Celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the bar is a no-brainer, but the morning after can leave your head pounding. Let's face it, today you are hungover.
Sure, you channeled the luck of the Irish last night, getting beer and shot specials all night, but there's no amount of magic that can save you from how close to death you feel right now.
Actually, there are quite a few ways you can ease the pain. Before you know it, you will be looking back on your drunk "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" Instagram posts with a smile. Here are the best cures to treat your St. Patrick's Day hangover.
Hydrate
If you remembered, then hopefully you drank a glass (or few) of water before going to bed to eliminate any signs of a hangover. It's suggested you drink a glass of water between each beer and chug 16 to 20 ounces of water before you knock off to hydrate, since beer is a diuretic. Still, the chances are you are waking up feeling like you ran a marathon through the desert.
Get some H2O into your system, and then gulp down drinks that have electrolytes which contain sodium, potassium and chloride that will give your body a reboot. Think sports drinks like Gatorade or, if you're a health nut, coconut water.
Take Some Aspirin
Besides water, popping pills—of the aspirin variety—is the second most obvious thing to do. But make sure you only take aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen, not acetaminophen like Tylenol which can cause liver damage after a night of drinking.
Take two Advil or your aspirin of choice every four hours until it no longer feels like someone is pounding a hammer inside your head.
The Irish Cure
Leave it to the Irish to create the best hangover cures. One of their more interesting ones includes food—because we all know you are craving something greasy. The Irish don't suggest going out for a double bacon cheeseburger, but to instead eat two raw eggs for breakfast, followed by two more for lunch. Eggs contain an amino acid needed to process alcohol in the liver and remove the toxins.
What To Eat
Speaking of food, what you ate the night before drinking is more important than what you eat the morning after since that's the food that helps your body absorb the booze.
Still, you need something in your system, and raw eggs may not be what you had in mind. If that's the case, go for scrambled eggs (or bacon, egg and cheese for that extra grease factor). If you want something lighter, opt for a banana for potassium. Skip orange juice if your stomach is upset because of its acidity. If you are feeling nauseous, drink some ginger ale or make some ginger tea, which is a great remedy for seasickness. Starchy food will increase blood sugar, so it's OK to have a bagel, crackers, or toast for breakfast.
Sweat It Out—Or Stay In Bed
There are rumors that working out after a night of drinking lets you sweat the alcohol out of your system, but you may be pleased to know that is is just a myth.
It might actually be a bad idea to schedule a workout after St. Patrick's Day partying if you are dehydrated. This most likely became a popular myth because the endorphin rush from exercising boosts your mood—and you are probably feeling miserable. It's also a myth that sex is a cure to a hangover, but there's no research to support this. If working out—in any way—will make you happier, then go for it. However, going back to bed is a cure as well. Your body needs time to metabolize the booze, so drink some water, put on Netflix and curl up in bed.
Catch A Cold....Shower
Another Irish hangover remedy is getting cold. According to legend, the Irish would bury themselves in wet sand to their neck to allow the cold Atlantic waters to cure them from a hard night of drinking. Catch a cold—shower, that is, or go for a swim to get your blood pumping to relieve your hangover symptoms.
Hair Of The Dog
We will write this one off as being just a myth since many health experts say having more alcohol can actualy do more harm than good. Even if it's not a reliable remedy, many people wake up with a Bloody Mary to ease hangover symptoms.
Although it's not the best option, you could just start the party right back up. When in Ireland Rome, right?
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Photo: Tim Dorr | Flickr
