5 Ways to Prevent Hangover While Traveling

A night out with friends before you hit the road is fun. However, your body will remind you of your overindulgence the following morning.

A churning stomach, raging headache, nausea, and ringing ears make traveling uncomfortable. Therefore, you either ditch the alcohol or find hangover prevention.

Understanding how alcohol is metabolized is vital to avoid the unpleasant aftermath of liquor. Since the body does not store alcohol, it will be metabolized before anything else you take.

As soon as your first drink hits the stomach, it is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. The body reacts to the sugars by producing insulin. The rest of the alcohol in your system undergoes processing in your intestine. A hangover usually begins when your blood alcohol levels are dropping.

Read also: Tips For Staying Healthy When Traveling Solo

How do you ensure you are never too hungover to travel?

1. Drink Plenty of Water

If you need to drive in the morning, ensure you drink plenty of water alongside your alcohol. Alcohol increases excretion, and those bathroom breaks leave your body dehydrated.

If you are feeling nauseous or having diarrhea, the impact will be more pronounced. A water regimen will reduce the effects of a hangover, and you can travel without the consequences of your night out.

Apart from water, drinks with electrolytes and nutrients will also make you feel better. Dehydration reduces your electrolytes and vitamins.

Therefore, instead of taking carbonated beverages, try fruit juice, and you can travel comfortably in the morning. Fruit juice replaces the nutrients you lose when you consume alcohol.

As a rule of thumb switch between alcohol and water or a non-alcoholic drink. Before going to bed guzzle a large glass of water.

2. Get Enough Sleep

Hangovers are associated with fatigue and irritability. These are the side effects of poor sleep quality. Getting enough sleep is tricky, especially since alcohol consumption interferes with your sleep. It disrupts your sleep schedule since you are staying up late.

Besides, too many bathroom breaks throughout the night make it difficult to get adequate rest. While poor-quality sleep does not cause hangover symptoms, plenty of sleep reduces the impact of alcohol on your body.

Therefore, if you plan to travel in the morning, ensure you get plenty of rest to re-energize your body after a night of celebration.

Besides, you can also get a good rest before you commence drinking. A well-rested body can handle toxins better and reduce your hangover. It is unwise to mix alcohol with exercises or take shots when tired, the illness will be worse, and you have to delay traveling.

3. Eat Up

‘Dine before wine’ should not be just a saying. Alcohol on an empty stomach reduces your blood sugar levels quickly. Moreover, you know the lower your sugar levels, the worse your hangover will be.

Therefore, a hearty meal before hitting the bars is a sure-fire way to prevent a hangover. If you can take dinner before taking any alcohol, the fewer chances of getting a hangover.

A high-fiber meal will regulate your blood sugar levels. They take longer to digest and will come in handy when you start your drinking spree. Include antioxidants in your food to ensure you have plenty in your system.

You also need to take a meal as soon as you wake up. Low carbohydrate levels multiply the effects of alcohol by tenfold; therefore, some of the hangover symptoms may be due to lack of food in your system.

After drinking, it is advisable to eat a healthy breakfast with plenty of carbohydrates. It will nudge your sugar levels to normal, and you can continue with your traveling. Eating not only prevents but also cures hangovers.

4. Choose Your Drinks Carefully

Congeners are a recipe for raging hangovers. The main component of alcohol is ethanol. However, alcoholic beverages also contain congeners. While the chemical compound gives a drink a unique flavor, it can have enough toxic chemicals that will worsen your hangover.

Most drinks with congeners are dark liquors. Now you know why dark liquors always give you a severe illness. If you are traveling, stick to clear alcoholic beverages to be safe.

You should also avoid champagne and sugary cocktails. Champagne multiplies the effect of alcohol. The carbon dioxide bubbles compete with oxygen in the blood. Besides, a sweet cocktail dehydrates your body at a faster rate.

To ensure you are never too hungover to travel, ensure you keep a tab on the drinks you take. A Drinks Calculator App will come in handy in monitoring your blood alcohol level. However, an excellent alcohol prevention strategy is sipping slowly to allow the body to process ethanol.

5. Take Supplements

Numerous medications can cure a hangover. However, what if you can get a prescription to prevent the illness? Certain supplements can reduce the impact of alcohol. They are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.

Most of the supplements work by blocking the stripping away of nutrients resulting from alcohol ingestion. They also replenish vital nutrients, including vitamins, and reduce dehydration. With supplements, you will wake up fresh and energetic for the road after a night out.

On a final note…

There is no scientifically proven hangover prevention method. However, the above tips can be useful in reducing the impact of hangovers. The only sure way to minimize the after-effects of alcohol is to drink in moderation. That means you monitor your drinks, choose the alcohol wisely, eat well, and take plenty of water.

How do you prevent hangovers while traveling?

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