5 tips to fight the holiday hangover

The end of year celebrations are often synonymous with heavy meals, difficult to digest, and (a lot) of alcohol! Some do not wait for the New Year to consume large quantities. Indeed, Christmas is a time of celebration during which some will have decided to let go. Here are some tips for recovering from a New Year’s Eve hangover and better attacking New Year’s Eve.

1. Water you will drink

Yes, everyone knows it: to fight against a hangover, and more generally for our health , nothing beats water . But why anyway?

Drink water

Alcohol , or ethanol, disrupts the production of vasopressin , the antidiuretic hormone, ie the one that prevents us from going to the toilet every ten minutes. By inhibiting this molecule, alcohol causes us to go to the bathroom more often and therefore accelerates the phenomenon of dehydration .

This is why even without a hangover, it is possible to feel a great feeling of thirst the day after a slightly alcoholic evening.

The key word after a drunken Christmas (or any other evening) is to drink water  !

If you want to vary the pleasures, you can opt for herbal tea . A good infusion of plants is excellent for rehydrating the body. Moreover, it is possible to take advantage of the benefits of certain plants to help us get over a hangover!

Some herbal teas to fight the hangover

If there is no miracle anti-hangover recipe , know that nature is full of a thousand and one plants that can help us overcome some symptoms of an excessively alcoholic evening:

Peppermint is a natural  painkiller. A good herbal tea can reduce headaches , but not only! This plant also facilitates digestion , which we know can be difficult the day after a Christmas too loaded with alcohol and food. Infuse 2 grams of peppermint leaves for about ten minutes;

Nettle is a plant with infinite virtues. Purifying, it is particularly interesting to purge the body and facilitate the elimination of toxins . It is a plant also possessing minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, iron and sodium. With too much alcohol absorption, part of the minerals are evacuated from our organism, in particular potassium  ;

Sage is known for its digestive properties . It will therefore be very useful to allow your stomach to recover from an overflow of alcohol.

Express recipe after a drunken evening (also to be used to recover from overeating): infuse 1 tbsp. sage and 1 tbsp. nettle coffee for 5 minutes and drink hot!

2. But all the drinks you won’t drink

If it is strongly advised to hydrate when suffering from a hangover, this does not mean that you have to drink anything and everything. Acidic drinks will only make the discomfort felt worse.

Coffee is also to be avoided in this situation. It causes blood vessels to narrow and increases blood pressure, amplifying hangover symptoms, especially if accompanied by stomach pain or indigestion . Theine is also to be avoided.

Conversely, you can consume fruit juices , preferably freshly squeezed. They will allow you to hydrate yourself while filling up with vitamins and minerals!

3. Sugar, you will consume

No, you’re not dreaming ! A sugar intake can reduce the effects of a hangover. Indeed, an overconsumption of alcohol is responsible for a decrease in glucose . However, this is a real fuel for our body, especially our brain.

carbohydrates sugars definition

It is therefore important to provide him with a small dose of sugar again . Be careful, this does not mean that you have to stuff yourself with candies and other sweet treats, at the risk of accentuating stomach aches, a symptom often accompanying a hangover.

To do good for your body, prefer fruits and especially bananas . In addition to raising your blood sugar levels, bananas are high in potassium . This reduces considerably when we are dehydrated due to alcohol.

Do not hesitate to cook yourself a good plate of pasta to bring slow sugars to your body, ideal for giving it back the energy it needs.

4. Eggs You Will Eat

Eggs can be very good allies to fight a hangover. When we drink a lot (too much) alcohol, chemical reactions take place. Alcohol is transformed into acetaldehyde . In high doses, this molecule can create nausea , tachycardia and facial flushing .

One of the main causes of a hangover is the accumulation of acetaldehyde in our body. Even though the body is an incredible machine, made to eliminate the majority of toxins, we can give it a little boost.

Cysteine is an amino acid with hepatic action . It allows a better elimination of toxins contained in the liver, in particular acetaldehyde. In a 2020 study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism , Finnish researchers found that cysteine ​​can significantly reduce hangover symptoms, particularly nausea and headaches . However, they specified that this molecule was not the miracle remedy against the effects of overconsumption of alcohol!

Nevertheless, eggs are high in cysteine . So in case of a hangover, a small omelette will do you no harm!

5. Alcohol will calm you down

If you want to re-attack New Year’s Eve in great shape after a drunken Christmas, the best thing is to slow down, or even stop, your alcohol consumption between the two holidays. This will allow your liver and stomach to rest!

We remind you that even without being a very heavy alcohol consumer, its consumption has an influence on the development of certain pathologies and diseases:

Tired ;

Blood pressure too high;

Sleep disorder ;

Memory and concentration problems;

Promotion of cancers , cardiovascular disorders and cirrhosis.

The best way to protect yourself from a bad hangover is not to consume alcohol, or to adopt a few tips, such as: