Hangover cures for yacht crew

"Get drunk on a ‘school’ night", they said, "It'll be fun", they said. So you thought getting drunk on a school night was clever? And now you’re left feeling like you’ve been hit by a ton of bricks, and the motion of the yacht is not helping the situation. With all the technological and medical advancements in the 21st century, you’d have thought by now there would be a ‘miracle cure’ to your ravaging hangover.

Alcohol can stay in your system for up to 11 hours, however these tips will help you feel a little more human, a little faster.

Water before bed

Yes… I am telling you to remember this, in your drunken state, BEFORE going to bed. Chances are, if you’re sober enough to remember this, you’ll be sober enough to get up in the night to relieve yourself.

The major cause of the dreaded hangover headache is of course dehydration, so get that fluid in you while you still have the chance! This will at least take the edge off in the morning. Plus if you add a pinch of salt to your water, this will encourage your body to absorb more of the fluids.

From personal experience however, don’t leave your ‘pre-drink drink’ by your bed. You will wake in the night with a mouth as dry as the Sahara, and you will go for the first available liquid in sight, so make sure that isn’t vodka.

Dioralyte

Speaking of hydration, Dioralyte, or any other rehydration or diarrhoea (yep there it is) treatment sachet, can help cure a hangover. If taken before bed, it can help restore the blood sugar levels and prevent headaches. Dioralyte will replenish sugar levels and replace lost fluid, as well as minerals and salts, which alcohol steals from the body.

Painkillers

Hallelujah for ibuprofen. Headaches and stomach cramps can at least be kept at bay with the recommended dose of ibuprofen. If you can, wake yourself up at around 7am, drink another pint of water, take some ibuprofen and then go back to sleep. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

Lemon

From the growing trend of ‘Lemon Week’, on social media, we all know just how many uses this little yellow fruit of goodness has. Lemon can help to detox your body from alcohol by boosting liver function and tissue regeneration. Best to have with water, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a glass of water and drink! Chuck a bit of fresh ginger in there for added nutrients.

The hair of the dog (that bit me)

This term originally refers to a method of treatment for a rabid dog bite, by placing a hair from the dog in the bite wound. In these days, it just means get more alcohol in you to cure your hangover.

Devotees of the bacon sandwich may be surprised to learn that drinking more alcohol after a night out could provide more than just a renewed level of tipsiness. According to Adam Rogers in, Proof: the Science of Booze, “There is a theory that says the hangover is actually the symptom of very, very small amounts of methanol.

“The notion is, if a hangover is methanol toxicity, you’re going to have another drink and the ethanol displaces the methanol off the enzyme and you will feel better.”

However, the hair of the dog could just be a risky habit, and prolong the symptoms of a hangover. For a quick fix, a Bloody Mary may be ideal, but go careful.

Bacon

As a vegetarian writing this article, I certainly don’t feel I get the most out of Quorn bacon, or ‘fakon’, nor do I get the full experience of how good a bacon buttie may taste on a hangover. However, it is proven that eating food on a hangover will speed up your metabolism and help the body get rid of alcohol more quickly.

Bread is full of carbohydrates, and bacon is full of protein, which break down into amino acids. These amino acids can help top up neurotransmitters lost from drinking excessively. So grab your bread, your butter, your bacon and your red sauce and load it up.

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If you have any other tried and tested hangover cures, let us know: [email protected].

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