How to Cure Your Day-After-Thanksgiving Hangover
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and you’ve overdone it. Not in an “oh, I shouldn’t have had that extra bite of pie” overdone it and more like that guy from “Monty Python and the Meaning of Life.” And your hangover doesn’t have to be a literal one. You could very well just be in a carb-y, tryptophan-induced semi-comatose state. Either way, you’re bloated, lethargic, and full of post-Thanksgiving torpor that isn’t all that conducive to snagging Black Friday deals or, hell, even getting out of bed. Luckily, there’s a cure, (though it sadly does involve moving, and/or leaving your bed).
“You need to get up, drink a large glass of water, and get moving,” nutritionist Keri Glassman said. Especially if you over-indulged on sloth-inducing foods like buttery sausage, stuffing, or the notorious pecan pie. She recommends sweating out some of that Thanksgiving dinner from the night before, whether that’s participating in your local Turkey Trot or masochistically going to that early-morning SoulCycle class. “It’s not like you just ate, so even if you don’t feel like it, go do it, and you’ll be fine,” she says.
Fellow nutritionist Ashley Koff adds that anything that involves twisting your belly is particularly good, since it helps with digestion. But the most important thing? “Don’t skip breakfast—that’s the worst thing you can do,” Glassman says. “What ends up happening is that you’re starving by lunch and going hog wild by eating more than you should,” which sets you on an inevitable downward spiral for the rest of the holiday season.
That also means a breakfast free of the usual suspects—anything too salty like bacon, too carbohydrate-laden, like pancakes, or too sweet, like a sugary cereal. Koff says that indulging in last night’s leftovers is probably not going to do you any favors, either. “While at dinner, you may have let loose, but now is the time to nutrient balance.” And drink water like you’re Jenna Maroney hopped up on some off-brand sleep pills to flush your system out.
And what if you coped through the painfulness that is Thanksgiving dinner conversations by partaking of way too much wine? If that’s the case, a workout is still good, Koff says, but it’s crucial to rehydrate and take naps, especially since alcohol disrupts REM sleep. Magnesium can also help turn off your body’s “fight or flight” response and help your body balance.
Any way you cut it, it’s important to not only resist the “pumpkin pie for breakfast” mentality, but the urge to lay in bed and binge watch Gilmore Girls. Trust us on that one.
