Many of us like to believe we’re well past our days of waking up feeling a bit wooly, but the fact is, hangovers can happen to the best of us—and to add insult to injury, they get worse with age. So if you had too much bubbly at a party, or one more glass of Merlot proved to be one glass too many, what do you do to combat the headache, nausea, fatigue and shakiness that might afflict you the following day? Are there any home remedies that actually cure or prevent hangover?
For ancient Romans, the “best” way to recover after a wild bacchanal was to eat fried canary for breakfast. According to Irish legend, burying yourself in wet river sand will ease your head after too many pints. Medieval European overindulgers believed consuming raw eel could counteract the effects of too much booze-driven merriment.
You may scoff at these remedies, but how much better are our modern day-after rituals?
What Causes a Hangover?
“Nobody knows what causes it,” Jonathan Howland, emeritus professor at Boston University and former director of the injury prevention center at Boston Medical Center, told Wine Spectator. “So to say that you’re going to cure a hangover, or prevent a hangover, or you’re just going to magically take care of all the symptoms, well, that’s maybe stretching it a bit.”
While scientists are still uncovering the exact mechanisms behind hangovers, they have a partial picture of what’s likely going on. The body converts alcohol to acetaldehyde, which is highly toxic and likely behind many of the nastier symptoms of hangovers. Sugar (which is present in many cocktails, though not in most table wines) can deplete B vitamins, which are important for metabolizing the byproducts of alcohol.
Histamines (and other biogenic amines), tannins and other substances in wine may contribute to headaches in sensitive individuals, which could exacerbate hangover symptoms. Perhaps most important, drinking too much alcohol too quickly causes dehydration and depletes electrolytes, which has negative effects across the body, from your skin to the gastrointestinal tract.
And while plenty of research has established that moderate drinking can be part of a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to remember that alcohol itself is toxic. While it’s likely that the quality of the alcohol, and the type of wine or alcoholic beverage you consume, impacts your hangover (or lack thereof), ultimately, overdoing it is going to make you feel sick. As Jason Burke, an anesthesiologist and the founder of Hangover Heaven, a Las Vegas company that offers pills, IV drips and other products to prevent and treat hangovers, told Wine Spectator, “ultimately, drinking too much alcohol [is the cause of hangovers].”
But don’t lose hope. Just because there’s no proven catch-all antidote for your post-wine woes, there are still some proven methods for feeling better. “There are various things that can treat symptoms of hangover that are perfectly legitimate,” Howland said.
What Drinks Will Help with a Hangover?
Water is at the top of the list for anyone looking to treat a hangover. “Lots of water, and my personal favorite, coconut water—loaded with electrolytes—can help the issue of dehydration and really make us feel better,” said registered dietician Isabel Smith. Experts also recommend being diligent about drinking water while drinking, and they say it’s probably best to avoid caffeine, which can make you consume more alcohol than you would otherwise. Alternating between alcoholic drinks and water—at least one glass of water per alcoholic beverage—can keep you hydrated throughout the night and go a long way toward preventing a hangover, or at least making it less severe.
But while hydrating is important, especially after a long night of drinking, studies suggest that dehydration is just one reason we feel so bad after drinking too much. Hangovers are caused by different reactions as our bodies process alcohol, and there are plenty of other factors that may play a role besides dehydration. So while you should drink lots of water after a night on the town, don’t expect to make a miraculous recovery because of it.
OK, so what about the harder stuff? “Does the hair of the dog work? It does, actually, but that is probably the worst possible thing you can do,” said Thomas Kash, associate professor at the University of North Carolina Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.
It’s well-known that a Bloody Mary at brunch might make you feel better temporarily. But drinking more alcohol while hungover is only prolonging the inevitable, and it could leave you with a worse hangover than the one you were trying to get rid of. Kash and his fellow researchers also stress that a prolonged pattern of drinking to avoid hangovers can lead to dangerous habits.
