How to handle your hangover

By Jackie Valley

Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 | 2 a.m.

No one likes a hangover. Your head pounds, your legs wobble, your stomach turns.

Helpful friends may offer advice: Eat a greasy burger, pop an aspirin or — gasp — start drinking again.

Do such home remedies work?

Unfortunately, no. Damon McCune, a registered dietitian and coordinator of UNLV’s Nutrition Center, explains why.

MYTH: “Hair of the dog”

Some people say the best cure is to resume what you were doing to cause your hangover. In other words, drink more. Bad idea, McCune said. Adding more alcohol to your system might make hangover symptoms seem to disappear temporarily, but drinking more will just make the problem worse. Alcohol dehydrates the body, so the more you drink, the more fluids and electrolytes you lose and the worse you feel.

Long stints of drinking also can lead to chronic alcoholism because your body can adapt to the alcohol usage and come to depend on it.

MYTH: Pop a pain pill

Popping a Tylenol might reduce body inflammation associated with a hangover, but it’s not a cure.

“It’s not fixing the problem,” McCune said. “It’s more or less a Band-Aid that’s probably not going to do much.”

That’s because many hangover symptoms are the result of dehydration, a problem a pain reliever won’t address.

Health officials also caution against overusing pain relievers because it can lead to ulcers.

MYTH: Take a vitamin supplement

Pre-packaged vitamin supplements carry clever names and boast healing powers. Don’t be fooled.

“There’s really no evidence to show those products will do much,” McCune said.

Many contain large amounts of vitamin B-12 and amino acids, which can aid in the formation of energy. While neither is bad for you, both can be acquired naturally by eating a well-balanced meal, McCune said.

Instead of coughing up a few bucks for a hangover supplement, eat a healthy meal and you’ll likely feel the same effect.

MYTH: Drink hard alcohol first

Most of us have heard it before: “Beer before liquor, never been sicker; liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.”

The myth likely originated because the alcohol content of beer typically is lower than that of mixed drinks or shots. But downing booze before beer isn’t a foolproof way to avoid next-day agony.

Drinking large amounts of any alcohol can trigger a nasty hangover because your body can’t keep up ridding itself of the toxins.

“At some point, you will have consumed enough to cause this reaction,” McCune said.

Plus, drinking is subjective. The carbonation in beer, for instance, can really bother some drinkers.

MYTH: Eat greasy food

Fat from greasy foods coats the lining of your stomach, making the digestive process take longer. So eating greasy foods before drinking can slow the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream and prevent you from getting drunk as fast.

But the same isn’t true the next day. Eating a greasy meal the morning after drinking might sound delicious, but it could further irritate a stomach already bothered by alcohol toxins.

It also can cause weight gain. A night of heavy drinking typically results in a high caloric intake, and eating greasy food adds to it.

“That’s how people tend to pack on the weight,” McCune said.

So what does work?

• Water. “I’m a fan of hydration,” McCune said. “The thing people need to be careful of is consuming too much at once.” Never drink more than 1 liter of water per hour. Drinking too much water in a short time can lead to hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition that causes sodium to be diluted in the bloodstream.

• Sports drinks. Gatorade and Powerade can help replenish lost electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals in the blood that affect hydration, blood acidity and muscle function. Bananas also are a good source of electrolytes because they are high in potassium and magnesium.

• Rest. The body endures trauma after a heavy night of drinking because it considers alcohol a poison. So give it some rest. Relax, take it easy and your hangover eventually will go away.

• Quality food. Don’t starve yourself. Once the nausea fades, eat nutritious meals made up of a quality protein (lean meat, eggs, milk), complex carbohydrates (whole-grain bread, brown rice, starchy vegetables), healthy fats (olive oil, peanut butter), fruits and vegetables.