After-Party Rituals

There is nothing more annoying than waking up with a throbbing headache, extreme nausea (may be accompanied with more vomiting), and sensitive eyes. No, you are not pregnant. You just had a little too much to drink last night.

Parties and drinking are fun, but it's so not fun to wake up feeling and looking like a wreck. After years of going out on Saturday nights and having my Mom drag me to church at 10 am the following day, I had no choice but to find the best ways to avoid hangovers.

I'd like to share my after-party rituals that have proved to be very useful in making me a functional human being (as opposed to just walking around like a zombie) the following day after a night of drinking copious amounts of alcohol:

•  The root cause of a hangover is just plain and simple= dehydration. A simple cause calls for a simple cure, so be sure to load up on agua before you sleep. Avoid caffeine-based fluids, as these are also dehydrating. The first thing I do when I get home is drink water. I try to force not just one, but 3-5 glasses of water down my throat. It's actually recommended that you drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol you consume. Also keep on drinking water the next day to replenish the body's water losses. 

• Another important post-party step that shouldn't be missed is removing every trace of make up and washing your face. Partying in itself is bad for the skin- alcohol dehydrates skin cells, exposure to cigarette smoke has been proven to cause changes in skin cells as well, and staying up until the wee hours of the morning robs us of restful beauty sleep. Personally, I make it a point to wash my face even if it means I have to crawl to the sink to do it. It's not a pretty sight to wake up with make up smeared all over your face and pillowcase. Make up left overnight can also cause irritation, pimples, and clogged pores. Skin regenerates while we sleep, so slather on a moisturizer too to combat the dehydrating effects of alcohol.

• If you have to get up early and be somewhere the next day, but you just can't bring yourself to get up, or much less open your eyes, try this: splash your face with water to wake you up, then use a chilled gel eye mask over your eyes for 10 minutes. This really works like a charm for me. The photosensitivity goes away, and I feel super refreshed, alive and awake and ready to face the world! 

• Eat a light meal for breakfast. I usually don't have much of an appetite after a night of drinking, so I just eat fruits, cereals, crackers or a sandwich. 

I've been practicing for almost 2 years now, and I must say I don't get major hangovers anymore. No more dizziness, nausea, listlessness, and break outs when I wake up. I still get a little tired, but taking a mid-day nap takes care of that.

How about you? Care to share your secrets to managing hangovers? Drop me a line! :)