HOW TO AVOID HANGOVERS AFTER A NIGHT OF RAGING

So I am the champion at avoiding hangovers, but even I have unfortunately been hit with one or two on occasion. There is nothing worse than going a little too hard day one of a festival and then feeling like absolute trash day two. Yeah, you will recover but it is going to be a few hours of hell before you feel well again, and nobody wants that. I know everyone has there own little theories about how to prevent them, but it never hurts to try and gather as many in one places as you possibly can. Keeping that in mind, today I wanted to walk you through a few foolproof ways to avoid waking up with a pounding headache feeling like death after a long night of clubbing or raving.

As I have mentioned in some older posts, it is important to recognize that raving and clubbing can essentially be the equivalent of running a marathon. This might be because you dance the whole time or because you spend long periods walking or running around an event. That constant motion is going to take a toll if you haven’t prepared well and could result in a nightmarish hangover the next day. So what can you do to make sure this doesn’t happen.

PREGAME. No, I don’t mean 'get drunk before you even enter the event,' I mean pre-hydrate. Make sure that throughout the day before you plan on going hard you are drinking a ton of water. I would even suggest having a Gatorade an hour or so before you go out so that you are giving your body a reserve of electrolytes to tap into and not just playing catch-up when you get home, or even worse, the next morning.

EAT. I know we have all fallen prey to that post-binge drinking slice of pizza or two-am taco, but a huge part of stopping a hangover is to make sure you eat before you drink. You want to fill up on protein, healthy fats, and some carbs to help absorb the alcohol and also give your body something to soften the blow of all of the activity you are doing.

PACE YOURSELF. As fun as it can be to knock back a million shots in a row it never hurts to try and pace yourself. Your body can process around one ounce of alcohol per hour, and since the majority of drinks are going to be a one and a half ounces of liquor, it might help not to have like…three drinks over thirty minutes if you want to avoid that next day misery.

RE-HYDRATE when you get home. I always make sure to get two bottles of Gatorade when I plan on having an intense night out. I have one before, and then keep one in the fridge to chug before I finally fall into bed and pass out. In my experience even if I haven’t had the first Gatorade, or have completely ignored any of the other tips I mentioned earlier, doing this will almost always stop a hangover.

I tend to be someone who suffers from caffeine, and if I haven't had enough caffeine I will often wake up with a pounding headache after a night of drinking, so I usually like to have a cup of tea. This is in no way scientific, but a cup of tea has also helped me sober up a little more gently before falling asleep and has often helped me shake a hangover the next day. Again this is much more of a little personal remedy, but it has never not worked so I figured I would throw it in here just for fun.

If all else fails and you wake up with a pounding headache, then it never hurts to have some Pedialyte on hand as a last minute hail mary. I always keep a box of the powdered Pedialyte on hand just in case. It takes up way less space than the giant bottles you find at pharmacies and for some reasons tastes a little bit better to me. It also doesn't hurt to make sure you have some painkillers.

So, in summary, there are a few things you can do to make sure that you don't wake up dying the day after a hard night of partying. The most important thing is to stay hydrated and make sure you have everything you'll need before you even have your first drink of the evening. Yeah, it can seem a little ridiculous to stock up on gatorade and insist on snacking before drinking, but it will all be worth it when you wake up feeling bright and fresh, instead of like pure death.

If you have any hangover remedies that you would like to share, please hit me up on Instagram @ourglittergang or @mirapratt and let me know. Seriously, because ya girl is always trying to fight hangovers.