New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate the new year and look forward to a new beginning. But, for some, New Year’s Eve means pounding down the alcohol. Maybe going out and chugging that tenth beer with those shots of tequila seemed like a good idea, but getting up the next day feeling bright and chipper can be a challenge.
Waking up still tired with light hurting your eyes and loud noises making your head pound could be an indication that you drank a little too much, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for all people. The Mayo Clinic is governed by a 33-member Board of Trustees and includes doctors from every medical specialty who work together to care for patients.
Here are just some of the many tips to help alleviate a hangover:
• Drink water, plenty of water. Sipping water or fruit juice can prevent dehydration, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Also, the website advises against treating the hangover with more alcohol — it’ll only make the hangover worse.
• Don’t forget to eat something. Although the last thing on your mind may be food, try eating bland foods. Toast and crackers may boost your blood sugar and settle your stomach, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Foods and drinks such as honey or fruit juice, may help your body burn the alcohol faster.
• Take some medicine, but be cautious. A small dose of an over-the-counter pain reliever may ease your headache but it can also have serious consequences, according to the Mayo Clinic website. The clinic said that aspirin can irritate your stomach and if you sometimes drink excessively, acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, can cause severe liver damage even in doses that were once thought to be safe.
Scientists from the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in Korea offer this advice: Eat asparagus. The scientists conducted a study that found that extracts from asparagus contain amino acids and minerals that may protect liver cells against toxins which would ease a hangover. Published in the 2009 Journal of Food Science, the researchers looked at components of young asparagus shoots and leaves and compared their biochemical effects on both rat and human liver cells.
Finally, if all else fails, the Mayo Clinic website said to go back to sleep and try again in a couple of hours.
Of course, one of the safest and easiest ways to cure a hangover, that works every time, is to skip the alcohol completely.
— Staff Writer Laura Edington can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at ledington@heartlandpublications.com.
the very paper you condemn prints more religious letters to the editor from these arm chair preachers who seem to have all the answers. so if an article about relieving symptoms of a hang over upsets you maybe you should read the many letters posted about loving thy neighbor.