A realistic guide to hacking your hangover

It’s that time of year when people are out and about drinking and celebrating. We know hangovers can be rough- so is there anything we can do to prevent them? Vitimans, health hacks or rituals which will make the next day more bearable?

As we wind down from Halloween and approach Christmas the hangovers are no longer far and few between. Whether it’s that extra drink to top up the alcohol blanket or a celebratory drink with dinner, I find myself struggling more often than usual. Now that I’m no longer a fresher, gone are the days of treating Thursday as a write off and instead I have to be brave and leave my comatosed state in bed. While I would much rather remain horizontal for several hours I have found a few ways to make the morning after a little easier without compromising the night before. 

My first ingenious, never-before-seen, remarkable idea is… water! Now before you all go nominating me for Nobel prizes I should probably point out that I didn’t invent this myself. However, despite it seeming incredibly obvious, it actually does work wonders. I’m certainly not suggesting water for the whole night out but instead a glass here or two during the festivities to lessen the impacts of the alcohol and help you open your eyes in the morning. I often get some funny looks from bartenders when I order water with a side of a Jäger Bomb, but it’s what works for me. 

My next hack is one I learned from a friend in school, before you even think of leaving the house in pursuit of the pub or club, have a pint of water and a pack of ready salted crisps by your bed-side (because there’s no chance you’ll remember when you get in). This way when you’re struggling the next morning, you already have some emergency provisions. Immediately eat the crisps and follow it down with the water and that small act will give you enough sensation back in your body to get up and make some actual breakfast. This brings me to my next point; eating!

The best way to cure a hangover, is to eat your way out of it, which is often easier said than done. Trust me when I tell you I have been there, desperately trying to force some plain toast down myself trying not to be sick, but once you’ve eaten something, anything, you will feel better! Carbs and fruit are your best friends, anything with an unusual texture is bound to set you over the edge so stick to classics like grapes and bananas and you seriously can’t go wrong with toast. If you can’t bring yourself to face fruit (or because you’re a student, don’t have any) there are alternatives such as vitamin C which helps flush the toxins of that £5 round out of your body.

I have also found the best way to face a hangover is head on by denying all the signs and feelings. Half of the struggle is mental so if you lie around feeling vulnerable and sorry for yourself you likely won’t get anywhere. If you force yourself up and get some fresh air into your lungs I promise you it will do you a whole world of good. Luckily for me, I play campus league on a Thursday, and while some of my abilities are weakened by the shots the night before, the act of getting out the house and moving around is an incomparable cure. 

Hangovers are inevitable if you’re drinking, but the main problem is dehydration so water, water and more water the night before and morning after will slowly help you feel more human again. We also lose a lot of necessary vitamins when drinking, so topping these back up naturally or through supplements are a must. Vitamin B has gained some significant recognition as a hangover helper to boost your body’s metabolism. So next time you’re staring at your bedroom ceiling trying to stop the room from spinning, perhaps try one or two of these little hacks to make the day easier.

Edited by Marianne Hamilton