Have a wine hangover? These 8 steps might surprise you, but they will help you recover faster. Get back on track and start having a better day. Let’s take care of some of the unpleasant symptoms of a hangover including:
- The headaches
- The exhausted feeling
- The ‘my body is gross’ feeling
- The nervous bellyache
- The insatiable hunger
- The oversensitivity to odors
The Best Wine Hangover Recovery Guide Ever
Get back on track to being a happy human again with this handy little wine hangover guide. This guide is by certified sommelier who tastes wine everyday and *occasionally* drinks more than she should. Hopefully, we can all learn to moderate better next time.
Wake Up Early
This sounds counterintuitive, but this is essential for a faster recovery. Being awake increases your metabolism which helps to jump start your recovery. If you get up early, you can look forward to a mid-day “caffeine nap” (see below). Get up early and start doing the following steps.
Water, Water, Water and More Water
The most important thing you need to do is drink water. Go to the faucet right now and force yourself to drink 2 glasses of water. You can also take an over-the-counter pain reliever to reduce your headache. Most people will take ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to take away a headache.
You can do this too, but remember that these drugs are hard on your liver which is working overtime right now metabolizing all of that acetaldehyde from the booze. Do your liver a favor and only take a small dose, or skip these medicines until after you’ve tried all the other methods below.
TIP: Set a phone alarm to drink 6-8 ounce glasses of water (150-225ml) every hour.
TIP: If you drink coffee regularly, be sure to drink extra water.
TIP: If you’re queasy, mix a spoonful of baking soda in your water. It will settle your nausea and your sensitivity to smells.
TIP: Avoid coffee. Drink hot water or herbal tea instead.
Go For a Short Run (or a slightly longer walk)
Force yourself to go for a 10-15 minute jog. If you’re not very active, a 30 minute walk has similar benefits. You don’t want to over exercise but go just long enough to get your blood flowing and move the toxins out.
Take a Not-Too-Hot Shower
Turn the lights off and take a cool shower in the dark. Feel that water take off all of the unmentionables from the night before. While showers don’t actually hydrate you at all, a cooler temperature shower will make you alert. Don’t use overly strong smelling soaps. Dress for success and get your day going.
Avoid Alcohol and Greasy Foods
Have oatmeal or a protein shake for breakfast and eat a protein-rich salad or soup for lunch. Do whatever you can to avoid the greasy spoon option as it will just exhaust you. As it happens, the hypothalamus in your brain is just tricking you into thinking you’re hungry for pancakes, bacon and eggs. Trust me, you’re not.
MYTH: Don’t drink alcohol to counteract the effects of alcohol. This is an urban myth.
TIP: If you get inflammation from alcohol, put a cinnamon stick in your herbal tea. Cinnamon has extremely high levels of condensed tannin which reduces inflammation.
Set Up A Peaceful but Productive Playlist
If you listen to music at work during the day, sprinkle in some ambient music such as Brian Eno’s Music For Airports or Aphex Twin’s Ambient Works and keep the volume relatively low.
Music has been shown to not only increase your productivity but also reduce stress. If you have bluetooth headphones, this will help keep you focused as you will probably be constantly interrupted with the need to pee from all that water.
Take a 15-20 minute “Caffeine Nap”
At some point during the day you’re going to get really tired. If you have a safe place to take a nap, like your car or a hidden office couch, take advantage of this and take a “Caffeine Nap.” To pull off a caffeine nap, you’ll need to drink about 6 ounces of coffee and then take a 15 to 20 minute nap.
Caffeine naps are amazing and have proven to be more energizing than regular napping or caffeine alone. You can also take a regular dose of over-the-counter headache medicine that will take effect while you rest.
Make Amends to Drink Responsibly From Now On
Great wine appreciators are not alcoholics; they are responsible drinkers who enjoy the journey of understanding taste and the stories behind wine more than the effects of alcohol. It’s true, we do mess up occasionally and test our limits with alcohol. When this happens we should use this as an opportunity to recalculate where those limits really are.
People might tell you that their tolerance increases but this is just not true. Respect your natural limits and you will live a healthier life. Also, take your recovery seriously and follow the steps above to be back on track faster than ever before.
TIP: Drinking less wine doesn’t mean you’ll waste it. You can enjoy a bottle of wine over several days by acquiring an affordable (or high-end) wine preserver.