During the New Year party, heavy drinking doesn't seem like such a bad idea. But the next morning's hangover proves that it is.
Meeting the dawn of 2015 with a headache, thirst and bad breath spoils the memories of the yesterday party, while doctors say the best way to get rid of hangover is a long nap.
Taking warm shower and a 30-minute walk in fresh air combined with drinking vast amounts of slightly salted water might help too.
Yaroslav Stovbur, a narcologist at Kyiv Military Hospital, says the number of those complaining about the hangover doubles during the winter holidays in Kyiv. “Hangover occurs when body cannot cope with large amounts of alcohol, and as a result poisoning happens,” he told the Kyiv Post.
Acetaldehyde, a product of the interaction of drinker’s liver and alcohol, is extremely toxic and depresses the nervous system, causing weakness, headache and nausea, Stovbur explains.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization, an authority that sets standards of healthy living, believes safe doses for drinking hard liquor are 30 milliliters for men and 15 milliliters for women during the day. One-day wine consumption shouldn’t exceed 280 milliliters for men and 140 milliliters for women. Regarding beer, drinking less than 660 milliliters of a popular brewed beverage for men and 330 milliliters for women will keep one from having a hangover the next day.
However, it is not easy to follow these rules during a party.
Experienced party-goers share their suggestions on how to deal with the hangover on the internet. Drinking plenty of water and pickled vegetables’ brine are the most common advices.
“The morning after heavy drinking, I pour two packs of salt into a bath and get there for an hour,” wrote internet user Serzh on blog.pobedinedug.ru, a blog devoted to health issues, on Dec. 24. “I also drink hot raspberry tea. Sweating helps a lot to recover.”
Stovbur of the Kyiv military hospital confirms that excessive water drinking is the most reasonable approach to treat the hangover. “Water helps to remove toxins from body,” he says. Activated carbon, vitamin C, Alka-Seltzer and Ibuprofen, popular medicines, might also make one feel better.
Sauna during hard hours of alcohol intoxication fits only those who have a perfectly healthy heart and vessels. Cold shower and brine are dangerous for people with heart diseases, narcologist emphasizes.
Some prefer to drink the same type of alcohol they had last night in order to get rid of headache and general sickness, but doctors say this is dangerous. “By continuing to drink (alcohol) in the morning one will cause harm to a liver,” Stovbur says.
A hangover longer than 24 hours should be a reason to pay a visit to a doctor, he adds.
Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected].
