The 6 Best Ways to Prevent and Cure a Hangover

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. 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.

How common are hangovers?

Packed with electrolytes, coconut water is a natural alternative to sports drinks that rehydrates and replenishes lost minerals. Dealing with a hangover doesn’t have to feel like a battle. Eating and drinking the right things can prevent or alleviate symptoms, while avoiding the wrong ones can save you from making it worse. Here are 10 effective foods and drinks, plus some to steer clear of. The best way to prevent a hangover is to avoid drinking more alcohol than your body can tolerate. There is no magic hangover “cure,” but there are some remedies that can help alleviate your symptoms.

Sleep properly

The best thing you can do to minimize or resolve a hangover? Down a glass before going to sleep and do the same as soon as you get up, recommends Dr. Waters. Let’s begin with the fact that alcohol is a diuretic, which means it opens Alcoholics Anonymous the floodgates for urine production. Every restroom visit that drains fluid out of your system sets the stage for dehydration.

Key Points on How to Get Rid of a Hangover

Inside the body, alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde, which is toxic in excessive amounts. (1) It damages the DNA, hampers normal cellular function, and also inhibits the body’s ability to reverse this damage. Our team aims to be not only thorough with its research, but also objective and unbiased. how long does a hangover last Studies show that if you smoke cigarettes while you drink, you may get a worse hangover. Researchers don’t know why, but they think it may have to do with how nicotine works on your nervous system.

• Also reach for oranges, red bell peppers, kiwis, and strawberries, which are rich in vitamin C, notes the National Institutes of Health.
• Staying hydrated could reduce hangover symptoms such as thirst, fatigue, headache, and dizziness.
• When drinking alcohol, a good rule is to alternate between a glass of water and an alcoholic drink.
• When the alcohol wears off, you have a bunch of it floating around in your brain.
• Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

Use caution before taking hangover supplements and vitamins. You should plan to make this time as restful as possible. Though you are no longer drunk, you won’t be at the top of your game as you recuperate, so take it easy.

When the body breaks down alcohol, lactic acid levels increase. This causes a drop in blood sugar levels, which can contribute towards a hangover. Some people suggest drinking more alcohol may help relieve hangover symptoms. However, it only adds to the problem of having too much alcohol in your system. Hangover symptoms typically last for hours and can make you feel miserable.

Positives And Negatives Of Alcohol

However, avoid acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can cause liver damage when combined with alcohol. But when the alcohol wears off, your nervous system must readjust. You may end up feeling more restless, anxious and irritable than before you drank. 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). Researchers say Korean pears might work with your body’s chemistry to break down alcohol faster.