Christmas has long been a time of excess. A celebrated occasion of gout-inducing fine food and drink; rich meats, fortified wines, more cheese than you can shake a stick at, puddings a plenty and chocolate at every turn. Because we all deserve a treat, right?

Never more so than this year…

If you’re looking to apportion blame for the annual expansion of your waistline, turn thine eyes to the Tudors. King Henry VIII and his merry men not only introduced gift giving and carol singing but also the notion of feasting on Christmas Day, after a 40 day period of fasting for advent. Cheers, Hank!

Of course, these days, the majority of us don’t just feast on the 25th of the month, but as soon as December begins. We embark upon a whirlwind few weeks of social gatherings and celebrations with friends, family and workmates, culminating in the mother of all blow-outs on the big day!

And although your Christmas party season will undoubtedly look different this year, the hangover that follows will remain the same.

The symptoms, which mallet you in the face the morning after the night before, are nothing short of nasty.

  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Shakiness
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety

Sound familiar?

But why?

Well, without putting too fine a point on it, it’s the rather grim, toxic element of your drink – the alcohol itself (in this case, ethanol) which wreaks the havoc, resulting in a heady cocktail of:

Dehydration

Alcohol has a diuretic effect on your body, leeching it of its liquid content.

Gastro grumbles

The diarrhoea and vomiting that plague so many of us, are caused by irritation in your digestive system brought on by alcohol.

Body shock

Every part of your body is thrown out of whack by ethanol entering your bloodstream, unbalancing your electrolytes, lowering your blood sugar, impairing your immune system and messing with your cells.

The result? A day of your life spent feeling like death.

But, if you’re not going to avoid the sauce altogether this month, take a look at these five tried and tested ways to beat your hangover this Christmas.

  1. Drink

Rehydrate, replenish your electrolytes, boost your vitamin levels and keep liquids topped up throughout the day. Try our fave recovery drink, made by Ei8ht, to combat the effects of a hangover quickly. Other good options are coconut water and sports drinks.

2. Eat

Carbs. And plenty of them. Up your blood sugar levels with toast and pasta to kick your tiredness and headaches in to touch.

3. Go back to bed

Sleep disturbance and poor sleep quality go hand in hand with a night of drinking. While the lack of sleep doesn’t directly cause your hangover, it does make it worse. So head back to bed for some shut-eye (after following the steps outlined above).

4. Breathe oxygen-enriched air

This is key to a speedy hangover recovery (or any recovery for that matter). Supplemental oxygen taken before you go to bed will start the process of breaking down alcohol. Alcohol requires three molecules of oxygen to every molecule of alcohol to break it down so supplemental oxygen will speed this up. 

Supplemental oxygen acts as a “vasoconstrictor” so whilst it increases the oxygen to your brain it reduces the blood flow which can help with that morning headache after booze.

Pop a can of ClearO2 next to your bed for administration before bed and as soon as you wake up.

5. Exercise

We know, it’s likely the last thing you want to do when your head’s spinning. But the endorphins released by heading out for a run or joining a class will jumpstart your system into making you feel better.

Combine these five tried and tested ways to beat your hangover this Christmas and you’ll be feeling fresh as a daisy in no time!

Merry Christmas all!