How To Cure A Hangover Headache Naturally?

We have all been there, haven’t we? Unless you belong to the group of people that avoid alcohol at all costs, chances are you have experienced a hangover at least once in your life. Hangovers occur after a person has consumed a large amount of alcohol. Maybe you were out partying or just drinking to drown your sorrows, but chances are you will be feeling the after-effects tomorrow. Too much alcohol consumption in a single go will cause a hangover and with it will come a lot of problems. Depending upon how much alcohol you consumed, you might experience a variety of symptoms. You will experience fatigue, extreme thirst, nausea, and worst of all an unbearable headache. So, how do you get rid of this throbbing headache? There is no proven specific scientific method that can help you in completely curing your hangover side effects but there are certain remedies you can use to get rid of that headache plus other problems. This article will go over some “cures” that can help you in solving your headache problem.

Cures for hangover headache

As said above, there is no single definitive answer to your problem but there are certain things you can use to alleviate your headace. Let’s have a look:

• Drink water

Sometimes the solution you are looking for is in plain sight. The easiest, cheapest, and most natural way of curing your hangover headache (plus other symptoms) is to consume water. Alcohol acts as a diuretic i.e. it increases the amount of urine produced in your body. In other words, you will lose a lot of water from your body through urination and even sweat. Any vomiting or diarrhea will worsen the situation. This results in the excessive thirst experienced by hungover people after a night of drinking. The simplest way to counter this is by drinking a lot of water. If you know that you are going to be drinking that night, then keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. Also, drink a large amount of water before going to bed and after waking up the next morning.

• Get some sleep

Another simple remedy to get rid of those irritating headaches is to simply get more sleep. Consuming too much alcohol causes a detrimental effect on your sleep schedule. Even if you sleep immediately after getting a hangover, it won’t have the same effect. Studies have shown that a person’s sleep schedule is disturbed due to multiple factors like bad mood, irritability, anxiety, etc. Alcohol (being a depressant) further augments these effects. Alcohol disturbs a person’s circadian rhythm which prevents them from getting restful sleep. So, after a night of heavy drinking, simply wake up the next morning, drink a large amount of water and get some shut-eye.

• Vitamin B consumption

Another cause of hangover headaches is the deficiency or depletion of nutrients in the body. However, there is one nutrient that is specifically affected by the large amount of alcohol consumed, and that is Vitamin B. Vitamin B plays an important role in brain function, cell metabolism, immune system and has a direct impact on your energy levels. Alcohol consumption reduces the amount of Vitamin B present in your body. This limits your body’s capability to eliminate alcohol. Thus, a good practice is to consume a sizeable meal and having good quantities of vitamin B. You can even try vitamin B supplements. Some of the foods high in Vitamin B include eggs, poultry, meat, dairy products, leafy greens, legumes, and many more. Another thing to watch out for is the effect of alcohol on your immune system. Alcohol weakens the immune system and can expose the drinker to many alcohol-related illnesses. To avoid this, try consuming foods rich in Vitamin C like citrus fruits or take supplements if necessary.

• Fitness drinks

As mentioned above, it is important to hydrate your body before and after a round of heavy drinking. But water is not the only thing you are going to lose after consuming a heavy amount of alcohol. All the electrolytes present in that water will also be eliminated from your body leading to electrolyte imbalance. To counter this, it is necessary that you consume products that can not only deal with dehydration but also help you recover your lost electrolytes. This is where fitness and sports drinks come in. These drinks come packed with good quantities of sugar and other electrolytes that can quickly help you restore your body levels of lost electrolytes like calcium, sodium, and potassium. You can also try fermented drinks as they come packed with antioxidants and minerals.

• N-acetyl-cysteine supplements

N-acetyl-cysteine (or NAC in short) is a naturally occurring amino acid that is the supplemental form of cysteine. Cysteine itself is a semi-essential amino acid present in our body. It is produced by serine and methionine (both also amino acids) in our body. If these amino acids run low on quantity, then cysteine is deemed as an essential amino acid.  N-acetyl-cysteine plays an important role in combating against acetaldehyde (formed by the breakdown of alcohol in our body) and its harmful effects. Acetaldehyde usually causes many hangover problems known to us, including headaches. Acetaldehyde can damage our DNA, prevent its repair and decrease our glutathione levels which can turn damage liver cells. Thus, you can use N-acetyl-cysteine supplements to deal with your hangover symptoms. Try taking these supplements before you start your drinking session.

• Use Chamomile

As mentioned above, things like irritability and anxiety can be amplified by alcohol consumption and can then lead to less sleep and headaches. For people who suffer from anxiety more than others (shy people) large amounts of drinking can have severe side effects like headaches and nausea. For such people, it is recommended that they take chamomile tea to counter the effects of hangover-induced anxiety. Chamomile is a herb that has proven to be excellent in helping people calm their nerves. In addition to this, it can also help you deal with an upset stomach and make sure that you sleep soundly.

Conclusion

Here are some of the natural ways you can use to cure your hangover-induced headache and other hangover-related symptoms. Large amounts of alcohol are harmful to the human body. Therefore, it is recommended that alcohol consumption should be kept to a minimum to avoid any problems.