hangover

No one ever wants to drink too much, but sometimes festivities happen. Keep this guide handy for preventing and dealing with the horrible hangover.

Preventing a Hangover
Know this: if you're going to go out and toss back more than a few drinks, you're going to pay the price; the body isn't designed to binge on bad stuff and feel great the next day. But before you even get to the worst-case scenario, there are a few things that can help you prevent a hangover altogether — or at least make it a bit more manageable.

• Don't drink, or at least drink less: Instead of giving yourself unlimited access to the champagne bar, limit yourself to one or two cocktails. Drink slowly, and as a rule, don't consume more than one drink per hour, which helps give the body time to metabolize the alcohol. Also, one drink does not mean a Long Island Tea. We're talking a beer, a glass of wine, or roughly one ounce of hard liquor.
• Drink water, and lots of it: Since alcohol dehydrates the body, begin and end your night of drinking with plenty of water, and for every alcoholic beverage you consume, match it with another glass of water. An easy trick is to alternate between a cocktail and a glass — or two! — of water while you are out for the night.
• Don't drink on an empty stomach: Having food in your stomach helps dilute the concentration of alcohol in your belly. Fill up on good-for-you foods with an emphasis on complex carbs.
• Be choosy with what you drink: Whenever possible, stay away from sugary and carbonated drinks, since they speed up the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, and opt for choices that have a low alcohol content, like sake, soju, or low-cal vodka. Drink clear liquors over colored ones: darker alcohol like bourbon or red wine contain more congeners, a substance that help contribute to hangovers.

Is a hangover inevitable? Learn how to make it less painful after the break!

It's easy to get ahead of yourself at a holiday party. You're in the spirit of the season and knocking back a few drinks; you aren't necessarily paying attention to the amount of alcohol you've imbibed. The night is a blast, but the next day is a struggle.

One tip that will make your hangover feel far more manageable is to start water backing. After each alcoholic libation you consume, back it with an 8 oz. glass of good old H2O. Drinking booze dehydrates your system, and drinking water helps your body recuperate faster. Remember that the average female body needs about an hour to metabolize each alcoholic beverage.

Naturopath expert Dr. Holly Lucille is a big believer in following each drink with water, but she has another tip to pace yourself. Set an alarm. Once you have your first drink in hand, set an alarm on your phone for 45 minutes later. Don't go for that second drink until the alarm goes off! Instead of getting swept up in the moment, you have a chance to get aware with how your body is responding to the alcohol in your system and make a decision from there.

New Year's Eve is days away, and while a Champagne toast at midnight is customary, many of you will be having more than just one glass — maybe even four or five before the night is out. Come morning and you have quite the hangover on your hands. You wake up with a pounding headache, parched mouth, and a room that seems to be spinning. What — if anything — can you do to make it stop? Read up on our helpful hangover tips to see what works, what doesn't, and if it's possible to plan a hangover remedy the night before.

• How to prevent a hangover altogether: If you're going to go all out this NYE, you're probably going to pay the price: our bodies aren't designed to binge on bad stuff and feel great the next day. There are a few things that you can do that may prevent a hangover from happening — or, at least make it less painful. Check out these tips for preventing a hangover.
• Too late, the hangover hit: If you aren't able to take our advice on preventing a hangover this New Year's holiday, there are ways to make it more bearable. Remember: lots of water, but mostly just time. Here are five fixes to help you better cope with a hangover. And from a sour stomach to a pounding headache, here are specific fixes for common hangover ailments.
• Common hangover myths busted: From hair of the dog to raw eggs, there's a lot of commonly held hangover cures. But do they really work? Here's everything you need to know on the truth about hangovers and which hangover myths are just that — myths.
  

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

You know you shouldn't, but sometimes a girl just can't help herself. You plan to meet up with friends for a drink after work, and one drink turns into many more, which then turns into a rough next morning. We hope you don't have a hangover reading this, because we bring you some not-so-good news. "There are a lot of myths about hangover cures," says Ruth C. Engs, RN, EdD, a professor at Indiana University who has done extensive research on the effects of drinking. "Essentially there is no cure other than consuming water and liquids like juice (i.e., not spiked) in the morning." The reason? Hangover symptoms are a product of dehydration, hypoglycemia, and the poisonous side effects from toxins in our drinks (sounds great, right?). Water will not only help hydrate your muscles and organs, but will also aid in flushing out the toxins. Juices such as orange juice accomplish both while replenishing your body with missing sugars.

That said, if you swear by a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel or a five-mile run after a night out on the town, you're not alone. We got the scoop on which remedies seem to prove real, and which ones are just part of the rumor mill.

Find out which hangover cures work after the break!

If you were out late last night wining and dining with friends, it's not until the next morning that you realize that last glass of pinot was a bad idea. Your head is pounding, the room is spinning, and if it's really grim, you have the urge to throw up every time you move: hangovers suck.

If you're going to go all out, you're going to pay the price; our bodies are not designed to binge on bad stuff and feel great the next day. But, there are a few things that you can do that may prevent a hangover from happening — or, at least make it less painful.

Continue reading to see what you can do to prevent a hangover.

Makeup artist Gina Brooke has created looks for Madonna, Anne Hathaway, and Gisele Bundchen, and has a wealth of beauty knowledge. We're excited to share this Daily Makeover story by her:

The holidays are a joyful time, but also a time where we tend to overindulge — whether it's by eating too many sweets and salty snacks or drinking to the point of regret. We especially seem to notice it the next morning when we look in the mirror and see the lovely side effects of our late night filled with excess — skin appears dry, tight and sallow, and our eyes are puffy from too much salt intake. Fortunately there are some quick and easy home remedies and makeup tricks to resolve these problems. Get the scoop after the jump.

If you aren't able to take our advice on preventing a hangover this New Year, here are a few tips on making it more bearable. Remember: lots of water, but mostly just time. Or, if you're PartySugar, your remedy might be another cocktail. We suggest a Bloody Mary; the vitamin C, lycopene, and hot pepper might be what it takes to get you up and moving!

• Hydrate — We cannot stress this enough. Since dehydration is a major component of a hangover, it's important to replenish with water — lots of it. If you feel like you really overdid it, have a non-sugary drink like coconut water, which will help replace lost electrolytes.
• Kill the pain — If you have a headache the next day, take an OTC pain reliever. If you can, take it after you've eaten so that you don't upset your already aggravated stomach.
• Eat — Eating food will help break down and process the alcohol in your system. It will also provide energy if you're feeling sluggish. Here are YumSugar's picks for the best hangover foods.
• Take a nap and then get up and go — Depending on how bad your hangover is, you may just need to sleep it off a little more. If you can, try and get up and get moving to sweat out all of those toxins.