Get ready for Festival Season
Reviewed and fact-checked by Giulia Guerrini, Superintendent Pharmacist. Read our editorial policy to see how we create informative, accurate content.
Festival Season is finally here, and even if most big festivals are super organised, we always recommend to get the essentials beforehand to avoid long queues, uncomfortable situations and to save some money too.
What you should pack:
Some festivals have showers, but usually the queue is extremely long and extremely slow and you are lucky if it doesn’t rain. We don’t want to scare you, but Baby wipes could potentially be the closest you get to having a shower during the whole festival, and you won’t regret having them with you.
You have already packed your best festival outfits, glitters, drinks, food and there is not much space left for your toiletries? Buy your toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, shampoo and bodywash all in travel size, they won’t take up too much space or weight in your bag and you won’t have to give up your hygiene for the weekend. Dry shampoo is also a must have for those with long hair.
Loo Roll
It’s always good to have your own, at festivals they always run out! Better not to risk it!
For minor cuts, it’s always a good idea to have some plasters with you. Unless it’s something serious that requires medical attention, having plasters in your backpack will save you some time queueing for a nurse to see you.
Alcohol and Sunshine sounds like the a good combo, but really it can lead to a disaster, especially if you end up with burn marks after all afternoon in the sun with no protection. Remember to put sunscreen on. At medino we have a wide range of sunscreens, and also travel size sunscreens.
Hangover - Before and After
Pounding headache the next day? Funny stomach or fuzzy-headed feeling? The sad truth is: you are hungover!
You shouldn’t, but in the remote case you accidentally over exaggerate with alcohol these tips are sure to come in handy.
Surely you don’t wanna read about it when it’s too late, so do it now and you’ll be more aware of what’s going on and what’s the best move.
Things you can try:
They are effervescent tablets which contain vitamin C, Vitamins of the B class as well as minerals like calcium and magnesium. They help replace nutrients lost through alcohol. Take one soluble tablet the next morning if you feel hungover and it will perk you up.
A dehydration sachet is good because it provides sugar and replaces lost fluid as well as minerals and salts of which alcohol depletes the body. As alcohol is so rich in sugar, the body produces too much insulin and starts to bring blood sugar down too far. This can cause headaches and sudden hunger. This is why raising your blood sugar levels before you go to bed can help that. Take one the night before and another the following morning if you still feel rough.
You can take Non-steroidal anti inflammatory containing drugs such as Ibuprofen or Aspirin. These will help with the pain and headache. Always check if it’s suitable for you before taking any medication. Do not take paracetamol with alcohol or to treat your hungover, it interferes with liver function and can cause serious hepatotoxicity.
Milk Thistle
This is a herbal remedy and many people claim that it really helps to prevent a hangover the next day and also to recover from it. It works in the liver by breaking down toxins like alcohol into intermediates compounds and then by helping excreting them.
Food and Drinks Post-Hangover
Alcohol throws off your blood sugar levels, so even if you crave fats, carbs and sugars, they’ll only make you feel worse as they are difficult to digest and they further spike your insulin.
Try to eat foods with a low glycaemic index such as a wholemeal toast with fruit jam or a bowl of porridge, these will raise blood sugar levels slowly and consistently. A banana is a good light snack to start with that is gentle on the stomach. Protein food are also really good for a post-hungover as they help form the feel-good chemicals serotonin and endorphins in the brain. Eggs are really rich in protein.
Another common mistake is to drink coffee immediately after waking up. Even though it might seem like the easiest way to get some immediate energy it’s a bad idea. Caffeine dehydrates the body further, irritates an upsets the stomach and will prevent you from catching up on needed sleep. Chamomile Tea or Tea with milk it’s a good alternative and will help settle the stomach. Fruit juice is also a good idea as fructose speeds up the body's metabolism of alcohol, but avoid orange or grapefruit juice as these can further irritate an already inflamed stomach.
The "Hair of the dog" theory
The so called "Hair of the dog" treatment, in other words drinking more alcohol the next day to kill your hangover, might feel like a cool and fun thing to do to forget about the stomach ache, nausea and throbbing headache, keep you going and partying all day again - but is it true or just a myth?
Our brains rely on a delicate balance of chemicals and processes and alcohol works by stimulating receptors in our brain that respond by giving us a buzz, making us feel energised and more confident at first. This chemical reactions make us feel instantly but temporarily better, and take away the guilt for overindulging the night before.
As a quick fix the "hair of the dog" treatment might work but unfortunately, at some point, you will need to deal with the consequences of your decisions and listen to what your body really wants and needs, and it’s definitely not more alcohol!
In conclusion we give you a hint of history, so you can show up your knowledge about hangovers even when you are hungover:
The expression the "hair of the dog", for an alcohol taken to cure a hangover, is a shortening of ‘a hair of the dog that bit you’. It comes from an old belief that someone bitten by a rabid dog could be cured of rabies by taking a potion containing some of the dog's hair. Its origin of this expression it’s still uncertain, but Ebenezer Cobham Brewer in the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) attributes the quote to the Greek playwright Aristophanes.
