CosBeauty Magazine #86

The morning after
feature
Despite your best efforts, there will
inevitably be mornings during the
coming season when you’ll wake a
little the worse for wear. Hangovers
are the result of a number of factors,
most commonly lack of sleep,
dehydration of the brain, thiamine
(Vitamin B1) depletion and high
levels of intermediate metabolites of
alcohol still in the blood.
Thiamine is essential for
metabolising carbohydrates
(including alcohol) and for the
membrane polarisation and
depolarisation process involved in
nerve transmission.
Without sending your brain into
a tailspin, here’s what happens
when you drink more than two or
three alcoholic drinks in one sitting.
All available thiamine in the body
is diverted away from the brain
to metabolise the alcohol as it is
consumed. By-products of the
alcohol breakdown, many of which
are toxic in large quantities, float
around the body and enter the brain.
Once the body’s supply of
thiamine is exhausted, the alcohol
in the blood is converted to fat. The
body draws water from its tissues,
including the brain, in an effort to
dilute the excess alcohol and the byproducts
of its breakdown.
The drinker wakes up the
following morning with a pounding
headache (the result of a shrivelledup
brain), nausea, a dry mouth and a
few extra fat deposits.
The best plan for cheating a
hangover (aside from not drinking
too much in the first place) is twofold:
Firstly, load up on thiamine
before you start drinking. Keep
levels up throughout the night
and then replenish your stores
the following morning. The other
obvious rule is to stay hydrated. For
every glass of alcohol you drink, add
a glass of water.
Thiamine-rich foods include
Vegemite, pork (hence the classic
bacon breakfast cure), brown rice,
wholegrain cereals and beer nuts. It’s
also readily available in supplement
form from chemists and health food
stores. Thiamine is water soluble so
you can’t overdose – any excess will
simply be excreted by the body in
your urine.
This takes care of the hangover
from the inside. The outside,
however, might take a little more
work. Staying hydrated should help
with the problem of dull, dry skin
the following day. If you can manage
it, remove your makeup and apply
a rich moisturiser before you go to
bed. Keep some makeup removal
wipes and a night cream on your
bedside table, in case a trip to the
bathroom to wash your face is just
too much to handle.
The next morning, start your day
with a cool shower and finish up with
a blast of icy water on your face. This
should get your circulation flowing
and help reduce any puffiness
around the eyes.
If your face still looks like a halfdeflated
party balloon, lie down
with a cold compress over your
eyes. Buy a reusable gel eye mask
and keep it in the fridge ready for
beauty first aid emergencies. Failing
that, soak a face washer in icy cold
water with a dash of elderflower
water, lie down and place it over
your whole face. Banish puffy bags
and dark circles with cold slices of
raw potato or wet tea bags straight
from the fridge.