Taking an anti-inflammatory may also help calm down your body’s immune system. After drinking too much, research shows that the body responds by releasing cytokines, which are a protein meant to help you “recover” from the toxin (i.e. alcohol). However, by trying to “help,” the released cytokines (which are part of a ramped up how long does a hangover last immunological response) may simultaneously cause some of your hangover symptoms. In cases of severe nausea and vomiting, an IV may be required for rehydration.

The 6 Best Ways to Prevent (and Cure) a Hangover

«If you are able to drink fluids, we almost always prefer that people drink their fluids,” Lynch said. There are other theories as why the hangover is worse with certain types of alcohol. Some suspect that the various additives contribute to a miserable morning after. “A big part of it is dehydration as well as a build-up of some of the alcohol metabolites,» he said. “Some of a hangover is an inflammatory response.»

Stay hydrated

While all alcohol can produce a hangover, some drinks are more likely to produce one than others. Many people are allergic to the sulfites in wine and experience headaches after drinking. If you’re sensitive to sulfites, you may want to avoid wine, particularly red wine. Bananas are a good source of potassium, an important electrolyte that can get depleted after drinking.

• Vitamin B3 helps metabolize alcohol and provides energy, while zinc replenishes nutrient levels and supports immune and digestive function.
• Evidence suggests that many hangover symptoms are caused by low-grade inflammation (2).
• Therefore, opting for caffeine-free choices, especially those with electrolytes, would be your best bet.
• For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional.

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Drinking alcohol can cause dehydration, which may worsen certain hangover symptoms. Staying hydrated could reduce hangover symptoms such as thirst, fatigue, headache, and dizziness. Some studies have found that consuming drinks high in congeners could increase the frequency and severity of hangovers. Congeners may also slow the metabolism of alcohol, which can prolong your symptoms (1). From pounding headaches to stomach pain, fatigue, and irritability, many of us are all too familiar with the long list of hangover symptoms that often follow a night of heavy drinking.

• Eat a mango fruit or consume a mango smoothie to ease hangover symptoms.
• According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), alcohol can cause an irritated stomach lining and increased stomach acid release.
• Drinking lowers your blood sugar, which fuels your brain, and this could contribute to your headache.
• Typically, your symptoms are the worst when your blood alcohol level returns to zero.
• The name comes from an old folk tale that says the way to treat a dog bite is to cover the wound with hair taken from the dog that bit you.

Drinking water before bed

Hangover headaches tend to have symptoms common to many people. The headaches often occur along with other symptoms related to drinking alcoholic beverages. When the body breaks down alcohol, lactic acid levels increase.

• Normally, ADH stimulates the kidneys to reabsorb water from urine to prevent dehydration.
• As with many other “hangover remedy” studies, the data from the L-Cysteine study is not extremely strong.
• Sometimes known as «hair of the dog,» many people claim that having one drink the next morning can help relieve your hangover.
• A lack of sleep could then contribute to hangover symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, and headaches.

People can try drinking a glass of water between alcoholic drinks and just before bed. NSAIDs may help treat certain hangover symptoms and could reduce the severity. However, never use acetaminophen to treat a hangover, and avoid NSAIDs if you’re experiencing digestive symptoms such as nausea or stomach pain. Choosing drinks that are low in congeners could help speed up the metabolism of alcohol and therefore reduce the incidence and severity of hangovers. You’ll start feeling the effects of a hangover hours after you stop drinking. Symptoms of a hangover can be mild or serious, depending on how much and what you drank.

Eating greasy food

Rehydrating the body by drinking water may help to improve the symptoms of a hangover. If you do get a hangover, know that the unpleasant symptoms won’t last forever. You can also learn from the experience and take steps to try to prevent a hangover, like staying hydrated, the next time you go out for cocktails or have wine with dinner. Tapping a maple tree will give you a natural liquid called sap that is packed with electrolytes, prebiotics, and antioxidants.

Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School

The best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol at all. Keep in mind, though, that research in humans is lacking and that most available studies are outdated. Therefore, further studies are needed to evaluate how effectively supplements may reduce hangover symptoms. Down another drink the next morning, and you’ll hold off the glutamate all over again. The truth is, drinking again will just throw your body back into the same destructive cycle without giving it time to heal. They may contain unsafe amounts of vitamins and other ingredients.

But other than waiting for that to happen, there really doesn’t seem to be a legitimate quick fix for the damage already done. An alcohol hangover occurs when your body can’t keep pace with processing the amount of alcohol you ingest. While the occasional night out with cocktails can be fun, alcohol-induced hangovers are the exact opposite. The amount of alcohol that causes a hangover will vary from person to person. As a result, determining how much alcohol causes a hangover will involve some trial and error.

Drink plenty of fluids

Alcohol impairs your attention, decision-making processes and muscle coordination. You might engage in risky behavior you wouldn’t ordinarily do. For example, driving during a hangover can be dangerous or deadly. If a Bloody Mary at brunch has you feeling better, Aizenberg says that may be a red flag. Ask 10 people how they cure a hangover, and you’ll likely get 10 different answers. If you are unable to sleep in and take it easy the next day, getting drunk may not be such a good idea.