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Women have a host of products that help them correct mistakes made the night prior (kind of like the reset button on a Nintendo). What do guys have to reset from the drunken mistakes of a night gone mad? This hangover recovery kit is a surefire way to reboot the body after too much fun.
Mineral Water
Water is going to be the best thing to treat your hangover. A big reason you feel horrible is because the alcohol dehydrated your body. Drinking water before, during and after boozing will always help. What happens when your stomach is too queasy for even water? Try sipping carbonated mineral water — the bubbles will help ease your nausea. Drinking carbonated water with a hangover holds the same benefits as giving 7UP to a sick kid, except that the sugar in soda will only further dehydrate you — stick to the water.
Recommended brand: S. Pellegrino contains sodium and potassium, two things alcohol causes you to lose.
SLIDESHOW: 10 Signs You're Dehydrated
Sports Drink
Replenishing fluids after a night of drinking combats dehydration, and it helps mitigate the effects of byproducts left in the stomach. Non-caffeinated, non-carbonated sports drinks rehydrate professional athletes and will do the same for a hangover. They replace sodium, glycogen, potassium, and other minerals lost to alcohol's diuretic effect.
Recommended brand: Vitamin Water has less sugar and calories than Gatorade and doesn’t taste as syrupy.
Body Wash
When you finally pull yourself from the bed, nothing will keep you up and make you feel better in the morning than a shower with refreshing body wash. It’s important not to smell like keg beer for too long between the sheets (it may trigger the gag reflex). The water and fragrant soap will wash off the toxins you’ve been sweating, not to mention last night’s ugly memories. It’s like the old saying: Smell like the state of mind you want, not the state of mind you have.
Recommended brand: AXE Snake Peel contains desert minerals and cactus oil to clean and exfoliate, the first step in scrubbing the slate clean.
Eggs
The protein in eggs provides the body with needed energy. Eggs also contain large amounts of cysteine, a chemical that breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde. They can act like a mop, helping to clean up the toxins lingering like party guests who overstay their welcome.
Recommended brand: Go organic. Happy chickens lay better eggs and you don’t want any weird growth hormones in your body.
Fruit
Bananas will help replenish lost electrolytes and potassium, as well as lay a healthy base in your queasy stomach. Other potassium-rich fruits like kiwi fruit and apricots work just as well. The water and natural sugar in fruit are easier on your stomach than processed foods are. The fructose also increases the body's energy, a literal natural sugar high. Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit are great for replacing vitamin C, which will help boost your immune system.
Recommended fruits: Bananas, kiwis and oranges.
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Painkillers
Acetaminophen, found in Excedrin, is great for pain, but has been shown to cause liver damage. Aspirin is in a class of anti-inflammatory drugs known as prostaglandin inhibitors and studies have shown that too much prostaglandin can lead to increased hangover severity. Painkillers with caffeine will reduce the size of the pounding blood vessels, lessening the pounding in your head, but caffeine is a diuretic, which will further dehydrate you. So use items with caffeine sparingly.
Recommended brand: Alka-Seltzer Wake-Up Call. Its active ingredient is aspirin. It does have some caffeine, so don’t drink coffee when taking it. From someone who has had a lot of hangovers, this product works better than any other.
Low-Fat Sodium-Rich Foods
Your mind may tell you that a heavy breakfast of biscuits and gravy with a side pound of greasy bacon is a good idea, but resist. The body responds much better to lighter foods like crackers or whole-wheat toast. They’ll deliver energy, sodium and electrolytes, alleviating some symptoms of the hangover. Also, if you remember to, it’s best to eat these same items before drinking. Having a strong base of food will slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
Recommended brand: Triscuit Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers — they’re tasty and Mediterranean folks, who are serious drinkers, will take a spoonful of olive oil to ease stomach toxins.
Hang in there
Everyone tells us to build emergency kits for things that rarely happen. On the other hand, when our brains and bodies suffer weekly, monthly or yearly encounters with strong drink, no one tells us what to do. Thankfully, as seen above, a quick pre-party trip to any pharmacy or convenience store will have you stocked with everything you need to combat hangovers and have you feeling like new.
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