How to cure a hangover?
- It was not drinking
I know that this is the worst advice in the world for someone who is just struggling with a hangover, but it's the surest recipe. At the same time, the latest meta-analysis of 83 studies indicates that any amount of alcohol above 100 g per week (about 5 drinks) increases mortality from all causes, compared to people who drink less but are not abstainers6.
For a long time it was thought that there was a J-type curve between alcohol consumption and mortality. This would mean that low alcohol consumption is beneficial for health, but this is currently undermined. And probably very small amounts of alcohol are actually relatively neutral, but they are not good for health. In other words, limiting the amount of alcohol you drink will not only save you from a hangover, but it will also be good for your health. However, if you are already drinking, limit yourself to 2 - 3 drinks during the event. As I mentioned earlier, this amount is too small to cause a hangover to most people. If you are small (especially small), eat only enough that you do not exceed 1 per mille of alcohol in your blood. You can check the alcohol content in your blood with a breathalyzer or with calculators like this one.
2, Choose poison wisely
Another advice too late, but the type of alcohol consumed is of great importance. Alcoholic beverages contain substances known as congeners. They are side substances that arise in the production of alcohol. These include amines, amides, acetones, acetaldehyde, polyphenols, methanol, histamines, fusel oil, esters, furfurals and tannins4. Not all of them must be related to the hangover, and even some of them may even have a mitigating effect (eg fusel oil) 4. However, acetaldehyde, methanol and perhaps some other congeners may impair the feeling of hangover4. The methanol content could explain why the hackney effect of whiskey and burbuon is taking place. Other spirits rich in congeners are brendy and red wine. Relatively small amounts have gin and white wine, while vodka does not have almost none at all4.
Methanol is also usually detected in the blood during a hangover and according to some studies, its quantity is correlated with the severity of the discomfort. There is one experimental study (published only in the form of a presentation at a scientific conference), which indicates that the severity of hangover is closely related to the amount of congeners in alcohol2 - most likely it is mainly about methanol. There is another study that compared the hangover after vodka and bourbon7. A serious hangover was experienced by 33% of those who drink bourbon and only 3% who drink vodka. It is also worth remembering that vodka (especially by the glass) is usually drunk in large quantities, which also inevitably leads to a hangover.
3, Water
Maybe it's time for the first advice, which can be applied already on hangovers. Alcohol works diuretic, which is why we are dehydrated the day after the usual. Drainage alone is not enough to cause a hangover, but it can aggravate the discomfort2. In addition, the removal may hinder the excretion of alcohol metabolites, which will prolong agony. My author's hypothesis is that it is worth drinking a lot before going to bed and when we wake up at night.
4, Act anti-inflammatory
As I mentioned, hangover can be a form of inflammation2. A study was conducted in which tolfenamic acid was prophylactically administered (it is used as a migraine drug) and significantly reduced almost all hangover symptoms (results on the chart) 8.
Some plant extracts may also be effective. In two studies during the drink, opuntia fig (Opuntia ficus indica; 1,600 IU) 9 and fresh honey (Hovenia dulcis; 2460 mg) 10 were used, which also had anti-inflammatory effects and also had a beneficial effect in preventing hangover. Perhaps other drugs and anti-inflammatory substances will work similarly.