News

Actions

Super Bowl Fever? Don’t be one of the millions who call out sick the next day

Posted at 7:01 AM, Jan 31, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-31 08:12:11-05

You eat too much, drink too much or just stay up too late.

There are plenty of reasons people call out of work the day after the Super Bowl, something 17.5 million are expected to do this year, according to a recent survey.

Sure, some might be faking it, but there are plenty of traps at gameday parties that can leave someone feeling legitimately sick.

When it comes to alcohol, if you have more than one drink an hour, you can start feeling the effects pretty quickly.

News 3 spoke with Dr. Anne Hutchinson, an urgent care physician with NowCare Urgent Care Centers, a Bayview Physicians Group practice, about the impact alcohol can have on someone's body.

She says it takes 60-90 minutes for the body to process one drink. That's a 12 ounce can of beer, five ounce glass of wine or a shot of liquor.

When the drinks come more frequently it can cause someone to feel sick, even into the next day.

Dr. Hutchinson recommends drinking a full, eight-ounce glass of water in between each drink to avoid a hangover. If you still don't feel well the next morning, there are some steps you can take.

“Hydration, nutrition and sometimes anti-inflammatory medications can certainly be helpful. The goal would be to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, get yourself up and moving, consider going for a brisk walk to stimulate your metabolism and wake your body up naturally. Eat a nutritious breakfast high in fiber, natural sources of fiber," she said.

The best way to avoid a hangover, she says, is abstaining from alcohol altogether.

You should also avoid any alcohol if you plan to drive. Plan ahead and keep Uber and Lyft as options to get home.

Then there are the food dangers at Super Bowl parties.

Processed, salty foods can be difficult to digest and can raise a person's blood pressure, Dr. Hutchinson says. Bite-size gameday foods are easy to overeat too.

“Only eat until you’re about 80 percent full. That’s a general rule of thumb so you can have those signals being sent to the brain that you are getting full and hopefully avoid a sensation that’s quite uncomfortable," she suggests. “In general foods need to be put away within a two hour period after being prepared. That’s really important that they get into a chilled environment, 40 degrees or below into your refrigerator. Separate the food into small containers so it cools evenly.”

Eating prepared foods that have been sitting out longer than two hours can put you in danger of food poisoning.

For more information on gameday food safety, click HERE.

Click here for News 3's complete coverage of Super Bowl LIV