Drinking whisky and other types of alcohol in excess comes with many side effects that you should know how to cope with. A hangover is one of the most common side effects of drinking whisky without limits. In most cases, the alcohol hangover is accompanied by nausea, thirst, dizziness, sensitivity to sound, headache, and fatigue.

Different myths are surrounding the cure for alcohol hangover that most whisky enthusiasts believe is true.

For instance, some people believe that rubbing lemon in your armpit before taking a glass of whisky can stop you from waking up with a hangover. Others hold that chugging a glass of pickle juice is another hangover cure, but this is not backed with scientific proof.

If you’re wondering how you can cope up with a hangover, Bottle and Ash is here to rescue you. In this article, we give you some tips you can use to prevent a hangover if you’ve been drinking whisky all night.

8 Proven Tips to Cure Whisky Hangover

1. Take a heavy breakfast 

It is needless to say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a good breakfast is one of the best ways to cope up with a whisky hangover.

Eating breakfast in the morning cures a hangover because it can help keep your blood sugar on the right track. The low blood sugar level is not the leading cause of hangover but is directly related to it.

When you have a low blood sugar level, you will likely experience severe hangover symptoms on waking up, such as fatigue, nausea, and body weakness.

Some research has shown that you can quickly mitigate the body changes resulting from a hangover like acid building up in the blood when you maintain an adequate blood sugar level.

Excessive intake of alcohol depletes the minerals and vitamins in your body. By eating a good breakfast in the morning, you can easily replace these essential nutrients in your body.

2. Get enough sleep 

If you’ve been drinking whisky all night with your friends, you are likely to have some hangovers in the morning if you don’t take a good night’s sleep.

For some individuals, drinking alcohol in excess can cause sleep disturbance associated with reduced sleep duration.

Drinking alcohol in small amounts can promote a good night’s sleep. However, when you drink excess alcohol, you are likely to disrupt your sleep patterns. Lack of night sleep does not cause a hangover but only worsens the symptoms.

That said, it is essential that when you’ve been drinking the best brand of whisky like Glenfiddich or Jameson, you should take a nap all night. When you have a good night’s sleep, you can reduce the hangover symptoms like fatigue and dizziness.

3. Drink a lot of fluids 

Keeping your body hydrated is one of the best ways to reduce hangover symptoms. Drinking alcohol in excess can cause dehydration in many ways. For instance, when you drink a lot of alcohol, your body increases the production of urine. When you urinate a lot, your body loses electrolytes and fluids that it requires for normal functioning.

Again, some people are likely to vomit when they drink alcohol in excess, which results in further loss of fluids and electrolytes. Dehydration may not be the primary cause of hangovers, but it worsens its symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and headache.

Drinking a lot of water can help to remove hangover symptoms and keep you fit. It can even prevent you from having a hangover in the first place. So, when you go drinking whisky with your friends, you can make it a habit to alternate between a glass of water and whisky in between.  

Drinking water alongside your whisky is also good because it clears your palate and helps you discover the drink’s hidden flavors and aroma. If you cannot drink water, add some ice cubes to your whisky glass for a start.

4. Go for ‘hair of the dog’

Yes, if you’ve been drinking for years, you probably know what ‘hair of the dog’ means. You should have a drink early in the morning if you want to cure your hangover fast.

Although most people take this as a myth to curing hangovers, there is little evidence showing that drinking in the morning is one way of curing hangovers or even lessening the symptoms. The reason is that when you drink alcohol, you slow the processing of methanol in the body.

Drinking alcohol when you have a hangover can help alleviate hangover symptoms. It stops the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde, a toxic compound that causes a hangover.

5. Keep off drinks with high congeners 

Yes, sometimes it not the whisky that is causing you the hangover but the drinks you’ve been adding to your glass of whisky. Drinking whisky neat may have fewer hangovers compared to mixing it up with other drinks.

If you must drink alcohol in excess, then you should avoid all drinks with congeners in them. Congeners are ingredients such as acetone, isopentanol, and methanol that are found in some alcoholic drinks.

Ethanol is the main ingredient found in most alcoholic drinks. When you drink alcohol with many congeners, you are likely to experience severe hangovers the following morning.

6. Don’t drink on an empty stomach 

Every whisky lover will agree with the fact that drinking on an empty stomach is a crime. When you have nothing in your stomach, you are likely to encounter a severe hangover.

You should not try taking whisky on an empty stomach because an empty stomach speeds up the absorption of alcohol in the bloodstream. You become drunk faster when you drink on an empty stomach.

And if you’ve thought about what you should eat before you can gulp the first glass of whisky? Well, any food like smoked meat can save you the day. Just any type of food that finds its way to your belly can slow down alcohol absorption.

7. Go for supplements 

Well, scientists have shown that most alcohol hangovers result from low-grade inflammations in the body. That means when you have inflammations. You are more likely to experience a hangover after a night out with friends.

Some anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to help cure alcohol hangovers. Some medicinal herbs and plant-based foods can also reduce the symptoms of a hangover. For instance, if you drink a glass of coconut water or a pot of sweet tea, you will likely cure your hangover.

8. Drink in moderation 

The only way to prevent hangovers in the first place is to know your limits. You should drink whisky or any alcohol in moderation if you want to prevent all the health effects it comes with.

Know your limits and only order what you can consume comfortably. If you’re trying a new brand of whisky, you should have your friends around to drive you home just in case things turn out awkward.

The amount of alcohol your body needs to produce a hangover will vary depending on the type of drink you consume. Some people will develop hangovers when they go beyond three bottles, while others may just be comfortable with four.

Final Thoughts

Dealing with alcohol hangovers is one of the worst nightmares whisky lovers have to deal with. If you’ve been drinking whisky and you experience hangover symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and headache, you should consider the tips we have shared here.

Drink whisky in moderation, and if you’ve lost count of how much you’ve been drinking, that’s the right time to call the taxi.  

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