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Hangover - Causes, Symptoms And Home Remedies  To Cure Hangover

What is Hangover ?

A hangover is the after-effect following the consumption of large amounts of one drug or another. In particular, it is most commonly associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. In general, an alcohol hangover involves two or more the following symptoms: headache, nausea, diarrhea, lack of appetite, shakiness, feeling tired and an overall feeling of being unwell. Simply put, it feels like the "flu".

Causes of Hangover

The root cause of all hangovers is, of course, drinking alcohol. If you drink enough and end up with a hangover, it means you've ingested more alcohol than your body can metabolize efficiently. The toxins in alcohol build up in your body and make you feel sick.

Other factors of hangover include empty stomach, lack of sleep, psychosocial factors, increased physical activity while drinking, and dehydration. Dehydration is both a cause and a symptom of hangovers. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it increases urination. The more alcohol you drink, the more water your body loses. Your liver and kidneys need water to process the alcohol, so when you lose water, your body struggles to rid itself of toxins.

Persons in otherwise poor health have a greater likelihood of developing a hangover. Children of alcoholic parents report greater hangover symptoms than the children of non-alcoholics.

Symptoms of Hangover

Some of the common hangover symptoms are :-

• Headaches.
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dry mouth.
• Sensitivity to light and noise.

Home remedies to cure Hangover

Through the ages there have been invented nearly as many hangover remedies as there are varieties of mixed drinks. Most, unfortunately, don't work. If you've ever made too many trips to the punch bowl, you're all too familiar with the pounding head, queasy stomach, dry mouth, and other miserable symptoms that accompany hangovers. But even though people have been getting hangovers for thousands of years, doctors aren't sure exactly what they are or what's the best remedy. But they do have some ideas. Here are a few things you may want to try.

• Have a taste of honey. Honey contains large amounts of a natural sugar called fructose, which is burned very quickly by the body. By putting your metabolism in high gear, it will help your body burn off the alcohol faster. This is best remedy to get rid of hangover
• Pass up the coffee. When you prop up your tired eyes, the coffee pot is probably the first thing you're going to reach for. When you have a hangover, however, your body is already dehydrated. Coffee is a diuretic, which means that it removes more fluids from your body than it puts in - and that's the last thing you need when you have to cope with a hangover.
• Take some vitamin C. Evidence suggests that vitamin C can help the body get rid of alcohol more quickly. Taking about 500 milligrams of vitamin C or eating vitamin C-rich foods like oranges or grapefruit may be one of the best ways to relieve the hangover blues.
• Keep your stomach full. When the crowd is partying hearty, it's a good idea to have some food in your stomach. High-protein foods are especially good because they take a long time to digest. Keeping food in your system will help slow the absorption of alcohol and also provide essential nutrients that may help counter the effects the next day. Helps to relief from hangover.
• Avoid salty foods. There's a good reason bartenders often put out bowls of pretzels and beer nuts. Salty foods make you drink more, so you'll spend more money. What's good for the bar's bottom line, however, isn't so good for your body. All that salt can dry you out, which can make hangovers even worse.
• Top off your tank before going to bed. After a night of drinking alcohol, it's a good idea to drink a few glasses of water as well. Being dehydrated is one of the main reasons hangovers feel so awful. Drinking water before bed and as soon as you get up in the morning will go a long way toward making you feel better.

Prevention of Hangover

• Do not mix different types of drinks. Avoid drinking on empty stomach. Food in the stomach prevents rapid absorption of alcohol into the blood stream. Thus, the more food you have before and during drinking, the less the impact of alcohol.
• Drink plenty of water. Make sure to drink water or other fluids such as apple juice or Gatorade before going to sleep, in order to prevent dehydration.
• For your own safety and others, don't drive a vehicle or operate heavy machinery.