Research shows that residual substances from alcohol distillation can make you feel nauseated; the sweeter your alcohol tastes, the higher the residual level. Liquors, malts and red wine especially contain highly toxic residue. Headaches in the morning after a night of drinking beer could be caused by dehydration and how the body adapts to the decreased level of alcohol in the blood after you stopped drinking.

Many recommend drinking less alcohol to prevent a hangover. Hangovers make you feel nauseated because alcohol is highly toxic. Increasing your alcohol level when you have a hangover is only postponing the effects that will happen anyway. By adding more alcohol, it means that you are not giving your body a chance to heal itself. Hangovers will still happen and can even worsen the next day. There’s one cure that has been proven effective: time. For hangover symptoms to be completely gone, you need at least 8-24 hours to completely recover.

In the meantime, try some of these simple tips to ease your headaches, migraines, nausea and other complaints due to hangovers:

Drink water

Alcohol is a diuretic that can make you lose a lot of body fluid, also known as dehydration. To avoid a hangover the next morning, drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol. The less drunk you are, the milder the hangover you’ll get. Taking in other fluids besides alcohol will slow down the alcohol absorption and decrease the level of alcohol concentration in the blood. Most hangover symptoms occur due to dehydration, so substituting fluids is the best alternative to ease your symptoms.

Drink lots of water, up to 2-3 liters a day. Coconut water is a good liquid alternative to overcome hangovers as it is rich in electrolytes to restore your body fluids. Green vegetable juice is also good for you because it contains minerals and is high in electrolytes.

Avoid junk food

Foods that are greasy and high in fats can’t help you ease a hangover, even though many myths say so. Junk food will only force the heart to work harder, and this is surely not good for your body. Choose a high calorie breakfast that is rich in fats and proteins, yet still easy to digest, like fried eggs, avocado, spinach, toast, or a bowl of cereal. The electrolytes contained in these types of food will help you restore body fluids and fulfill your body’s need for calories. Or have a salad. Vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale, Chinese cabbage, Brussel sprouts and carrots contain enzymes that help with liver detoxification.

Drink lemonade

Add a pinch of salt and a little lemon juice into some water as an alkali agent to restore body fluids. Other than that, a mix of lemonade and apple cider vinegar (one spoon of apple cider vinegar and half a teaspoon of turmeric) is also good to accelerate detoxification in the liver.

(Read also: Hangover remedies in 20 countries)

Chew some ginger

Ginger has been used for generations as a herbal alternative, rich in antiseptic and antibacterial properties. This spice contains active ingredient such as Gingerol, zingerone, 1-dehydrogingerodine, 6-gingesulfonic acid, shogaol, carbohydrates, palmetic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, caprylic acid, caproc acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, pentadecanoic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, lecithin and gingerglycolipids (A,B,C) that are useful as an antidote for stomachaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A study by the US National Institute of Health revealed that consuming ginger combined with a tangerine and brown sugar before drinking alcohol could decrease the risk of nausea and vomiting the next morning.

Sweating

Exercise can trigger your lymphatic system to excrete body toxins and improve your blood circulation. Exercise also releases endorphins, a good mood hormone that can help you cope with your hangover after drinking. Do do some swimming or yoga to banish your hangover symptoms.

Sleep

All of the discomfort you are feeling during a hangover is not caused by lack of sleep, even though a lack of sleep will worsen the symptoms. To restore your energy, try to compensate by taking a nap.

Avoid coffee

Many choose to drink coffee to keep them awake during their daily activities. Alcohol residue combined with caffeine will only worsen your headache. Caffeine narrows your blood vessels, making it harder for your blood to flow. A combination of these two things will only worsen your hangover symptoms. If you are a heavy-duty coffee drinker, try to drink a glass of water after your first morning coffee.

Drugs

Painkillers, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or gastric drugs might help a little. One thing you are must not do with a hangover is consume drugs that contain acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, since it can cause serious liver damage when mixed with alcohol. A vitamin B supplement is recommended for your hangover symptoms; it is responsible for a number of the body’s metabolic processes, one of which is liver detoxification. (kes)

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