10 Tips to Ease Your St. Paddy’s Day Hangover
It’s St. Patrick’s Day and time to celebrate being Irish (…whether you are actually Irish, live in Ireland, or have no real association with Ireland at all).
Hangovers are considered, for many, a necessary evil. Like man-flu, there is no real cure for hangovers. The best preventative advice Dr Mooney can give you is to not drink at all, but if you are going to, please drink responsibly.
Dr Mooney offers some sound advice for those planning to partake in the holiday celebrations and hopefully can help alleviate the impending beer and wine flu! If you need to speak with a GP before the big day, book a video consultation online today.
Before the big night (or nights):
1 – Eat something before you start drinking. You don’t have to eat much, but choose something that will stay in your stomach. This will delay the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Dr Mooney’s suggestion: a nice toasted cheese sandwich!
2 – Hydrate! Alcohol dehydrates you, so it’s important to prepare for a big night of drinking by drinking enough water. Start drinking water the day before, and try to drink water before you leave instead of alcohol.
3 – Have water and paracetamol by your bed for when you get home.
During the big night:
4 – Try to avoid rounds – especially if you are in a large group. People drink at different paces, and everyone has different tolerance levels. Pacing yourself is key. Limiting your drink intake to approximately one per hour is advised.
5 – Take a beer break. You don’t have to have an alcoholic drink every round – have a water or a non alcoholic beer. The key here is to slow the alcohol absorption down.
6 – Choose clear drinks over coloured drinks. Dark drinks are known to have more congeners which only increase the effects of a hangover.
7 – Consider taking Paracetamol (usual dose 2 x 500mg tablets) along with a dose of stomach acid suppression medication (such as Ranitine or Pantoprazole- these are available without a prescription from a Pharmacy) just before you go asleep so that these are in your system to counteract the symptoms resulting from alcohol intake. Paracetamol-based remedies can help with headaches and muscle cramps.
Hangover day:
8 – Eat breakfast or lunch. Whatever time you wake up, try to get some food into you. Choose a slow release carbohydrate for sustained energy, such as eggs (scrambled, poached or boiled) on wholegrain toast. Eggs contain cysteine which breaks up acetaldehyde, a hangover-causing toxin, as well as essential fatty acids needed to help the liver heal your body.
9 – Re-hydrate! Yes, again, make sure that you are keeping yourself hydrated. It will speed up the recovery process.
10 – Rest! More than likely you are also sleep deprived. If possible, try to rest. You deserve it!
We hope Dr. Mooney has successfully prepared you for your big night out on St. Paddy’s Day.
If you believe you are suffering from something other than a hangover, speak to a GP now via your smartphone or computer.