvard.
Drink fluids. This goes without saying. We like to keep some Gatorade around the house just for this purpose.
Get some carbohydrates into your system. They say that drinking might lower blood sugars, which robs your body of fuel. So, a big breakfast – or anything that you can keep down – helps to cure the hangover. And that late night pizza delivery or diner run (with a sober driver, of course) is not just scrumptious, but it might help prevent a hangover the next day.
Avoid darker-colored alcoholic beverages. Best to keep to the cheap beer, light and less hangover inducing.
Take a pain reliever, but not Tylenol. Tylenol – which is just acetaminophen, so don’t take that either – negatively affects the liver; the alcohol in your system makes it worse. Stick to aspirin and ibuprofen.
Drink caffeine. Dr. Swift asserts that caffeine isn’t some magic cure. But as a stimulant, it will help with the grogginess.
B vitamins and zinc. The study that suggests that B vitamins and zinc can help prevent and lessen hangovers did not have a large sample size. But we’ve long been proponents of downing an Emergen-C, which is loaded with a bunch of the Bs and zinc in addition to C and many other nutrients.
Hopefully you don’t encounter a hangover. But if you do, your cure can start with the things above. And share your own remedies in the comments below!
