Struggling with a Christmas hangover? Here’s how you can avoid it

Holidays call for a lot of enjoyment, laughter and the compulsory hangover. People celebrate these occasions, enjoy a lot at parties with their family and loved ones and often forget their capacity for alcohol consumption. As a result, you are now grappled with a headache, feel like you are about to puke and face many more consequences of overconsumption.

The Christmas hangover is a reminder to create a balance between festival and personal health. It is always about the amount of alcohol you are consuming and ways to bounce back. In this article, we will discuss a Christmas hangover, why it happens, and how to avoid it.

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Why does a Christmas hangover happen?

You should not consume too much alcohol in the name of the festival (image by stockking on freepik)

A Christmas hangover is a common issue that can happen to anybody. But the real question is why it happens. There are several factors involved and they are as follows:

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Drugs in alcohol

In the middle of all the ways possible for a Christmas hangover, the main reason for it to happen is the drugs that cause biochemical and neurochemical changes. Some people are good at bearing it, while others with it for a period of time, ranging from a few hours to one whole day.

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Acetaldehyde

What creates a problem is the enzymes present in our body that break alcohol into acetaldehyde. Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed, somehow genetic traits are responsible for how quickly the toxic substance will be out of your system.

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Dark drinks

Red wines and dark bourbons are considered the best when it comes to taste but there is more to it. These dark drinks are rich in congeners that boost up your hangover as it is a by-product of fermentation.

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Affected brain activities

Alcohol affects brain activities as it tampers with neurotransmitters like glutamate and GABA that contribute to the relaxation of the brain, but also result in flawed judgment and unconsciousness.

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Gut health

Alcohol is known for sterilizing wounds and it does exactly the same to the inner lining of the gut. This results in inflammation, nausea, and not a good feeling altogether.

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Ways to avoid Christmas hangover

Alcohol messes with brain activities (Image by freepik on freepik)

There are many potential ways to avoid a Christmas hangover. Some of them are mentioned below:

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Fill your stomach

Before consuming alcohol, fill your stomach with proper food or snacks at the very least, this helps in lining your stomach and reduces absorption of alcohol.

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Safety first

Make sure that you are wearing enough warm clothes and keep your phone charged for clicking post-party selfies.

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Drink smart

Stop gulping on your drinks and start sipping. Go for smaller drinks and stay away from the dark drinks for a hangover-free morning.

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Hydration

Taking a water break in between is important as it will keep the body hydrated throughout your drinking adventures. Drinking water before bed and keeping a glass nearby for midnight dry mouth as is essential as dehydration is the enemy.

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Rest

Rest properly for a day after the party. Eat a healthy breakfast in the morning and let your body come back to its original state.

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Painkillers

For a mild headache, take a paracetamol or ibuprofen. To avoid getting sick in the morning, take these medicines in advance.

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Exercise

Sweating it out can be an option, but if the body is already dehydrated, hitting the gym can have an adverse effect too. Make sure to drink enough water while going to the gym.

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Avoid too much coffee

Consuming coffee will surely wake you up but it won’t help you with a Christmas hangover, so avoid drinking too much of it.

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Stay clear of myths

Avoid weird myths such as people saying chewing on the hair of a dog might help while it is just a distraction. Another one is eating fried food.

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Enjoy your festival with friends and family and try to avoid overconsumption of alcohol as it can ruin your whole party vibe.