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How to survive several days of sesh (mostly) unscathed
Whether you’re a festival newbie or a hardened hippie, you’ll know that what’s about to go down on the campsite will be heavy-going on your body. But is there a way to party hard and recover quickly? We consulted the experts for the low-down.
Before the party starts
It’s not just about planning the perfect ’fits; now’s the time to build a solid sleep routine, says Hannah Shore, sleep knowledge and research manager at Silentnight. ‘Establish a good routine a few weeks before by getting between seven to nine hours a night; your body will recover far quicker.’ Getting your diet in shape now is also a good idea, explains Dr Anthony Hobson, clinical director at The Functional Gut Clinic, who urges festivalgoers to eat foods that will ‘boost energy and immunity’ in the run-up. ‘Try kefir each morning. The bacterial strains will boost your resilience.’
When the music plays
Earplugs are essential if you want any chance of getting 40 winks, but even if you do manage to cap a decent number of hours, the quality is likely to be crappy. ‘Sleep is when your muscles recover via protein synthesis,’ Shore explains. ‘If sleep quality is poor, your body effectively turns this process off, resulting in aches and pains.’ She recommends you bring a blow-up mattress and a pillow to ‘stop a build-up of pressure on your hips and shoulders. More comfortable sleep means better quality sleep’.
When it comes to booze and minimising the immediate effects (well, the nasty ones), gut microbiome expert Dr Alasdair Scott says preparation is key. ‘Alcohol increases urination and heightens body temperature, which cause a hangover.’ Add in a sweaty tent and you better make sure you
