The 10 Best Hangover Cures and 2 to Avoid

Some practices may even help prevent you from getting one in the first place. If you don’t already drink coffee regularly, don’t down a cup in hopes of relieving your hangover. You likely want to know how to cure a hangover fast, but there’s only so much you can do to shorten how long you feel the symptoms of one. If you’re experiencing severe or persistent symptoms, or if you’re concerned about your health, it’s important to seek medical attention. Hangovers usually subside on their own within 24 hours, but there are things you can do to ease the symptoms and speed up recovery.

Avoid a nightcap

“Cold water raises levels of cortisol, which has a stimulating effect,” Dr. Schweig says. “Commercial ginger ale contains very little actual ginger and a lot of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, which is not healthy,” Dr. Schweig says. Dehydration from drinking can lead to an imbalance of electrolytes. Here’s the lowdown on which hangover treatments soften the blow, and which are totally phony. You wake up the morning after a night spent partying with a throbbing head, achy bod and nausea that makes you wish you could crawl out of your skin. Some supplements and extracts may also help treat hangovers, how long does a hangover last although Mattioli warns that what works for one person may not work for another.

Take nutritional supplements

Choosing drinks that are low in congeners could help speed up the metabolism of alcohol and therefore reduce the incidence and severity of hangovers. However, more recent, high quality studies are still needed. When you drink, alcohol holds back a brain chemical called glutamate.

The Best Supplements to Balance Indulgence: Digestion, Hydration and Skin Health After Late-Night Snacks

Bourbon and whiskey, for example, are high in congeners, while vodka has essentially none. The replacement fluids Pedialyte provides could help relieve hangover symptoms — even if it’s a placebo effect, some doctors say — and may be a good option for people too nauseous to eat. Their flavor, what is alcoholism too, may encourage people to drink more fluids than they would if they were drinking regular water. The toxic effects of alcohol on your body never seem more apparent than in those hours after downing one too many adult beverages.

Key Points on How to Get Rid of a Hangover

• Getting an IV insertion increases your risk that a vein may clot or become inflamed, or the injection site could become infected.
• You can make your own rehydration drink by dissolving six level teaspoons of sugar and half a level teaspoon of salt in one litre of water and sip throughout the day.
• Rehydrate with water or an electrolyte-rich sports drink.
• Eat a mango fruit or consume a mango smoothie to ease hangover symptoms.
• Sometimes known as “hair of the dog,” many people claim that having one drink the next morning can help relieve your hangover.
• If you ever see anyone experience a loss of consciousness or turn blue after drinking, call 911 immediately.

Caffeine does not impact the metabolism of alcohol by the liver. Having a few cups of coffee will not lower breath or blood alcohol concentrations or reduce impairment. Caffeine can cause your blood pressure to rise—and so can alcohol. He points out that some people lack an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which helps break down the toxic compound ethanol in alcohol. It is common in folks of East Asian descent, and makes you more susceptible to both intoxication and hangovers.

Drink Water

But once you wake up feeling wretched in the morning, forcing yourself to hurl is a no-go. “At this point, vomiting will only exacerbate your dehydration and make you feel worse,” Dr. Schweig says. “In addition, vomiting irritates and inflames your stomach, causing gastric acid and pancreatic acid to build up and slowing down stomach emptying.” “Having an electrolyte drink that contains a little salt and sugar allows you to absorb more fluid into your bloodstream than plain water,” Dr. Schweig says.

• It may be to blame for hangover symptoms like crankiness, headaches, nausea, and fatigue.
• When considering how to get rid of a hangover, it is important to address all of the underlying issues causing the symptoms.
• Lynch says that thinking ahead could help prevent hangovers.
• Strategies include staying hydrated, getting plenty of sleep, eating a good breakfast, drinking in moderation, limiting high congener drinks, and taking certain supplements or medications.
• Drink it in the morning and once again in the afternoon for good results.
• Fortunately, knowing the causes of hangovers, as well as different ways to cure a hangover, can help.

Take Certain Types of Pain Relievers

As such, increasing your water intake may alleviate some symptoms of hangovers — or potentially even prevent them altogether. Choosing drinks that are low in congeners, such as vodka, gin, and rum, could decrease the severity and frequency of hangovers, but more research is needed. In one older study, 95 young adults drank enough vodka or bourbon to reach a breath alcohol concentration of 0.11%. Those drinking high congener bourbon experienced worse hangovers than those drinking low congener vodka (2). Food will help restore your blood sugar and can help you feel better. Eat crackers, toast, or other bland, carb-rich foods that are easy on your stomach.

Darker drinks, especially spirits like brandy or whisky, have higher levels of these congeners, so instead opt for clear spirits like vodka or gin. A hangover is the consequence of drinking too much alcohol. First, opt for a natural source of electrolytes rather than a sports drink. “Low blood sugar is one of the core causes of a hangover,” Dr. Schweig says. “Sports drinks typically contain preservatives, added sugar and carbohydrates, which could exacerbate a blood sugar imbalance.”