Festive Folly

If you’ve woken up with a headache recently, you’re probably in good company. This time of year can be quite a celebration. But the season to be jolly sometimes becomes too jolly; and our bodies pay the price.

That hung-over feeling in the morning is usually as a result of dehydration and an imbalance in our sugar metabolism. It’s caused by the alcoholic content of our Christmas or New Year spirits.

The more we drink the worse it gets. Despite being liquid themselves, alcohol-containing drinks (wine, beer and so on) actually take water away from the parts of our body which need it most. Drinks containing caffeine such as coffee, tea or cola can do the same.

To help prevent morning-after headaches, alternate your alcoholic drinks with plenty of water. It can be helpful also to drink a long glass of sugar-sweetened cordial before bed. It may not seem like the ideal beverage at the time, but it could prevent that really awful feeling the next day.

If that pain you feel needs a pain reliever, the products with paracetamol are probably the best bet; they’re less likely than aspirin to cause stomach upset.

Indigestion or dyspepsia are also often part of the problem caused by too much of a good thing.

After a rich meal our stomachs have to work harder and pump out extra acid to help digest the food and alcohol. The pain or discomfort that follows this exercise in overindulgence can also occur with stress, cigarette smoking, pregnancy and some medicines.

Apart from that uneasy, queasy feeling, often symptoms of indigestion include belching or burping and heartburn (known medically as reflux)

Belching occurs in an effort to relieve the pressure of a build-up of gas which often results from eating too much too quickly. A simple remedy of capsules containing charcoal and simethicone can help disperse the gas bubbles which cause the discomfort.

If heartburn is the main problem, you might get relief with a liquid antacid. A range of potent antacids in tablet form is also now available without prescription from your pharmacist. They offer an effective and convenient way of relieving or preventing reflux.