Healthy, Natural Cures for your Holiday Hangover

In anticipation of the upcoming Holiday season, we’ve outlined some key tips on how to survive a night of drinking and arguing with your crazy uncle without feeling awful the next day. Below are nine hangover cures that will actually work!

1. Hydrate - while drinking, before bed, and when you wake up
   This one’s no secret. Alcohol severely dehydrates you, so loading up on water while drinking is vital. Also, make sure to drink a decent amount before you fall asleep. While waking up to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night isn’t the most pleasant feeling in the world, it’s a hell of a lot better than waking up hungover. But, hey, if you do wake up in a living, post-drinking nightmare, push those fluids all day. 
   
   
2. Sleep
   Since your body has to metabolize the alcohol you consumed, the only real way to get over a hangover is to wait it out. Sleeping it off is the best (and most painless option). So, if you’re able to give up your morning for the sake of nursing a hangover, do it. It's also helpful to keep your head cool and comfortable. Try a pillow that's cool to the touch, like the Bear Pillow, to help ease that pounding head.
   
   
3. Hydrotherapy
   Yes, if you live in LA or New York and can get yourself to a fancy spa, sure, do that. If you have access to a pool, tread some water for a while. But waking up and taking a cool shower is a seriously good idea, especially if you have to go to work. While taking a cold shower isn’t exactly a hangover cure, it will work to invigorate and jolt the sleep out of you. A nice cool rinse will also help you look a lot better than you feel.
   
   
4. Dandelion Root
   Dandelion root is an age-old liver cleanser, and as we all know, drinking too much (or any, for that matter) alcohol is super stressful on your poor liver. Drink a couple cups of this guy, unsweetened, instead of coffee when you wake up. It’ll help your body flush out the alcohol and leave you feeling a lot better.
   
   
5. Get in a quick, light workout
   If you have obligations (work, brunch, life), mild exercise can help ease the effects of a hangover. And though experts have debunked the “sweat it out” myth time and time again, a brisk walk or some gentle yoga can get your blood pumping and you feeling better for a while.
   
   
6. Sip ginger kombucha
   Regardless of whether or not you’re on board with the supposed miracles worked by kombucha, it does contain a bunch of natural, organic acids that work to detoxify a lot of your vital organs, including your liver. We’re recommending kombucha flavored with ginger because this amazing root relieves nausea. Now that is what we call a power couple.
   
   
7. Meat Eaters: Eat Pho… Right Now
   Pho is a wonder food. It hydrates you, the added spices are a great way to start sweating out some of those toxins, and the high sodium content replenishes those essential electrolytes your body loses while ridding the body of alcohol. Plus, it’s delicious and easy on the stomach.
   
   
8. Vegans: Sip Some Miso
   Miso has all the benefits of pho but doesn’t fill you up due to the lack of protein. Miso is great to drink when you’re still feeling too ill to eat; plus, those little grocery store packets are so easy to make.
   
   
9. Try a Green Smoothie
   At this point, we should post a warning: don’t consume all of these things. Just a couple will be ok; it all depends on your preference. But a green smoothie is a great way to pack your body full of vitamins and minerals without feeling you’ve eaten a bunch of food. Our favorite hangover smoothie recipe is:
   A few cups spinach (we usually recommend any type of leafy green, but spinach is easier on your stomach than kale or chard)
   ½ banana (potassium)
   Small handful of blueberries (antioxidants )
   Juice of ½ lemon (citric acid to help balance your pH)
   Coconut water - add to thin the drink according to preference; we usually use ½ - ¾ cup (insanely hydrating, balances out the taste of the smoothie)
   
   Checkout some more of our other hydrating drink recipes to have you feeling refreshed and more like yourself.