No matter how good you are at holding your alcohol, hangovers are as inevitable as another (and then another after that another) round of Munich’s world-famous beers. It’s like a bad ending to an epic story, especially if this is your first Oktoberfest or your first time in Bavaria.
Fortunately for you, we’ve gathered all effective hangover cures that you can put to good use while you’re enjoying Oktoberfest. Hangovers might be inevitable; however, you don’t have to suffer through them. Instead, you can choose one from this list and carry on where you left off – at the beer tent.
1. Bananas and Pretzels
This might be the reason why there are tons of pretzels lying around during Oktoberfest. Since it is high in salt, pretzels prevent further dehydration, the main cause of dizziness and the insane hangovers the next day. Pair the pretzels with bananas, which in turn, are high in potassium. That element also averts dehydration.
2. Exercise
Sweating out the alcohol that’s already in your circulation might also be a good idea to prevent, or at least mitigate hangovers. When you start breaking a sweat, your body releases various neurochemicals and hormones (like endorphins and even adrenaline) that lighten up your mood and boost your energy, making you feel better. Also, working out a bit might lessen some of your guilt from pushing your body to the limit during Oktoberfest.
However, results may vary from person to person. Some might feel even more terrible due to dehydration, which sweating further amplifies. You might feel better for a short while before feeling worse overall.
3. Take a Nap
The simplest advice is usually the most effective. After a long night (until morning) of drunken debauchery, it would be prudent to give your body some rest. Normally, a long, deep sleep would be ideal, but a short nap would be fine.
4. Pickle Juice
Touted as the reason why the Polish don’t get hangovers, pickle juice is a relatively new discovery in the Western world. Used extensively in Poland and in neighboring countries, pickle juice is quickly becoming a staple drink that’s served immediately after a shot. The sour brine counters the taste and the afterburn of the alcohol.
Also, the salt and nutrients in the brine counter the dehydration and the loss of vitamins. Also, at the same time, the somewhat foul taste of the solution brings you back to reality.
5. Peanut Butter and Jelly Toast
Apparently, everyone’s favorite snack is not only for breakfasts or break times, it can also be used to ease hangovers. The peanut butter contains, well, peanuts which has niacin, a vitamin that metabolizes alcohol while the jelly and toast makes plain peanut butter more tolerable to eat. If you’re overly fond of peanut butter, then you can just skip the jelly and toast part, and indulge your heart’s content.
6. Xanax
The up-and-coming hangover cure for Millennials, Xanax belongs to a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. These are used to treat panic disorders and anxiety. Furthermore, this Xanax considered as the single most prescribed psychiatric medication in the United States. So, is it any better when it comes to countering hangover? The short answer is probably yes, there are a couple of conditions, though.
Since this is a known depressant, you’ll probably feel lethargic and sleepy after taking this. Which is a good thing since it weans your body off the alcohol still in your blood vessels. However, this is only ideal if you’re not looking on doing anything the day after your hangover.
7. Water
The simplest hangover cure available, the most effective way for this hangover cure is to down a glass of water for every bottle of beer that you consume. This will replace the fluids that you lost with the bee and thus prevent dehydration which is the main cause of the pains behind hangovers.
8. Coffee and Aspirin
This pair is probably the most well-known cure to hangover. Caffeine plus painkillers makes a killer combination especially if you need to be on your feet immediately after a particularly debilitating hangover. The different compounds and ingredients of aspirin and coffee react well against the ingredients that can be found in ethanol, or pure alcohol.
However, one must tread carefully when using this combination. Caffeine is a known diuretic; therefore, it somehow causes dehydration, which is the cause of hangovers. Also, painkillers can cause stomach pains or even induce indigestion.
9. Chicken Soup and Sports Drink
With alcohol currently swimming in your veins, there are two things that are primarily responsible for the miserable feeling that you have now: dehydration and low blood sugar. Alcohol blocks your body’s ability to absorb water and your liver is now busy trying to kill the toxic off the alcohol your ingested. So that leaves you with no water and with plenty of glucogen and not glucose – the sugar that your body needs. In short, dehydrated and with low blood sugar.
This pair (chicken soup and sports drink) addresses both. The chicken soup gives you salt and B vitamins that help produce the glucose that you need. The sports drink, on the other hand, is a salty solution that contains electrolytes and carbohydrates.
10. Hair of the Dog
Ah, the age-old hangover cure that’s probably known by all drinking cultures worldwide. In case you’re one of the few people that are unfamiliar with this term, the complete one is “hair of the dog that bit you.” Basically, after you’re dead-drunk, a few sips of beer or any alcohol will make you feel better. Why?
All alcohol has small amounts of methanol, a toxic chemical that can cause blindness and death. The amount of methanol in each drink is infinitesimal, however, when added over time, it can cause hangovers. Ethanol, the chemical that stops methanol converting into formaldehyde and thus toxic, is given to patients suffering from methanol poisoning. Add the fact that it is also the main component of alcohol and you’ll get a hangover-free morning after.
Beer Contains Sugar
One thing that you should always keep in mind, among all others, is that beer has sugar. It might be in small quantities, however, if accumulated enough, it might present a new problem for you in the form of a high blood sugar. If you’re already diabetic and still planning on enjoying Oktoberfest, you can still do so, if you know your limits. Also, don’t forget to take your medication and your herbal supplement for diabetes.
Hold on the pretzels and the beer, and perhaps, do more socializing with the thousands of tourists there. Oktoberfest might be best known for its beer; however, it is also a place for socializing with people from all over the world. Who knows, you might even wound up with a couple of new friends plus a healthier body to boot?
