Whether it’s your Fresher’s Week at university, or you’re balancing a social life with your job, we know burning the candle at both ends can be tough!

Avoid Fresher’s flu, or a painful day at work, with our easy ways to help your hangover. Stay healthy & avoid getting ill with these tried and tested techniques…

The day before

Eat well

Drinking on an empty stomach ALWAYS ends in disaster.

It’s easy to forget to eat properly when you’re partying, but make sure you top up on fuel and line your stomach with some decent food. Try a bowl of simple pesto pasta or our Hearty Herby Pasta… both cheap & easy to make!

If all else fails, a banana is a great snack before a night out. It’s filling and full of potassium, which helps maintain fluid levels in your body.

Stay hydrated

Alcohol is a diuretic and we’re all familiar with “breaking the seal” when we drink. So, we need to hydrate before, after and during alcohol-fuelled activities.

Drink a glass of water between alcoholic drinks. It’s a habit that can take a while to adopt, but stick at it. Trust me, you will thank yourself in the long run.

Not only does regular water intake help your head, it also helps to stop your alcohol blood level rising too quickly. When we are ‘drunk’, it’s because we are drinking alcohol at a rate quicker than our liver can process it. By drinking water every other drink, you’re helping your liver a little and can manage your alcohol intake better.

Drink at least a pint of water before you go to bed (especially if you’ve indulged in a salty late night feast) … then take a bottle (of water! 😏) to bed for the relentless early morning thirst – try one of these Chilly’s re-usable bottles that keeps water chilled for 24 hours.

The morning after

Re-hydrate & Re-balance

Make yourself a Ginger, Honey & Lemon Tea – Ginger has been used for centuries to help reduce nausea and vomiting and if you mix it with hot water, honey & a slice of lemon, it makes a delicious throat-soothing tea, that will help calm your head & stomach.

After drinking copious amounts of booze, you need to replace your electrolytes. Coconut water is a great option. It contains natural sugar, so it helps to rebalance your salts, minerals & blood sugar level.

Re-fuel

Sometimes even just the thought of food makes your stomach turn, but food is crucial for your energy and to feel better in the long run. If you can’t move from your bed /sofa / floor 😬, try our top three quick & easy cupboard (or corner shop) snacks…

1. Rice cakes (a little butter and salt works a treat)
2. Diet Coke (wait for it to go flat if you’re reeeally struggling)
3. Salt & Vinegar Crisps (McCoys are the best!)

Eat fresh food

As much as you might be craving fast-food or a takeaway pizza, it’s likely to make you feel worse after you eat it. #McComedown

Your body will thank you for filling it with fresh food packed with nutrients and vitamins. Try a juice or smoothie to kick start your metabolism and fill your body with goodness 🍏🍉🥦🥕🍒🍋🍌🍇🥝🥥🥑

Looking for some delicious hangover treats? Our intern Jess (a final-year nutrition student) has shared some homemade healthy hangover recipes 😋

Get outside

Fresh air and doing something fairly active sounds hideous, BUT sweating it out really does blow those cobwebs away. Head to a park and go for a brisk walk, or (if you’re feeling really brave) play sport, do a workout, go for a run.

Power through the feeling of throwing up and sweat it out! My ultimate tried & tested technique was an 8am (forced) morning swim in the sea down in Cornwall. The shock of that water temperature knocked out any sign of a hangover!

Go back to bed

Hangovers are not caused by lack of sleep, but it definitely makes it worse. Sometimes you might have to get up the following morning, if you do and have some free time later in the day, take a nap!

Otherwise, if snoozing isn’t an option, have a really early night and let your body heal itself.

We hope you can use these tips as an easy survival guide to get you through endless fun, parties, and hangovers to come. Enjoy yourself and drink responsibly!

Disclaimer: These are tried and tested techniques that Lotty & the HelloGrads team have found helpful over the years. These cures are not based on medical research. If you are feeling really unwell, please seek professional advice.