NGM Blog Central - Just In Time for the Holidays: Hangover Help From Around the World! - National Geographic Magazine

Perhaps you hit the eggnog a little too hard at the party last night. Or maybe champagne did you in, and now you're cursing that "friend" who kept filling your glass.

No matter how it happened, though, you now have a hangover and will do just about anything to get rid of it. Doctors advise drinking copious amounts of water and taking vitamins and aspirin. Some people swear by grease--burgers and fried eggs are popular antidotes in America. Others, like the Japanese, follow a more virtuous regimen of fruits and green tea. In this month's magazine and on our website, we take a look at some international suggestions for how to cope with the effects of one too many.

Hangovers happen to anyone who drinks too much alcohol, but some people fare worse than others. It all depends on what you drank--some say clear booze is less toxic--how much you drank, what size you are, and possibly even your temperament (if you've had a particularly difficult time of it lately, or you're prone to anger or anxiety, you may suffer more severely than others).

One of the biggest contributors to the wretched hangover is dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you go to the bathroom frequently, and every time you go, you lose a little more water. While you're having fun quaffing drinks, your body is quickly becoming dehydrated and will punish you for it the next day. Pounding headaches, nausea, and dizziness are just a few of the delightful ways a hangover can manifest itself, so consider this a warning and watch how much you swill at those holiday soirees.

Now, that said, even the most careful among us gets carried away sometimes. And it seems everyone has a secret remedy. One of my friends swears by bananas and ice cold Coke. Another says a chocolate milkshake works wonders. Who else wants to weigh in? What do I take if I'm hung over in Paris? Or Puerto Rico? Let's hear it! And oh, cheers. But clink the glasses together softly, please -- my head is killing me.

-Catherine Barker

Posted by Catherine Barker | Comments (0)
Filed Under: Culture, Food, Health, Pop Omnivore

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