Sparkling Night, Rough Morning: 5 Tips to Beat the Wine Headache

There is a world of reasons to love sparkling wine. So many of its finer details have earned its place as your beverage of choice: from the satisfying pop of the bottle’s cork to the wave of nostalgia that follows its sweet aroma. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has a fondness for the physical effects that may be lying in wait on the following day.

Let’s discuss some of the best-known methods of ensuring your morning goes as well as the night before.

1) Have Coffee on Standby
After a night of revelry, many of us enjoy sleeping in. More often than not, the headache we wake up to is at least partially caused by our failure to get our fix of caffeine at the usual time.

Coffee is loaded with caffeine, and caffeine withdrawal has near-immediate consequences. Caffeine tends to cause the blood vessels in our body to constrict. When we don’t get our regular amount at the usual time, a headache can result from a change in blood flow.

For this reason, it’s always a good idea to have some quality ground coffee on hand that you can brew immediately to avoid the obnoxious sound of the bean grinder mid-headache.

2) Eat Well
A healthy breakfast high in protein, fructose sugars, and sodium can also work to improve your morning experience. Sodium works to replace electrolytes you’ve lost due to dehydration.

Your body will work to absorb protein and sugars faster than the alcohol still in your system because they are nutrients it knows how to process better. This absorption delay will allow your body to rebound and metabolize the alcohol over a more extended period, reducing the severity of consequences.

This is a fantastic excuse to treat yourself to a turkey omelet breakfast with a side of berries.

3) Hydration
When we wake up feeling the effects of a night of drinking, we’re reacting to alcohol’s dehydration of our body’s fluids. From headaches to nausea and anxiety, various symptoms stem from dehydration.

One way to combat this is through preemptive hydration throughout your night of drinking. Most doctors recommend you drink about 3.5 liters of water a day. If you’re drinking, you should shoot for another 16oz of water per drink to help counteract the alcohol’s effects.

4) Drink Slower
There’s no secret sauce to this advice. Reducing the number of times you find yourself needing refilling your wine glass will ultimately lead to the consumption of less alcohol.

You’ve heard this advice most often from your older family and friends but were probably slow to adopt it. With the wisdom of age, you’ll find this enlightened bit of guidance will become your mantra.

Remember, wine is to be savored- just like the moment.

5) Gentle Exercise
When you’re suffering, the last thing you want to consider is exercise or exertion of any kind!

Nonetheless, gentle workout activity can do wonders for your morning—light yoga and walking work best to achieve the right level of activity.

You’re most likely in a dehydrated state, so keep the tempo low while you recover. Adjust the amount of water you’re drinking to counteract the alcohol’s effects to compensate for the activity. However, be careful not to overhydrate, as this can also be dangerous.

Exercise signals your brain to release endorphins and increase the flow of oxygen to itself. These neurochemicals can have a beneficial effect, such as the pain relief.

Keep the Fun Going
It was a beautiful night full of laughs and friends. Then you found yourself awash with regret when you woke up to a splitting headache. Now you know there are more refreshing ways to react than just despair.

Remember, the key is to rehydrate the body and supply it with the nutrients it’s hungry for. Try some light forms of exercise like yoga or walking if you can manage it. The next step is to apply good practices the next time you clink glasses with all your loved ones, such as drinking slower and adding water into the rotation.