The morning after a big night of drinking can be unpleasant. If you have a hangover and associated stomach ache from too much alcohol, getting rid of the stomach issues may be your first priority.
Your body’s response to over-consumption of alcohol could be intense, but you can take steps to minimize the discomfort.
Causes of Stomach Ache
When you overload your body with alcohol, the alcohol works as a diuretic and causes your body to become dehydrated. Depending on what type of alcohol you consumed, your body will also have impurities to manage.
Malt liquors and other sweet drinks contain an elevated impurity level, which means that your body will have a greater recovery after drinking. These impurities often create unpleasant stomach aches because your body objects to the foreign chemicals in your system.
Drinking alcohol causes your stomach to work overtime producing stomach acids, which can contribute to stomach upset. Alcohol in your system also causes your stomach to slow its rate of digestion. Elevated stomach acids and slower digestion usually combine to create symptoms of nausea and even vomiting after consuming too much alcohol. (See also: How to get rid of a hangover)
Alleviating Dehydration
Rehydrating your body should be one of your first priorities after waking the next morning with a hangover. In a dehydrated state, your body will feel every ache and pain, having little ability to withstand these discomforts. Once you rehydrate, you may notice that many of the unpleasant symptoms dissipate.
Foods and drinks that are effective for relieving dehydration include water, isotonic drinks, flat soda and bouillon. An extra benefit of bouillon is that it contains vitamins and minerals that your body can use after dehydration. Isotonic drinks replenish salts and potassium your body lost.
Antacids
If your stomach lining is upset from the effects of alcohol, an over-the-counter antacid might help settle the stomach upset. You might also combine an antacid with a cup of warm ginger tea because ginger has properties that soothe nausea.
Probiotic Supplement
Taking a probiotic supplement after rising the next morning might help your system restore its natural balance. Probiotics work to restore the proper level of flora in your stomach and intestines. Because your drinking likely disrupted a positive flora balance, you might feel better after probiotics equalize your system.
Food Can Help
You might not feel like eating right away with a hangover, but certain foods may help you feel better. Experiment with eating various foods that can be helpful for soothing your stomach
Burnt Toast
The carbon present in charred toast might lead to a faster recovery. Carbon is a common remedy for alcohol poisoning, so a home remedy involves burning toast and eating the charred pieces. Once you consume the burnt toast, the carbon will absorb impurities and elements present in your system, which can help you recover.
Fat-Laden Foods
Choose foods high in fat for breakfast. The fats in the food will stay in your stomach for up to 12 hours, which can improve hangover symptoms. Fatty foods such as cheese and oils can coat the stomach and ease hangover suffering.
Bland Foods
Eating bland foods might sit better in your upset stomach. Foods such as dry cereal, plain toast, crackers and rice could be easy menu items to try with a hangover. A first bland meal may help your stomach feel stronger, which should enable you to eat normally again more quickly.
Fructose
Eat foods that contain fructose sweeteners. These naturally sweet foods can speed the metabolism of alcohol in your system, which should help you feel better, faster.
Eggs
Eggs are rich in the amino acid cysteine. This protein building block helps your body recover from a hangover by breaking down acetaldehyde left in your system. Once your body removes this toxin, you should feel better.
Regulating Blood Sugar
Raising your blood sugar can soothe your stomach. The morning after a drinking binge, your blood sugar level will have bottomed out, which usually contributes to a queasy stomach. A healthy breakfast that includes protein, vitamins and minerals should help regulate your blood sugar.
Sleeping it Off
Sometimes your stomach woes are such that sleep is the best medicine. If your hangover and upset stomach are so uncomfortable that you can’t ease them by rehydrating and eating, hit the sheets for a few more hours of sleep. When you wake up a second time, you might feel enough improvement that you can try other remedies for recovery.
Exercising
It may seem counterintuitive, but forcing yourself to be active with a hangover can help you feel better. Get up, wash your face and take a brisk walk outside in the fresh air. The activity will increase your circulation, which pushes toxins out of your system faster. Increased circulation also pumps blood and oxygen to your brain, which promotes feelings of wellness.
