Hangover helpers

Despite cutting your drinking teeth on cider aged 14 and having a will of steel (ok, maybe tin) somehow you\'ve awoken to that impending sense of doom coupled with nausea, headache and dry mouth that can only mean one thing: hangover. If you\'re trying to find the will to live after one too many, we\'ve rounded up the 10 best hangover cures to get you feeling like your fine self again...

Avoid, avoid, avoid!

It sounds silly but the best way to cure a hangover is to avoid getting one in the first place. Don\'t worry, this doesn\'t mean you have to be the designated driver all the time (it\'s a good idea to take it in turns though), but there are a few things you can do before you go out to make the morning much better. These include drinking on a full stomach to slow alcohol absorption, full fat yoghurt to give the stomach with a protective lining or take milk thistle (silymarin) to protect the liver from damage. Also vitamin B and C supplements will prepare your body for what they are about to lose.

Once you\'ve started

If you\'ve already started drinking not all is lost, there are still a few things you can do. Try alternating hard and soft drinks or just drinking slower. Also remember to drink to your size, as there is no point trying to keep up with the girls on the local rugby team, you\'ll lose...and it will be messy. If you want to give your head the best chance in the morning there are a number of drinks best avoided: sparkling drinks like champagne or rum and coke will take the booze straight to your head, as will cognac, brandy, whisky and red wine. On the other hand gin and vodka will be kinder to the head (although not for the soul).

Water, water everywhere

We know it but how often do we ignore it? If water be the spring of life then drink on. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that pounding headache and dry, fuzzy mouth are partly due to dehydration. Drinking water will help speed your recovery. After a drinking session, try to drink a pint of water before going to bed. If you wake with a hangover, sip water little and often all day and try drinking a rehydration solution containing salt to help restore the body\'s natural fluid balance.

Take your vitamins

Just like the money you spend on the booze, vitamins B and C are your body\'s currency and oh my will you feel poor in the morning without them. B vitamins are quickly used up as the body processes alcohol in the body so some people swear by toast plus yeast extract (rich in B-group vitamins), while others prefer a high-dose B vitamin supplement such as Berocca. Take 1g of antioxidant vitamin C three times a day to swipe at all those free radicals you produce as your liver breaks down alcohol.

Caffeine

To help increase alertness and get those tired, aching muscles more energised, caffeine (traditionally in the form of strong, black coffee) will help clear a fuzzy head and reduce headache. Another good source of caffeine-like substances is guarana - extracted from the seeds of a Brazilian shrub. Caffeine is a diuretic, however, so if you opt for this cure drink lots of water, too. Don\'t take caffeine at night, as it will keep you awake and you\'ll wake up feeling worse. And remember that if you take painkillers such as paracetamol, caffeine is a no-no.

Hairy Lemon tablets

This hangover remedy has been a smash success Down Under and aims to become a best-seller in Europe as well. However, our test woman found the loud fizzing as it dissolves in a glass of water almost unbearable and the bright, radioactive yellow colour blinding. Half an hour after taking it, she reported she felt even worse than before and said: \"This may work if you don\'t have a really hardcore hangover, but it just felt way too abrasive for my stomach.\"

Raw eggs

Raw eggs are a common hangover cure in the form of prairie oysters (raw egg with Worcestershire sauce and seasoning). They may help because of their protein and antioxidant content, but many people find they just increase the feelings of nausea. Otherwise fry them up will a batch of sausages, bacon and beans and hopefully you\'ll forget all about that dodgy stomach.

Hair of the dog

While drinking another alcoholic drink in the morning may seem to improve a hangover, this is just a temporary effect. You are only postponing the misery. What seems to happen is that the liver stops processing alcohol already in your system, so the levels of acetaldehyde and formic acid (metabolic \"poisons\" created when your body processes alcohol) in your system temporarily drop - until they rise again even further as the new alcohol, on top of the old, starts being processed again. Don\'t do it. Drinking alcohol in the morning can be a sign of alcohol addiction.

Time

Time, they say is the greatest healer and a review of over 100 medical studies tend to agree, saying that time is the most effective cure for a hangover. Thank god for science. Drink your fluids, take your supplements, eat a light diet and rest until the effects wear off. Then swear you won\'t do it again - think of your liver!

The experts take

PruHealth\'s expert nutritionist, Fiona Hunter, has come up with this menu for a hangover free day:

Breakfast - A smoothie helps restore blood sugar and is gentler on the stomach than fruit juice. Wholemeal toast spread with mashed banana will keep blood sugars stable throughout the morning.

Mid-morning - A glass of orange juice topped up with fizzy water will boost vitamin C levels and re-hydrate the body, while 2 ginger oatcakes will help combat any lingering nausea from the night before.

Lunch - Soup and a wholemeal roll is easy to digest and probiotic yoghurts can help prevent digestive disorders.

Mid-afternoon snack - Another glass of orange juice and fizzy water, and three dates or dried, ready-to-eat apricots.

Evening meal - Opt for something quick and easy to prepare, such as stir-fried vegetables with chicken and noodles followed by a large slice of melon.

See more...

The Little Black Dress diet
More diet and fitness advice