When you are drinking alcohol with a group of friends, you don’t anticipate a hangover. It feels great at the moment and all you want to do is go with the flow and get that feeling of being tipsy and high.
However, for most people, the good times make way for a terrible hangover that spoils their next day. Can eating before bed help with a hangover? Let us find out!
What Is the Correlation between Eating and a Hangover?
If you have planned a night of drinking and fun, make sure food and eating are also a part of it. Drinking without eating is going to cause a lot of issues later on, a bad hangover being one of them. The timing is crucial.
You need to eat something before the drinking has started, some munchies while drinking and something to eat after drinking has ended. Eating slows down the rate of absorption of alcohol, thereby preventing a bad hangover.
What Food Should You Eat to Prevent a Hangover?
Certain foods may help a hangover. You need to consume them right before going to bed. These include:
Bananas
This fruit is a great source of potassium and helps replenish the body’s potassium after a night of heavy drinking. It is also a great source of fiber and sugar and can aid digestion that gets impacted after heavy drinking.
Though people like to eat a banana in the morning while dealing with a hangover, you can also eat it before bed to help a hangover and prevent it from getting worse.
Healthy Carbohydrates
Healthy carbohydrates are a great source of energy and they help a person when they are at their lowest of energy after a night of fun and frolic.
You can pick crackers, bagels, or even toast to eat while drinking. They are light on the stomach and aid digestion, preventing alcohol from making a huge disruption to your system and, therefore, preventing a bad hangover.
At the same time, do not munch on salty and spicy wafers. Contrary to popular opinion, these may disturb the digestive system and aggravate a hangover.
Supplements
You may consider taking supplements or anti-inflammatory drugs after heavy drinking. They are known to improve the symptoms of a hangover. However, you should also talk to your doctor before finalizing the ones you would take before going to bed.
Water
Alcohol dehydrates you and, therefore, you need to drink water to hydrate the body and prevent or improve a hangover. If you don’t drink enough water before bed after heavy drinking, you will likely get up with a headache and bad hangover.
Green Tea
Consider having a cup of relaxing green tea after drinking and before going to bed. It is effective in easing the discomfort caused by alcohol and even prevents liver damage.
Fruit
Consuming fruit or fruit juices after a night of drinking may seem crazy but it helps prevent a hangover. This is because fruits are high in water, antioxidants and electrolytes.
They are good at not only preventing a hangover but also cut down on the impact of excessive drinking. Besides, they help improve dehydration caused by alcohol.
What Foods to Avoid before Bed to Help a Hangover?
Usually, people take a lot of greasy and tasty snacks while drinking, but these are exactly the foods you need to avoid. This is particularly true after drinking. If you consume a lot of snacks before drinking, it may help reduce alcohol absorption in the blood.
However, never eat a lot of greasy food before going to bed because that will negatively impact your digestive system already under pressure because of drinking.
Other Tips to Sober up before Bed and Prevent a Hangover
Now that you know what foods before bed help prevent a hangover, you should also make a note of additional tips that will help you sober up before sleeping or at least make hangover manageable if not prevent it in its entirety.
A good night’s sleep helps the liver process all the alcohol and metabolize your system. However, do not consider passing out the same as sleeping. One may pass out after consuming copious amounts of alcohol and that may sometimes be harmful.
If you feel like vomiting, you should do it because that will help you recuperate better. Sometimes, though rare, people may puke in their sleep and choke to death because of overdrinking. Hence, taking excess alcohol out of your system is the best recourse.
Here are few other things that you can do to ensure you don’t wake up with a terrible headache and ruin your day:
- Drink a lot of water before going to bed after you have drunk away to glory. Do this even if you don’t feel like it. In the worst-case scenario, you are going to puke it all out and that is okay.
- Make provisions for some water around your bed so that you can drink some more in case you feel uneasy and wake up during the night. Taking small sips when you wake up in between is going to help.
- Keep a trash can handy near the bed should you feel the need to puke.
- Keep a pain killer handy on the side table to take during the morning. However, make sure you don’t take anything like Tylenol because it can be harmful when mixed with alcohol and can lead to problems in the liver.
- Do not take any anti-depressants before going to bed after drinking, even if you are on medication. As always, talk to your doctor before taking any medication-related decisions.
The Final Word
Hangovers are bad and can take a toll on people. Therefore, after a night of drinking, you need to hydrate yourself by drinking lots of water. Don’t forget to gorge on some healthy carbs because they will make the digestive system better and help remove the toxins concentrated there due to drinking.
Lastly, a good night’s sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to preventing a hangover. Hence, make sure you sleep well after drinking alcohol.