Finally, while it may be tempting to reach for a cup of coffee, tea or another caffeinated beverage to help you feel refreshed and alert, experts say caffeine is unlikely to help or prevent a hangover—and could even make it worse. Like alcohol, caffeine is a diuretic, so a cup of joe while hungover could actually exacerbate dehydration. Caffeine can also cause nausea, and if you’re hungover, you may already be nauseated.
What Food Will Help with a Hangover?
If you can’t imbibe away your hangover pain, what about eating? Many hungover folks indulge in fatty foods with the hope that they will soak up the alcohol. Unfortunately, research suggests this is a myth. While it’s true that consuming alcohol with meals may be better for you overall—and having food in the stomach can slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream—a hangover typically develops as blood alcohol concentration is dropping and acetaldehyde concentration is rising. By the time you’re beginning to feel hungover, the damage has already been done. (That said, there is some evidence that a blood sugar and electrolyte boost could help you feel better.)
So why do people think this method helps? “It could be that they were just hungry,” Kash said. “They have a headache, they’re tired, they feel kind of sick, but they’re hungry on top of it.”
How Do I Stop Feeling Sick from a Hangover? Can Medication Help?
According to Damaris Rohsenow, associate director of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University, many researchers cite inflammation—brought on by different factors like the presence of congeners in the alcohol you drink or the release of chemicals called cytokines—as a key cause of hangovers. So if you pop anti-inflammatory painkillers when you have a raging hangover headache, you may be getting straight to the source of the matter.
But remember, not all over-the-counter painkillers are created equally. Acetaminophen is processed in the liver, so taking it after drinking too much alcohol can cause serious damage. Aspirin and ibuprofen are considered safer, but you should never exceed the recommended dosage, since there is still a small risk of damaging the stomach lining.
What about those miracle pills advertised? Quick-fix products like Blowfish—an FDA-approved tablet that claims to “make you feel like a human again” with its formula of aspirin and caffeine—have made headlines in recent years.
But just like all of the aforementioned tactics, researchers insist that these “cures” will only address a few symptoms, and each person will respond to them differently.
What About IV Hydration Therapy for Hangovers?
While science may not have a silver bullet for hangovers, that hasn’t stopped people from selling remedies. And there may be partial merit to some of them. A new trend in hangover treatment has been popping up in party cities like Las Vegas, Miami, New York and London: Intravenous hydration therapy. “Doctors, nurses, firefighters, people in the military have been using IV therapy long before it’s been available to the general public,” said Johnny Parvani, an emergency physician and the founder and medical director of Reviv, a medical spa that provides non-emergency IV treatments.
Not only does IV therapy help you rehydrate, but it could also directly address another possible cause for hangovers. “Ultimately, alcohol is converted into carbon dioxide and water, but the intermediaries between the alcohol and the final end product are some toxic metabolites,” said Parvani. “Fluids are the most effective way of flushing all of these things out.” It could put a spring back in your step—if you’re willing to shell out hundreds of dollars.
Does Exercise Cure Hangovers?
Those who prefer to “sweat it out” with exercise (and elicit eye-rolls from their less athletically inclined peers) are encouraged to do so, but with caution. “Sweating a little bit sometimes can make you feel better,” said New York–based wellness coach Danielle Pashko. “Through sweat you excrete toxins. But I wouldn’t tell somebody to go for a run if they’re not feeling up to it. If you’re not feeling well, you could do a leisurely walk or something easy.” And if you do choose to exercise, make sure you’re drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated.
How Do You Cure a Hangover Fast?
“I think there’s probably not a miracle cure out there,” Kash said. And there may never be, he adds, since medical research tends to focus on more pressing matters than your aching head after a night of Prosecco. “People are more concerned with binge drinking and heavy alcohol dependency.”
Unfortunately for our Sunday morning selves, there doesn’t seem to be a single hangover “cure” out there—but there are plenty of ways to cope with the symptoms. So if you want to stay indoors all day and order pizza, go for it. If you’d rather pump vitamins into your bloodstream and then run a few miles, more power to you. As long as you stay hydrated and listen to your body—and remember that the only real way to avoid a hangover is to drink in moderation—do what feels best for you. It should only last a few hours, anyway.
