Hangovers, Tiredness and Fatigue - We Don't Want These To Be Part Of Our Christmas Holiday Season - Here's How To Avoid Them
Yes, the Christmas and Holiday party season will soon be upon us, and for many this means a constant whirlwind of drinks, dinners, parties and late nights. This is a time for fun and festivities, but can your body (and mind!) keep up, particularly if you are working all day and partying away all night? Here are some of the main culprits for giving us unseasonable feelings of exhaustion and also happily, some remedies to help you party with sparkle through into next year.
Alcohol
The holiday season is the time for many of us to enjoy a few seasonal drinks with our friends and family. But the havoc caused by just a few too many tipples can be drastic, not only dehydration, headaches, tiredness and irritability, but also feelings of depression after the buzz of the alcohol has gone. Its not great for the look of your skin either. But, hey, we are not saying that you can't go out and have some fun, just try and remember to mix in some glasses of water along with the wine, even have it with soda or lemonade, and you will be thankful in the morning. Stay away from spirits (especially the darker ones, such as dark rum or brandy) if you don't normally drink them as they are especially likely to give you a bad head the next day. If you do wake up with a hangover there is little you can do about it unfortunately, apart from keep yourself hydrated, and if possible try and sleep off the worst symptoms.
Rich and Fatty Foods
Who doesn't look forward to mince pies with cream, Christmas cake, a lovely roast Christmas dinner, after dinner chocolates ... the list of goodies to indulge in at Christmas is unending, and it would be wrong to try and avoid them all over the holidays. It takes your body a great deal of energy to digest a huge Christmas meal, hence the classic feeling of tiredness after a large Christmas lunch. It is actually better for you to take a nap and let your body get on with digesting the food rather than diverting it's engergies away by taking a walk. How nice to know that you are doing your body a favour by taking a classic Christmas nap in the afternoon after your dinner! Other things you can do to avoid total meltdown of your digestive system is to swap a few foods for alternatives which are just as yummy. Instead of a box of milk chocolates indulge in a bar of high cocoa dark chocolate, rather than salted crips and nuts, go for a handful of unsalted almonds, walnuts and peanuts, and try to give the marzipan and icing a miss from the cake, as it is mainly just sugar which can give you a blood sugar high which will then dip leaving you feeling more tired.
Late Nights and Colds and Flu
Yes, these are related, because if you allow yourself to become run down and tired by burning the candle at both ends, drinking too much alcohol and eating too many unhealthy foods, you are more likely to catch any germs that are doing the rounds. Seasonal changes in weather can encourage cold and flu germs to breed, and if you are not looking after yourself you will become their victim. Try and get at last seven good hours of sleep a night, avoid drinking alcohol every day and if you feel you are not getting at least 5-a-day fresh fruits and vegetables, then take a multi-vitamin to cover all bases. Remember too, to wash your hands, or use a hand cleanser gel to keep germs away. Only Rudolf looks good with a red nose at Chrismas!