Anyone who has ever drink excessively knows what the consequences are. Despite living a healthy lifestyle, we still have a few of nights each year that usually involves ample amounts of alcohol consumption, often as part of a holiday celebration, victory parties or night out with friends.

And after a night of drinking, you found yourself the next morning feeling dizzy and nauseated. Your mouth is dry, your head is pounding and your body is aching. You have a hangover.

What is a Hangover?

A hangover is collection of signs and symptoms associated with drinking alcohol excessively. The severity of a hangover depends on how much alcohol was consumed and if the sufferer had adequate sleep. Well, the less sleep you have, the worse the hangover.

There are many factors that contribute to the severity of a hangover – the amount of alcohol consumed, how tired you were before you drink, how much sleep you got, whether you are already dehydrated before the drinking session began, etc.

In most cases, the hangover symptoms wane after 24 hours. The best way to avoid hangover is to drink in moderation, or to abstain from alcohol drinking. If you are not sure how much alcohol you can stand, be careful.

How to Cure a Hangover Naturally

Traditional hangover remedies are usually ineffective, and what’s worse, they actually aggravate hangover symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet for hangover, however there are many ways to ease the severity of the symptoms. Here are some simple solutions for hangover symptoms as well as tips to help you alleviate specific problems.

♥Water

Water is definitely a MUST! Alcohol is a diuretic and can cause dehydration. With your frequent trips to the bathroom during a drinking night, you’ll surely lost significant amounts of fluid. How to prevent dehydration when drinking alcohol? Order a glass of water for every beer, or alternate water for every alcoholic drink to replace lost fluids. Before falling into bed, drink another glass of water, and keep a glass of water beside your bed that you can sip when you wake up the next morning.

♥Vitamin B-Complex

Recovering from a hangover takes hours, but there are ways to speed up the process. Alcohol depletes your vitamin resource through fluid loss, most especially Vitamin B Complex, which are very important in alcohol metabolism. The liver relies heavily on some B’s to detox efficiently so after drinking, make sure you pop 1 or 2 tablets of Vitamins. This can work wonders.

♥Cruciferous vegetables

The liver is responsible for processing about 95% of the alcohol you drink. So to support your liver, you need to eat foods that support liver detox function. Rev up your detox pathways by eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale. The Brassica veggies contain unique phytonutrients that supports liver function. A warm broccoli soup the next morning would be a great meal to reduce hangover symptoms.

♥Milk Thistle

This is perhaps the most popular traditional remedy for hangovers. The antioxidant present in milk thistle, called ‘silymarin’, has been found to counteract the oxidative stress resulting from alcohol consumption. Due to this effect, it can help prevent or lessen the symptoms of a hangover.

♥Lemon Water

Besides water alone, another way to reduce the severity of a hangover is by drinking lemon water. Lemon-infused water promotes liver detoxification by strengthening liver function. Simply squeeze half of a lemon in a glass of water and then drink it up. Aside from its detox benefits, lemon is packed with Vitamin C, which supports liver detox by reducing liver inflammation.