FOOTBALL is coming home – but ideally, without a hangover…
The viewing party is sorted and the drinks have been bought, but there are some extra things you could do to avoid the pain on Monday morning.
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Just like the England team, it's all in the preparation.
There a number of key things you can aim to do before the big day and throughout the event to stave off the kind of hangover that only comes every 55 years.
Undoubtedly you'll be making a day of it, even though the kick off isn't until 8pm on Sunday.
And why not, it's only the ruddy Euro 2020 finals, and England's men are in with a chance of lifting the trophy.
But this means you could be extremely merry hours before the whistle blow.
And while you'll have had a lovely day, you run the risk of a) not remembering the historic night and b) feeling more rough than you need to the next morning.
To help, we, and GP Sarah Garsed at online health and wellness platform RWL, have collated a few key steps to ensure you take to have the best day ever, and not pay quite so much for it on Monday…
BEFORE YOU DRINK…
Get a good night's sleep on Saturday:
You'll have a long road ahead of you on Sunday.
Don't blow it by staying up late the night before and fighting sleep throughout the big day.
Stay cool:
Alcohol combined with heat is not the best combination, in fact, it might be one of the worst.
Booze leaves you dehydrated anyway, and adding heat to that means you'll be losing double the fluids.
The weather could do anything on the day, blessed as we are with a classic English summer, but pack yourself a hat and try to find some shade in the afternoon pre-match build up.
Try to pace yourself:
Sunday is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you're meeting your pals for lunch before the match you've got a long day ahead of you.
Try not to get carried away in the first two hours – savour those first few pints for as long as possible.
It'll be hard, the rounds will be calling, but if you can start off slow you will thank yourself in the long run.
Eat plenty:
Never drink on an empty stomach. If you drink without any food in your system alcohol will immediately be absorbed into the stomach as there is nothing to slow the absorption rate.
You don't have to eat food hours before you take your first drink, but make sure you have eaten something at last 15 minutes before starting to sip.
There is no specific amount you should eat because it will depend on your individual weight, metabolism, gender, and activity level but just try to eat until you are satisfied.
Avoid darker drinks:
When you are in the supermarket or sat in the pub deciding what to drink, choosing the right colour drink could be the difference between a killer hangover and a manageable one.
Research has found that clear spirits, including vodka and gin, cause hangovers less frequently than dark ones like whiskey, red wine, and tequila.
The main element of alcohol is ethanol, but darker spirits contain chemical compounds called congeners, and it's these that can cause a worse hangover because they cause inflammatory reaction in your body.
Don't have that cup of coffee:
Alcohol is a diuretic and its dehydrating effects are what contribute towards a nasty hangover.
Coffee contains high levels of caffeine and it is also a dehydrating beverage.
If you know you are planning on drinking alcohol, try to avoid high caffeine drinks that day to prevent yourself from starting the evening already dehydrated.
Have lots of water:
It might sound "counterproductive" if you are planning a celebratory night with alcohol, but drinking water in-between drinks can be a saviour when it comes to hangovers.
Alcohol dehydrates us, which causes symptoms of hangover, while rehydrating with water inbetween can help prevent this – AND help protect against the impact of alcohol on drying out our skin and damaging our liver.
Just to be extra prepared, you can always think ahead to Monday.
Get in any food you might be craving with a hangover head, make sure you have paracetamol and water next to your bed before you go out and pop some OJ in the fridge.
With this combination you'll be feeling as good as you can the next day – hopefully with jubilant chants stuck in your head to ride high on…
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