The holiday season is full of opportunities for boozy fun.
A festive cocktail here, a mulled wine there.
When you drink too much, theres only so much you could do while your liver clears the damage.
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But there are a few things you might do to ward off a post-party puke-fest.
What causes a hangover?
Well, drinking alcoholbut you already knew that.
There are several reasons alcohol can make you feel crummy.
All of these things can contribute to your state of misery the morning after.
Our bodys ability to metabolize lots of things weakens with age, he says.
Alcohol is no exception.
How to prevent a hangoverbeforedrinking
You might have seen supplements that claim to prevent a hangover.
But sorry, Dr. Humphreys says theres no evidence they workits probably a lot more marketing than science.
(Those gingerbread men arent going to eat themselves!)
Another huge must: Drink water, Dr. Seitz says.
Thats true before you go out, but also while youre drinking and after you get home.
Keep an eye on both the number of drinks youre having as well as the frequency.
One serving of alcohol (which is 12 oz.
of beer, 5 oz.
of wine, or 1.5 oz.
(You know, besides zero.)
Be sure to know your limits, and practice moderation when consuming alcohol, Dr. Seitz says.
One thing that does help defang a hangover: Keep the unspiked drinks flowing.
Theres also no special order of alcohol that will keep you from feeling sick.
But if youre trying to be extra clever, select your drinks more carefully.
Clear spirits like vodka or gin might go easier on you the next morning.
But, ultimately, too much of any pop in of alcohol can cause a hangover.
But theres not a whole lot of evidence taking these ahead of time will help, Dr. Humphreys says.
The best advice might sound familiar: Eat and hydrate.
Rather than going to bed with your head still spinning, consider sobering up first.
Hangovers are partly brought on by a withdrawal from alcohol, Dr. Humphreys explains.
But drinking more essentially just delays your hangover.
Which is obviously not going to be great for you.
Instead, do some basic TLC.
Seitz and Dr. Humphreys both say that whats important is just that you get food in your system.
So if it makes you feel better, have at it.
The most you could do is to keep yourself as comfortable as possible until the hangover passes.
Ideally: Snuggle up with a holiday movieand take a stab at take a nap.
