Year-end gatherings often involve drinking, but the ensuing headaches, dizziness, nausea, and feverishness can linger for days. If you feel a headache or dizziness after drinking, skip strong tea—it won't sober you up and may upset your stomach. Instead, try the secret remedy of tomato juice with salt. Additionally, we've compiled several food-based hangover remedies to help alleviate various post-drinking discomforts.
What Causes Post-Drinking Headaches?
When a drunk person wakes up in the morning, the body sends a signal to replenish fluids, often manifesting as extreme dry mouth. In fact, headaches are also caused by dehydration. As organs compete with the brain for water to compensate for their own fluid loss, the brain shrinks. This contraction pulls on the membranes connecting the brain to the skull, triggering pain.
As explained above, intoxicated individuals are generally dehydrated, making rehydration an essential step in sobering up. Experts recommend drinking warm water to replenish fluids. It's important to note that cold water should be avoided to prevent stomach discomfort. Additionally, if the headache is severe, applying a warm, damp towel to the forehead can help alleviate the pain.
What to Eat for a Hangover Headache?
Honey Water - Relieves Post-Drinking Headaches
Drinking honey water can effectively alleviate post-drinking headaches. This is because honey contains a special type of fructose that promotes the breakdown and absorption of alcohol, reducing headache symptoms, especially those caused by red wine. Additionally, honey has a hypnotic effect, helping one fall asleep quickly and wake up without a headache the next morning.
Tomato Juice—Relieves Post-Drinking Dizziness
Tomato juice, also rich in special fructose, is an effective beverage for promoting alcohol breakdown and absorption. Drinking over 300ml at once can gradually eliminate post-drinking dizziness. Experiments confirm that drinking tomato juice is more effective than eating raw tomatoes for relieving hangovers. Adding a small amount of salt before drinking also helps stabilize emotions.
Fresh Grapes—Relieve Post-Drinking Nausea and Vomiting
Fresh grapes contain abundant tartaric acid, which interacts with ethanol in alcohol to form esters, reducing ethanol concentration in the body and alleviating drunkenness. Their tart flavor also effectively eases post-drinking nausea and vomiting. Eating grapes before drinking can even prevent intoxication.
Watermelon Juice—Relieves Post-Drinking Fever Watermelon juice acts as a natural White Tiger Decoction (a renowned traditional Chinese formula for clearing heat and detoxifying). It accelerates alcohol excretion through urine, preventing bodily absorption that causes systemic fever. Moreover, watermelon juice inherently possesses heat-clearing and fire-reducing properties, aiding overall body cooling. Adding a pinch of salt while drinking also helps stabilize emotions.