Everyone who has ever had one drink too many probably has “hangover cure" nestled somewhere in their Google search history. Chances are, you searched for the cure with a pounding headache and a sudden anxiety over leaving your house. You probably scrubbed way too hard in the shower, fearing that you smelled like lingering booze. "Never again!" you proclaim, days before next weekend hits, and the agony turns into a complete memory.
Memorial Day is a day for drinking. While it's not necessarily as highly celebrated as a booze holiday like St. Patrick's Day and New Year's Eve, it's still a day to get your day-drink on, followed by afternoon moaning about how your body can't handle the pressures you put on it anymore. My hangovers are never pleasant, but thankfully they're few and far between. When I get one, I want to curl up into a ball and slowly die. I feel as close to death as ever, as I try to figure out where I went wrong the night before. What went wrong was, I drank too much. Plain and simple.
I opened up the question to a few of my friends — what do you do to battle a hangover? Out of the three smart ladies I group-texted, all of them came back with preventative methods. "No," I told them. "What happens when you forget your preventative methods, and then you have to go into work feeling like a bag of vomit?" Their answers were pretty standard. A nap at lunch if possible, a dozen laps around the water cooler, and of course, some type of aspirin. When hearing the answers, I realized how old we've gotten. Preventative measures are for full-fledged responsible adults, but while it's super good to have "a plan," sometimes our plans fall through.
If you find yourself in that second category, here are a few hacks you can try to ensure a glorious Memorial Day Monday, and a "This isn't too bad, it could definitely be worse" Tuesday.
1. Pedialyte
Years ago, I managed to give myself food poisoning by undercooking some eggs. (At least, I think they were the culprit.) Food poisoning is one of the worst day-long sicknesses one can have, since it's unpredictable and gross. When you call out of work and say you have food poisoning, your boss will ask no further questions.
My husband bought me some Pedialyte to help me stay hydrated, which I thought was kind of silly. "This is for babies!" I claimed, while immobile and helpless in bed. However, I gave it a shot. And it helped! And it didn't taste terrible.
Since dehydration is a big component for hangovers, Pedialyte is a pretty great thing to keep in the fridge when needed. I tried some of the leftovers later, when feeling under the weather, and it definitely made me feel better.
2. Greasy Food
It may be tough to stomach anything in your situation, but eating greasy food might make you feel better. One of my friends said her go-to before bed was a Shmiscuit from Sheetz (if you're not from the East Coast/Pennsylvania area, it's a greasy and delicious breakfast biscuit), but partaking in some grease in the a.m. might clear your head a bit. According to WebMD, fatty foods often help "grease" the lining of your intestines, especially if they're eaten before alcohol is consumed.
Even if you've missed the grease deadline, don't breakfast meats make everyone feel better, regardless of the state they're in? Mmm. Bacon.
3. Bloody Marys
I extended the question to one of my close guy friends in Philadelphia, who got really scientific with it. He told me that he typically has one drink (with a burger) at lunch, and it helps balance out the badness. You might assume that adding alcohol to a problem caused by alcohol might be a bad choice to make, but studies have shown that drinks like mimosas and Bloody Marys will really help the healing process.
LA Weekly states that alcohol has trace amounts of methanol, which the body converts to formaldehyde. Gross. Methanol poisoning is cured with ethanol, thus your morning drink will help cancel out the poison that's lurking inside of you. I guess that makes sense.
4. Tomato Soup
Similar in concept to the Bloody Mary, but obviously without the booze. About a year ago, I had a hangover and a craving for soup, and wondered if there was any correlation between tomatoes and actually feeling better. While tomatoes are really good for you, it seems like any kind of soup might be a good bet.
Men's Fitness reports that the salt in either tomato or chicken soup can help you retain water, and the sodium from the soup will help rebalance your electrolytes. Plus, it's pretty easy to keep down, if you sip it slowly. Did I mention that it goes really well with (greasy) grilled cheese?
5. Pickle Juice
Speaking of sodium, some pickle juice might also help you feel whole again. While you might regain some nausea by chugging down a jar at a time (be patient!), it's still something that you probably have in the back of your fridge. If you're like me, you probably have about five jars of pickles, with one pickle left per jar.
I really should take care of that, and regain some fridge space.
6. Tiger Balm
Unlike the rest on this list, this one isn't meant to be ingested. Please, for the love of all that is good, do not eat Tiger Balm.
If your headache is at its worst, try applying some Tiger Balm to your temples and the back of your neck. One plus side to using Tiger Balm instead of aspirin is that you don't have to worry about Tiger Balm making your liver explode, or making your blood too thin. While we all grab the aspirin first, it has a few horrifying warnings attached to it.
7. Olive Oil
Supposedly the Spaniards believe that taking a shot of olive oil before drinking will help lessen the impact that the alcohol will have on your stomach. Lidia Bastianich, who has a cooking show on PBS, also endorses the theory. While this is a preventative measure, it can't hurt to try it when you're sick and desperate, right?
Having not tried it, I'd probably try the soup and the pickle juice first. I mean, it's olive oil. It'll taste disgusting.
8. Listen to Kamil
I had a stress headache about three weeks ago, and a full schedule ahead of me. I quickly Googled "how to get rid of a headache" and was introduced to Kamil. His channel, "Kamil's View," has a few amazing videos on how to trick your brain into making you feel better. So far, I've tried his "get to sleep now!" tactic as well as the headache video above, and I've been pretty impressed. I'm pretty sure he's magical.
The best part about his headache hack is the fact that you can literally do it anytime, anywhere. No Advil required.
Images: Leo Hidalgo/Flickr; Giphy (3)
