Wednesday Wellbeing: Hangover hacks by Zoe

Rehna December 11, 2019 Alcohol, festive season drinking, Hangover hacks, health tips

How to cope with the festive ‘hangover’ season

Now, just because I celebrated two years of sobriety on the 4th December 2019 (preach!) it doesn’t mean I don’t have an elephant style memory for remembering the best hacks to slay a hangover in its tracks!
As a Health & Wellness Coach here are my top tips for coping when those festive tipples become more than the planned one or two. Plus, some tips for planning ahead to mitigate the impact.

As we know hangovers are often caused by dehydration.
Keep a stock of rehydration sachets close by. My preferred brand used to be Dioralyte, the blackcurrant flavour. Take one sachet before bed at night with a very large glass of water and another first thing on waking. Followed by additional ones as needed throughout the day.

This is not a substitute for making sure you stay as hydrated as possible. It’s in addition to making sure you’re adequately hydrated. Taken in conjunction with a couple of Paracetamol, this can be an effective combo to manage the headache, nausea, dehydration and upset stomach. Carry sachets with you at all times during the festive season! My husband and I used to stash them in our soap bags when we were away on overnight trips, so they were ready in the bathroom on our return!

Detox in an Epsom Salt Bath

Stock up in advance on several kilos of Epsom Bath Salts by ordering in bulk. It’s more cost effective to buy 10 or 20 kilos than a kilo for £9.99 in a local store! Leftovers can be used at your leisure. When returning home after your tipples, time, state of mind and levels of intoxication allowing, run a warm bath and add 2 – 3 large mugs of the salts and soak for 20 – 30 minutes. Soaking in this mineral bath supports the body in detoxifying the alcohol and can alleviate digestive bloating associated with overindulgence. This hack can be really effective, particularly if you haven’t overindulged too intensely.

Be sure to be get out of the bath carefully, as the salts can have an intense destabilising effect, even without alcohol. Wrap up warm to continue the detox process, drink several large glasses of water and retire to bed for as much sleep as possible When I used to drink, if I was staying overnight in a hotel, I always made sure I had a bath in my room and took my salts with me! This remedy can also be used the following morning for a relaxing start to the day!

Sleep

Getting enough sleep can be tricky when we’ve overindulged. But enough rest can really lessen the impact of the hangover. I used to diffuse sleep inducing essential oils in a diffuser close to my bed to promote deeper sleep. Or you can try using the It Works’ Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and popping a couple of magnesium tablets before you retire. Magnesium is known for supporting sleep. However, it’s the body’s job to get busy processing the toxins out overnight and this is what usually impacts on our sleep. So, factoring in an early night the following day to catch up, will best support the immune system and make the body less susceptible to picking up colds or viruses.

Nausea

Drinking fresh ginger tea throughout the following morning can support nausea. Simply cut up lots of slices of fresh ginger or grate it into a tea pot, brew and sip frequently. Honey can be added if desired. Peppermint or fresh mint tea can also work. As can inhaling peppermint oil. Nausea can also be caused by low blood sugar. Making sensible food choices the following morning will support your body in maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Again, protein is the answer here too.

Prevention – planning ahead

• Try to avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Get some high protein snacks in, to eat in advance to help regulate blood sugar levels. These could be cheese, chicken, nuts or a protein bar.

• Set a limit and stick to it. Ask a friend or colleague to support you with this, particularly if you know you’re prone to carrying on after a few too many, when typically our judgement becomes impaired.

• Rehydrate regularly throughout the evening with copious amounts of room temperature, still water. It’s all too easy to forget about this simple technique once the drinks start to flow!

• Avoid drinking too quickly. When we drink quickly, this is what will most likely lead to memory loss the next day and a large volume of consumption. So,try to pace yourself, particularly if you’re on the bubbles!

Wishing you a fun filled festive season and as usual feel free to hop over to the Gram to pick up more insights in my stories. My festive fav is a hot n spicy ginger beer, pimped up with some wedges of lime. https://www.instagram.com/zoe.swan/?hl=en

Peace & Love,

Zoe

Health & Wellness Coach & Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher