The festive season is upon us, and with it comes a whirlwind of festive parties, late nights and flowing drinks – which is all too often followed by the dreaded hangover.
As you prepare to celebrate this Christmas and New Year, staying hydrated and topping up on electrolytes is your best bet for beating the post-party blues.
Nick Hird, hydration expert and co-founder of ViDrate, explains the crucial role electrolytes play, and how boosting your hydration can help you recover quicker this festive party season after you’ve had a few.
Why is hydration essential for beating hangovers?
Alcohol is a notorious dehydrator. When you drink, your body loses fluid at a much faster rate than usual. This is because alcohol is a diuretic and affects the body’s ability to retain water. This leads to dehydration through fluid and electrolyte loss, often leaving you feeling tired, weak and headache-prone the next day.
Staying hydrated before, during, and in the hours that follow drinking alcohol helps to counterbalance the dehydrating effects of it. By keeping your fluid intake up, you can lessen the chances of a hangover and give your body a better chance to process the alcohol and recover the next day.
The role of electrolytes
When it comes to hangovers, hydration alone isn’t enough – you also need electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential minerals that are vital for key functions in the body, such as maintaining fluid balance, nerve function and muscle health. When you lose fluids, you also lose these minerals, and that can be a major contributor to hangover symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and muscle cramps. The most important electrolytes to consider when fighting off a hangover are:
· Sodium: Vital for fluid balance, sodium helps your body retain water. Low sodium can leave you feeling lethargic and exacerbate dehydration symptoms.
· Potassium: Essential for proper nerve and muscle function. Hangovers cause you to urinate more frequently which drains important nutrients from the body and lowers potassium levels. Low potassium after drinking can also sometimes cause an irregular heartbeat.
· Magnesium: Known as ‘the relaxation mineral’, magnesium helps to ease achy muscles and fatigue. It’s also been found to calm your nervous system, which means low magnesium could increase feelings of anxiety.
· Calcium: Another electrolyte that helps support muscle and nerve function, low calcium levels can cause muscle cramps, and even affect your mood.
Top tips for fighting off the hangover
1. Be prepared
Make sure to give your body a head start by hydrating properly and eating before you go out.
Be consistent with drinking water throughout the day ahead of your party plans, and for an even better boost, add a hydration and electrolyte supplement. Eating a decent-sized meal, particularly with dairy products like yoghurt or milk, is a great way to line your stomach and slow the rate at which alcohol is absorbed by your body too.
2. Alternate drinks
This tip is quite simple, but one many people forget – for every alcoholic drink you have, have a glass of water. This will help stave off dehydration and hopefully leave you waking up feeling a little fresher. Not only that, it could also help to reduce the amount or length of time you’re drinking.
3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
As soon as you wake up, focus on getting those fluids in your body. Stick to water and hydration sachets, such as ViDrate, to ensure effective hydration. A coffee may seem tempting, but its diuretic effects will only worsen your dehydration and hangover symptoms.
4. Boost your hydration
Drinking water is essential, but it isn’t a miracle cure. To really get the most out of your hydration, make sure to incorporate the vitamins and electrolytes that alcohol has depleted.
Many people will often reach for sports drinks, however, these tend to be very high in sugar, which will disrupt your blood sugar levels and could leave you feeling worse. Instead, look for sugar-free options that will work to replenish electrolytes and vitamins without causing a sugar crash later in the day.
5. Don’t skip meals
If you can, avoid skipping meals. If your hangover is causing you to feel nauseous, stick to plain foods, but it’s always advised to eat fruits and vegetables, as they are a valuable source of electrolytes. Spinach, bananas, coconut, and oranges are fantastic vitamin and electrolyte-rich options.
Whilst this may not be popular advice, also try to steer clear of takeaways and greasy food, as they can irritate your stomach further and increase drowsiness.
To find out more about ViDrate, visit www.vidrate.com
