We’ve previously discussed the many myths surrounding alcohol consumption and some ways you can combat its negative morning-after effects.
There’s more to share, however, and we want to get right to the point with this article. Obviously, we believe drinking ZBiotics before drinking is a great way to help yourself out the next day. But even better is to set yourself up for as much success as possible by considering all the decisions you make in a night.
Drinking responsibly doesn’t have to mean having less fun; it just means making different decisions. Future-You will thank you for it. If you’re wondering how to feel better after drinking, here are some of our tips to feel better the day after drinking alcohol.
Tip #1: Plan Ahead
Tip #2: Eat
Tip #3: Pace Yourself
Tip #4: Drink Water
Tip #5: Stop Earlier
Tip #6: Sleep
Tip #7: Follow Through
Morning-After Tip #1: Plan Ahead
While you’re still in your normal frame of mind (i.e. not intoxicated), decide how you want your day or night to go. By planning ahead, you’ll set better intentions, setting yourself up for a great next day.
Decide how many drinks you’ll have ahead of time, figure out when and how you’ll get to bed, and plan to have a good meal before drinking or going out. You’ll improve your chances and your confidence in waking up ready to tackle your next-day plans.
Morning-After Tip #2: Eat
You’ve also probably been told that having food in your stomach helps you stay sober. While this is largely a myth, having eaten something substantive is much better than having an empty stomach while you drink and can also help to improve how you feel the morning after drinking
Eating before drinking alcohol and having food in your stomach will slow down the rate of alcohol absorption and minimize the irritation within your digestive system – irritation that can lead to effects like an upset stomach. In addition, studies have demonstrated that eating food even after you’ve already absorbed alcohol will still accelerate the rate at which you clear alcohol from your system by as much as 50%, which will definitely set you up for a better tomorrow (citation). Nutrition is vital even when you’re drinking, and luckily, it can also be delicious!
Morning-After Tip #3: Pace Yourself
Your body breaks down alcohol at a given rate. Remember that we, as humans, didn’t really evolve to process alcohol, so slowing down that rate of drinking helps your body keep up with the many jobs it handles.
Keep in mind that it’s a marathon, not a race. Drinking 3 cocktails within an hour will have a significantly different impact on your experience than having 1 every other hour. What do you do with the time in between those drinks? Drink water, grab a bite, or just enjoy the company around you.
Morning-After Tip #4: Drink Water
You’ve probably heard that drinking plenty of water while drinking alcohol is important. Hopefully, you read our post about dehydration and alcohol and know that alcohol doesn’t actually cause dehydration, and that this tip is more about helping your body process alcohol.
Alcohol can have many effects on your body, and it’s crucial that you provide as much support for organs like your liver and kidneys as possible. By helping to maintain your bodily functions and keeping your blood volume high with water, you’re helping yourself the next day.
Morning-After Tip #5: Stop Earlier
Hopefully, if you’ve planned ahead, you know when you’ll need to stop drinking so you can be at least somewhat sober before bed. Specifically, you want your BAC to hit zero by the time your head hits the pillow.
Whether that means you pace yourself by having more drinks earlier on in the night or allocating a specific number of drinks per hour until you hit pause, you know your body best. You can still have a good time, but putting a stop on that last round earlier is one of the best ways to feel better the morning after drinking.
Morning-After Tip #6: Sleep
Closing down the bar and heading home at 5 AM when you have a 10 AM meeting is never a good idea. You need sleep. Your body needs sleep. Essential processes happen in our sleep, so getting as many hours of slumber as possible is an important step.
Alcohol is known to mess with your sleep cycle and cause lower quality sleep. Combine that with an already late night, and you’re not contributing to the cause of waking up in a good state. Your body needs time to metabolize alcohol, so going to bed still drunk off of last call shots isn’t going to help. Sleep longer and sleep better by sticking to your plans of stopping at a certain time and heading home at a reasonable hour.
Morning-After Drinking Tip #7: Follow Through
Whether you have brunch, a big meeting, a workout, or plans with friends, skipping out will just make you feel more anxiety and guilt.
Whatever you’re intending to do the next day, make sure you follow through. We don’t want to lose out on what enriches our daily lives, and we don’t want to give alcohol consumption credit for doing that to our schedules. Feeling better after a night out isn’t just about your physical health, it’s about your mental and emotional health too. Don’t miss out on your plans; get up and go!
Conclusion
Want to have that glass of wine with dinner? Go for it. Buying yourself and the birthday girl a cocktail at the bar? Great. Unwinding from a stressful day by having a beer on the porch? Sounds nice.
The point of drinking smarter isn’t about enjoying yourself less. It’s about making better choices before, during, and after you drink so that you’re not relinquishing a good next day. To put it in perspective, you can enjoy more than just the alcohol with these tips.
You’ll get more time to talk with your friends by pacing yourself and drinking water. You’ll have a nourishing and tasty meal. You’ll have the pleasure of a solid night’s sleep. You’ll wake up and tackle the morning.
Sounds pretty good to us.