[Medical Q&A] How to relieve the discomfort caused by a hangover?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Zhang Xiaohong, Chief Physician, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital

A hangover is a condition in which after a night of rest, the body still experiences symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, stomach discomfort, drowsiness, sweating, extreme thirst, and cognitive confusion, even though the alcohol in the body has been completely eliminated due to excessive drinking. This is because after drinking a lot of alcohol, liver cells are unable to completely eliminate all harmful substances metabolized by alcohol, resulting in acute poisoning symptoms.

Hangovers are mainly caused by dehydration, nausea and vomiting caused by irritation of the gastric mucosa after drinking, and dehydration caused by the diuretic effect of alcohol. Therefore, the following points can be used to relieve the discomfort after a hangover.

1. Eat some high-fat food or drink some milk before drinking to protect the gastric mucosa and reduce alcohol stimulation.

2. Avoid toasting continuously while drinking and reduce the frequency of changing cups to reduce the total amount of alcohol consumed. Do not continue drinking when you feel dizzy or your heart rate increases.

3. Replenish water after drinking, especially after vomiting. If you drink on an empty stomach, you should also pay attention to keeping warm and replenishing sugar.

4. It is not recommended to use strong tea or coffee to sober up.

5. When you have a splitting headache accompanied by dizziness, it is recommended to lie down and rest to avoid falling due to loss of balance.

6. It is recommended to eat light food, such as ginger, tomato juice, asparagus, persimmon, banana, honey, etc.

After a period of recovery, most hangovers will not leave sequelae. Middle-aged and elderly people with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases should be alert to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents when they have limb numbness and crooked mouth, and they need to go to the hospital for treatment in time.