Survive Mondays: 20 best hangover cures

Are you staring at your computer screen without really reading those work emails? Has your mind switched off and started dreaming of the evening when you get to lie down…just…lie…down?
If you don’t even have the energy to nod emphatically while saying yes to these two questions, then you’re in luck. Here’s the list you’ve been waiting for – the 20 Best Hangover Cures; each cure is guaranteed to help you survive this Monday.Standard disclaimer: Science has not found a way to prove that each of these hangover cures actually works. To which, believers say: Placebo or real, anything that stops the pounding in your head is a good enough hangover cure. Let’s begin…
Take a warm shower
You know you indulged in one too many when you wake up hungover on Monday morning. Start your day with a long warm shower. Some suggest that when the warm water hits your scalp, neck and shoulders, it helps your blood circulation get on track to the road to recovery.
Splash some cold water on your face
Don’t stop at the warm shower. Splash some cold water on your face every hour or so during the day, especially in the first half of the day. This might help you focus and feel refreshed until you actually overcome the hungover feeling.
Sip a cup of water every 20 minutes
A night spent binge drinking dehydrates your body and drinking water helps replenish your body’s fluid balance. However, if you guzzle an entire bottle in seconds, your body won’t use all of it. It’ll just make you feel ill and nauseous. Rely on a cup of water every 20 minutes.
Eat chilled fruits
Chilled fruits do two things – they’ll help get rid of the hangover cottonmouth as the freshness and cold temperature will refresh your taste buds instantly, they’ll also give you important nutritional benefits. This helps as you are experiencing weakness due to depleted nutrients.
Drink an energy drink
Some swear by this and perhaps rightly so – an energy drink might give you that extra kick. However, this is not recommended as a natural hangover remedy since the energy drink could potentially raise your heart rate, causing more harm.
Pop some vitamins
This helps regain some nutrients in your body, especially since you’ve depleted them with alcohol the night before. A couple of standard issue multivitamins will do the trick. Make sure to drink a lot of water along with popping these multis.
Go for a brisk walk
Get your blood circulation back in action with a light, but brisk, walk or jog. This will wake you up and get rid of the sluggishness.
Eat a nutritious meal
A nutritious meal will work excellently to replenish your body with nutrients. Nutritious fiber will also help you regain normalcy in bodily functions like digestion. This will help you get rid of toxins and excess baggage.
Eat a greasy burger
It’s a common perception that a greasy meal, more specifically a greasy burger, will ‘wipe up the remaining alcohol’ from your body. This isn’t corroborated by science, but plenty of hangover survivors swear by it.
Try a curry with rice
Popular as an end-of-the-evening comfort food after a round of binge drinking, a curry with rice is just what you might crave at the end of a long hungover day.
Dig out some comfort foods
Comfort foods vary for different people. Some prefer instant noodles; others only rely on wholesome home cooked meals to rid them of their hangovers. Whatever your comfort food is, it might do the trick.
Drink a chilled aerated drink
Chilled aerated drinks might help settle your stomach when you’re dealing with a hangover. The sugar might help spike blood sugar levels in the short term, thus making you feel better instantly. But be prepared for hunger-inducing and nutrient-depleting after effects as well.
Brew a cup of hot tea
Strong aromas and refreshing scents that linger in your senses work well for hangover cures. Tea, a popular beverage with many an Indian, will induce feelings of comfort, nourishment and pacification.
Sniff and sip some strong coffee
Coffee lovers respond similarly to well made coffee. They say that the experience of coffee appreciation begins with the beans, and ends only when you’ve drained the last sip from your cup. This experience might just be what you need.
Hair of the dog
A popular cure with die hard hangover warriors, hair of the dog involves just one or two more drinks to cure hangover symptoms. Bloody Mary is a popular choice here. However, it might just be the nutritious tomato juice and sodium that helps and not the vodka. So hold off on the liquor and see if that works.
Take pills for the headache
You have a headache and that’s just what these painkillers claim to cure. But beware of overuse and strength.
Take antacids
If a hangover signals digestive issues for you, then relying on light antacids might work. As with painkillers, avoid overuse and strong concentrations.
Start lunch with a soup or broth
Sipping on some hearty soups, stews, or broths will work wonders for your senses and body’s nutrition balance. The spices, flavours, salts, vegetables, and meat content will boost the feel-good factor.
Eat every two hours
Hangovers essentially mean that your body is going through a phase of low energy and is fogged down in recovery mode. Eating healthy snacks and meals every two hours will help the process of recovery and by the evening you’ll be in a better place to maximize from a good night’s rest.
Take a power nap
Sometimes it’s best to leave those pills, drinks and meals aside and just sleep it off. However, a busy Monday doesn’t grant that luxury to many. Rely on power naps at your desk in between tasks. Remember to hydrate before and after a power nap, as you will wake up feeling weaker.