Exact time you need to stop drinking tonight to avoid being hungover on Christmas Day
While everyone loves a drink over the Christmas period, there is inarguably one awful part of it: being hungover over the Christmas period.
Being hungover at any point in the entire year is a pretty awful experience, but add in the Christmas cheer (and noise) and it is arguably the worst time in the year to wake up with a pounding headache and what feels like no moisture in your entire body.
Thankfully, this is exactly what science is there for: telling us when to stop drinking on Christmas Eve to wake up fresh as a daisy on Christmas morning.
Most of us know the basics; don’t start necking any drinks on an empty stomach, have enough water, or even alternate your drinks with water, but the main thing people do wrong is actually all about timing.
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One doctor claims that there is a perfect time to stop drinking on Christmas Eve if you don’t want to be dead to check out what Santa got you the next day.
This is all based on the average amount of drinks you are likely to consume, so if you’re planning to drink more or less than the average you can adjust your sleep time accordingly.
This all comes from Dr Donald Grant, GP and Senior Clinical Advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, who exclusively told LADbible his tips for avoiding a festive hangover.
He looked at the Drinkaware stats around Christmas, finding that men consume an average of six drinks on December 25th whilst women on average drink about four and a half.
Dr Grant has then worked backwards to figure out exactly when to stop with this in mind, saying: “On average, our bodies typically take one hour to process a singular unit of alcohol.
“With men drinking around 14 units of alcohol on Christmas Day, according to DrinkAware, this means to avoid a hangover on Christmas morning, they’d have to stop drinking at around 5pm with alcohol then cleared from the system by 7am the following day.
“For those looking to feel normal by Christmas afternoon, I’d advise not drinking past 10pm the night before, allowing the body to clear alcohol by midday on Christmas.”
He then added: “Limiting alcohol consumption on Christmas Eve can help people avoid ruining their festive fun by feeling unwell, allowing them to spend important downtime with close friends and family."
Dr Grant said that ‘timing is everything’, but added that there a number of other tips for avoiding being a hungover mess on Christmas day.
He said that ‘people should prioritise eating correctly before beginning to drink alcohol’, explaining: "Our bodies require food to slow alcohol absorption, so I recommend consuming foods rich in proteins, fibres and healthy fats - these foods are harder to digest, meaning they’ll stay in our system for longer."
Dr Grant finally said: "Additionally, it’s essential to hydrate before AND after drinking as alcohol can quickly dehydrate.
“The morning after, I recommend eating a substantial breakfast and avoiding drinking again until the body has fully recovered.”
All in all the message is clear, be sensible with your drinking on Christmas Eve and stop at a reasonable time unless you want some astoundingly judgy looks off the family on Christmas morning.
Michael Slavin