Sunday scaries: The feeling you have after a long week of work followed by a Saturday full of binge drinking, when Sunday hits and you question your entire existence. Typically characterized by laying in bed all day and both regretting past decisions and questioning your seemingly non-existent future. Thoughts like “I’m going to die alone” and “Will I ever get a job that I actually enjoy?” consume you for the entire day while you’re battling a hangover. (Urban Dictionary)
College brings us new experiences, a plethora of opportunities, and… the spookiest of Sunday scaries. Because we all go through it every now and then, it’s important to actually understand what a hangover is. Dehydration is the biggest culprit for causing some Sunday scaries. While it may feel like you are super hydrated because you have to pee every 30 minutes, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you urinate more than you usually would, causing dehydration.
Common myths like eating bread, drinking caffeine, taking a shower, or having another drink the next day may help you convince yourself that it’s helping, but in reality, these things do nothing to relieve your hangover. Sadly, not even a full night’s rest can help. When you sleep after a night of drinking, your body is rarely or never reaching REM sleep (the most important part of one’s sleep cycle).
So what does all this mean? Drink less? Yeah, that’s funny. Our four years here are short and we’re gonna do what we’re gonna do. While there is no true cure to the Sunday scaries, I have found three tips that usually make me feel a little bit better.
Tip #1: Fresh Air
After napping or being locked up inside for a long time, it is so refreshing to step outside for a little bit. Something about being outside just makes me feel like I can take a deep breath without throwing up. Typically, I like to go on a car ride with the windows down.
Tip #2: Greasy Food
Say what you want but junk food hits differently when you’re hungover. A big, greasy meal is the best thing to have right when you wake up, right before your next nap. Chick-fil-A is a go-to for me.
Tip #3: Vitamin Water
Rehydrating is definitely the most legit form of hangover management. Vitamin Water (the lemonade one) saves me on a regular basis. It tastes good, but also replenishes electrolytes and all that good jazz.
