If you’re looking for a natural hangover cure, a magnesium supplement is well worth considering. Drinking alcohol depletes magnesium levels, which is bad news for the body because magnesium is an essential mineral for life; playing a major role in the function of muscles, metabolism and nervous system.
Excessive alcohol consumption results in frequent trips to the loo and lots of sweating - two surefire ways to lose fluids. For example, every time you drink a glass of wine you’ll lose an additional 120ml of water. While all that flushing can help rid the body of toxins, it also loses a lot of the good stuff too, including magnesium.
It’s important to replenish lost magnesium because many of us don’t get enough of it in our diets even before drinking alcohol. Add a night on the tiles and the loss of this essential mineral can play havoc with body, mind and spirit.
An average adult body contains about 25mg of magnesium, of which over half is stored in the bones and skeletal system. The remainder is shared out between the muscles, soft tissues and bodily fluids. The symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle cramps and twitching, depression, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and headaches. You can get your RDA of magnesium by eating healthy food such as almonds, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, but many people find it much easier to take it in a supplement because they know exactly how much they’re getting.
It’s important that we’re clear that taking magnesium alone will not cure a hangover. But replenishing the body’s supplies - especially when combined with other minerals, vitamins and superfoods - can make the symptoms of a hangover much less distressing. The best way to avoid hangovers is by drinking sensibly and knowing your limits, so setting a maximum amount of drinks and sticking to it will greatly improve your chances of feeling fresh as a daisy the following day.
You can also help yourself by eating before you go out, having plenty of sleep beforehand and drinking plenty of water, and some people find that drinks that are lighter in colour are less hangover inducing than dark wines, rum and whiskey.
So, is it worth taking magnesium supplements in the war against hangovers? There’s no solid medical evidence to conclusively prove it’s a cure-all, but it definitely can’t do any harm. Magnesium plays a valuable role in both mental and physical wellbeing, so it makes sense to replenish lost supplies after a heavy night.
Of course, here at Potion Life we’re all about living our best lives, so we can’t encourage binge drinking or any other recreational practice that leaves the body feeling like it’s been in a battle. What we can encourage is having fun, taking it easy and taking supplements that help you feel good. After Party is a powerful potion combining loads of good stuff (including magnesium) to help you recover and re-energise after partying or exercising.
To find out more about our full range of products and their ingredients, visit the Potion Life website today.