The best hangover ‘cures’ to help you recover after THAT England win
LAST night it happened... England's dreams of bringing it home got closer to becoming a reality after beating Denmark.
More than 6.8 million pints are thought to have been sunk as fans gathered in pubs and bars to celebrate the semi final victory long into the night.
After the brilliant win millions of Brits are likely to have woken up with a pretty nasty hangover.
But it doesn't have to be that way (even if you're over 30 - promise).
GP Sarah Garsed at online health and wellness platform has given us a few handy tips to help try and kick the dreaded hangover.
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Eat breakfast
Dr Sarah says it's an instant win against a hangover to eat breakfast the morning after a night of heavy drinking.
She said: "A hangover is often a mixture of dehydration, tiredness and low blood sugar levels.
"Eating something when you make up helps lift your low blood sugar and
regulate your sugars to a more manageable level."
Choose whole carbs
Drinking alcohol can lower our blood sugar levels and leave us feeling extremely tired from the dehydration.
Dr Sarah explained: "Instead of reaching for greasy high fat foods, or high sugar foods, try and choose whole carbohydrates instead.
"Wholemeal toast, a bowl of brown pasta with cheese, or even cereal are
great options as they till help to regulate your blood sugar levels but also slowly release energy rather than drastically raising it and then having to go through the crash afterwards."
Try orange juice
If your hangover is particularly bad and you are struggling to stomach
much food, try a cold orange juice to get yourself back to being match ready.
"Orange juice can have a acid-neutralising effect when it is
metabolised by the body and delivers a big does of potassium which
helps to rehydrate you and restore any lost minerals.
"Orange juice is also high in natural sugar, which can help bring that
low blood sugar up and reduce feelings of nausea", Dr Sarah said.
Take a nap
Alcohol loves to rob us of good quality sleep.
This is because it inhibits the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, meaning it can be hard to get to sleep, difficult to have good quality sleep
and you may also find you wake up early unable to get back to sleep.
"Sleep is one of the most restorative things for a hangover so if you
need it, take a nap the following day" Dr Sarah added.
Do some exercise
Depending on how bad your hangover is, exercise might seem like the
last thing you want to do, BUT it could be the best thing for you, Dr Sarah says.
After drinking a lot of your natural feel-good brain chemicals can be
left significantly reduced, leaving you feeling low in energy and
mood.
Dr Sarah said: "Exercise releases huge amounts of endorphins and dopamine into the body, helping to give you a big happiness boost while also raising your energy levels.
"Exercise can also help to regular blood sugar levels and can loosen constricted blood vessels that can contribute to those horrible headaches.
"Try a workout or even just go for a walk or cycle to reap the benefits."
Get under the sheets
That's right - you might not feel like it, but one expert says that having sex is one of the best ways to cure a hangover.
Speaking to The Sun, Roberta Stringer, nutritionist and co-founder of testosterone supplement company said: "One of the most effective, fun and cheapest ways to cure a hangover is to have sex.
"Sex releases oxytocin, which is a happy hormone and powerful anti inflammatory that helps us deal with pain.
"Also added bonus of burning off a few of those liquid festive calories you consumed in the process!"
Try ginger
We've all felt a little bit sick after a heavy night of boozing and Nick says a great way to stop these feelings is to try a little bit of ginger.
He said: "Ginger helps reduce inflammation and helps settle your stomach.
"Why not try adding it to a smoothie, the extra fruit and vegetables will also help replace the nutrients lost. Another idea is to add ginger to hot water, lemon and honey.
"The sugar in the honey will also help re-balance your low blood sugar levels.”
Dish the fish
Nutritionist Pauline Cox, on behalf of said that eating oily fish could be the key to helping out your hangover.
She said: "That anxious, jittery feeling you get the morning after? Turns out low DHA levels in the brain could be the culprit.
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"Research has shown the protective effects of a particular omega 3 found in high levels in the brain called DHA. DHA has been shown to have neuroprotective effects against the damage of alcohol on the brain.
"Fish oils have the potential to protect the brain cells from the damaging effects of inflammation brought about from drinking alcohol, although more research is needed to confirm these effects."
