Fry ups, sleep, orange juice, hair of the dog. We all know that these things can treat our hangovers, but what most people don't realise is that there are plenty of other remedies we can use that are actually more effective. Once you understand what your body is lacking after a night out on the town (or a night in with some bottles) it's actually relatively simple to rectify.

Let's take a look at the things you can do the night before to prevent a hangover. Not drinking enough to get drunk is a bit of a killjoy, so instead try sipping a glass of water while you're drinking alcohol. This won't make you any less drunk, but it helps to keep you hydrated. Downing a pint of water before bed simply goes straight through you, makes you feel sick, floods your kidneys and disrupts sleep when you need to get up to wee, so drink water steadily throughout the night. Another preventative measure is to take milk thistle tablets before you start drinking. These protect your liver and help it to filter the alcohol better, so not only do you have a better tipsy feeling, but you're less likely to feel hungover, too.

When you get home or are thinking about going to bed, make yourself a (toasted or untoasted) cheese sandwich to eat and hour or two before bed. Both the cheese and the bread soak up most of the alcohol still left in your stomach so that once your asleep, all your liver and kidneys have to filter is what's left in your blood. Try to let it digest a little before you nod off though, or you could have cheese nightmares. Take a pint of water to bed with you, as you're likely to wake up a lot in the morning needing a drink.

Surprisingly pineapple is one of the very best fruits you can have for a hangover. Orange juice is okay, but very acidic and harsh on a delicate stomach, so cut up pineapple rings with blueberries and banana is ideal. If you can't face eating fruit, have some alka-seltzer or liver salts to settle your tummy and begin the road to replenishing all those lost nutrients. Sleep is important, but so is kick starting your body into wakefulness. If it's sunny take a few moments to soak up some vitamin D before jumping into the shower. Alternate between warm and cool water to stimulate the release of noradrenaline in your brain to make you feel happier.

Fry ups are great for curing hangovers, but grilled food is even better. Have scrambled egg and grilled bacon and tomato, instead of chucking them all in a frying pan. There's no need for fried bread so a bit of toast is great. The sulphites in the tomato replenish lost stores, the egg and bacon are both full of protein to give you energy and the toast will soak up any nasty toxins that might be still in your stomach.

Remember that when you wake up in the morning after a night of drinking your body has been stripped of a lot of nutrients and minerals, not just water. Your job for the next few hours is to bring their levels back up to normal and once that's done, you should be feeling nothing but a little tired.

Stan Tian

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