NEW YEAR’S HOLIDAYS ARE NOT AS LONG AS IT SEEMES, and it’s a pity to waste them on feeling unwell. We have compiled an instruction for those who could not stop on time and went over with alcohol the day before. How to recover as soon as possible, we figured out together with Zimba Danzanov, the chief physician of the center of oriental medicine “Chzhud Shi”. 

Replenish fluid volumes

A hangover is the poisoning of the body with toxic decomposition products of alcohol. Therefore, all actions in the morning should be directed towards removing these products from the body as soon as possible – this is exactly the case when toxins are not mythical , but detoxification is really needed. These substances are excreted in the urine, so it is worth drinking more to speed up the “cleansing”. In addition, although alcoholic beverages contain water, there is not enough water to compensate for the dehydrating effects of the alcohol itself, so the body may be severely lacking in fluids.  

Thus, the first thing to do in the morning is to drink plenty of water, a liter and a half. It can be ordinary drinking water without gas or mineral water, like “Essentuki” – the latter option is even better for restoring the mineral balance. You can add honey or lemon. If your head hurts badly, take the pain reliever, only in the usual dose, without increasing it. There is evidence that Sprite can help eliminate hangovers faster, so you can drink a jar as a medicine.  

Try to sleep some more

Then go to bed again. Intoxication deprives us of REM sleep phases, during which the body recovers, so even if you slept for 8-9 hours, you risk waking up overwhelmed. If falling asleep is difficult, take a shower, change your pillowcase, and ventilate the room – feeling fresh should make you feel better. After that, close the curtains, put on a sleep mask and turn off the phone – just warn your loved ones that everything is in order.

Eat

It is better to eat not earlier than a couple of hours after the first awakening: give the body time to cleanse itself, do not overload the liver and kidneys additionally. It is better to choose liquid and not heavy food: fruit, broth or low-fat soup , porridge. If you have a favorite place with proven soups near your home, go there and take a walk in the fresh air at the same time. Fatty foods, contrary to popular belief, are best avoided in a hangover – it will only create additional stress on the digestive system. 

Take a walk

Be sure to go outside: fresh air will help you feel better, and movement will “disperse the blood”, as a result of which the body will quickly eliminate toxic alcohol products. Do not go too far with loads: going to the gym or bathhouse in this state is definitely not necessary and is dangerous for the heart; the maximum is to sit in the pool with hydromassage jets or lie on the bottom shelf of the hammam. 

The easiest way is to walk properly or (weather permitting) make a snowman. Perhaps after an hour and a half of active movement you will want to sleep again – and then go to bed and recuperate.

Go for a massage

If you are completely unbearable to walk, you can try a passive load – massage. It also makes blood and lymph move faster in the vessels; that is why massage often has a diuretic effect, which in a state of a hangover is only on the hand. According to Zhimba Danzanov, one of the most popular procedures during the holidays is acupuncture. It will not immediately cure a hangover, but it can speed up the process by stimulating the liver and other organs. It is also known that the needles set in the “correct” points are able to block the perception of pain impulses, so they should help with headaches.  

Dont be upset

An important nuance of a hangover is the state of the so-called adrenaline melancholy . Waking up after a stormy night, we often feel a strong sense of shame and embarrassment for yesterday, even if we remember for sure that we did not do anything the day before. This can be accompanied by depression, anxiety, and irritability. It is important to understand that this is a normal, physiologically grounded sensation. 

A feeling of shame and depression arises because in a state of a hangover our body processes adrenaline and norepinephrine worse and their concentration in the body increases. So take it easy – this is just biochemistry and chances are you behaved well yesterday.

Plan a healthy vacation

When the headache is gone, remember what you planned to do during the New Year holidays, and clearly plan tomorrow, or better yet, write down the rest of the week. Going to the skating rink, going to the cinema or the theater, relaxing brunch with friends, reading a book all day in bed, or sorting out cupboards – you can still do it all. 

Sometimes it seems that the rest should be as spontaneous as possible, but in fact planning does not deprive us of joy and pleasure. In addition, after the holidays that went according to plan, you will feel like a fully rested person, ready for new achievements at work.