How to Prevent Hangovers

How to Prevent Hangovers

A hangover is never pleasant, in fact, The Mayo Clinic defines it as: “a group of unpleasant signs and symptoms that can develop after drinking too much alcohol.” Though a hangover differs from person to person, one of the common denominators with it is dehydration. Some of the symptoms that one can experience with a hangover would be:

how to prevent a hangover

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue 
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting 
  • Dizziness (room spinning)
  • Increased sensitivity to light
  • Irritability

Remember how we mentioned dehydration? Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it helps to remove fluids from the body through the renal system, which includes kidneys, ureters, and bladder at a higher rate than any other liquids. The increased urine output accelerates the effects of dehydration and ultimately while drinking alcohol, you’re causing your body to become dehydrated. 


Below you're able to learn a few tips and tricks to help prevent a nasty hangover. Guess what, it involves water! For simplicity’s sake, we’re going to use the word BEER to describe your alcoholic beverage. Yes, we know that you may not drink beer, and you might actually prefer wine or whiskey, but for this article, let’s call all of it BEER. 


Drink before you Drink

Before you start drinking beer, make sure you take some time out to drink enough water, at least 1 tall glass of water. In other words, pre-game with water. Drinking 8-12oz of water before enjoying a beer will help keep you ahead of dehydration. 

Drink as you Drink

If you’re at a bar or restaurant, make sure you have a glass of water next to your beer. For every sip of beer, you take a sip of water. Remember, beer is a diuretic, so that means it’s going to tell your body to get rid of fluids right away. By taking a sip of water each time you drink your beer, you’re helping to keep your body stay hydrated and ahead of the loss of fluids.

Shots with a Water Chaser

Shots are inevitably going to happen. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, a new job, or your divorce being finalized, someone will offer to buy you shots. But before you down that liquid courage, make sure you have a glass of water ready to chase it with. 


How about some Electrolytes?
If you plan on doing Jameson shots, consider doing a Pickleback. If you’re not familiar with this popular drink, basically it is a shot of Jameson chased by a shot of pickle juice. The pickle juice smooths out any burn you may normally experience with whiskey, but pickle juice is rich in sodium, potassium, and magnesium, making it a perfect electrolyte drink! Pickle juice is highly regarded as one of the best electrolyte drinks available, containing up to 14 times the electrolytes found in other common sports drinks such as Gatorade without the sugar or additives. 

Bring a Water Bottle

It seems like a reusable water bottle has become a fashion accessory. Go anywhere in public and you’ll see both young and old carrying some sort of water vessel. Water bottles are a great thing to bring when going out for drinks. Before you head out, fill up your bottle and make it a goal to finish it before the night is over. Sometimes when you’re at a brewery or a bar, trying to get a glass of water can feel nearly impossible.  Having your own water at your disposal is the next best thing. But don’t bring regular tap water, make sure you are drinking purified water. A reverse osmosis water filtration system will provide you pure water, with nearly 99% of all contaminants removed, this water makes it ideal for rehydrating you without the risk of ingesting contaminants such as chlorine, pesticides, VOCs, bacteria, viruses, and more that are normally found in tap water. 

 

Drink a lot of Water Before Bed

A great way to ensure that you prevent a hangover is to make sure you drink a few glasses of water before going to bed. For an added benefit, eat a pinch of Himiyalan Sea Salt while drinking water. Salt is an important electrolyte that you may have urinated away during your night out. Plus this type of salt has beneficial minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium that your body needs. The salt helps your body retain much needed water, lessening the effects of a potential hangover due to dehydration. By adding a spritz of lemon to your water and salt, you’re also getting Vitamin C, which can help your poor liver metabolize the alcohol in your system much faster. 

himilayan sea salt


Why Do I Need To Keep Hydrated?

As we’ve learned, alcohol is diuretic and the more you drink of it, the faster your body tries to expel water through sweat and urine. In a previous article we published, we mentioned if your body is dehydrated by a mere 2%, it will greatly affect your body and mind’s ability to perform and process things. In this case if you’re out drinking beers with friends, becoming inebriated is going to be exacerbated since you’re not replenishing the water you’re losing. When this happens, you’re more likely to make poor decisions, exude bad behaviour and do things you normally wouldn’t do.   


Just remember, staying hydrated while drinking beers helps to prevent your body from feeling the major effects of the alcohol that coursed through your veins. It will also help keep morning time regrets from creeping in. 

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