Hangover cures: Fact or fiction? (2024)

FAQs

Hangover cures: Fact or fiction? ›

The idea behind this myth is that more alcohol might be the cure to your current hangover. It's incredibly circular logic when you actually think about it... "While more alcohol may make you feel a little better in the moment, having another drink can actually prolong your hangover symptoms.

Drinking to ease the symptoms of a hangover is sometimes called taking the hair of the dog, or hair of the dog that bit you. The notion is that hangovers are a form of alcohol withdrawal, so a drink or two will ease the withdrawal. However, the hair of the dog just perpetuates a cycle. It doesn't allow you to recover.

The bottom line is that antihangover drinks have not been proven to cure a hangover or stop one from happening in the first place.

Here are some hangover self-care tips: Eat bland foods with complex carbohydrates like toast or crackers. You'll boost low blood sugar levels and reduce nausea. Drink lots of fluids, including water, electrolyte beverages (Gatorade® or Pedialyte®), broth and other non-alcoholic beverages to reduce dehydration.

The amount of congeners present in alcohol can vary. As a general rule, the more distilled a spirit is, the lower the congeners. This is why some people may find that “top shelf” liquors that are highly distilled don't give them a hangover as much as a lower-priced alternative.

Dehydration is a major contributor to the hangover symptoms you've come to know and loathe. Drinking water before bed and hydrating thoroughly the day after a night of heavy drinking can help to restore your body's hydration. Adequate water intake also ensures your body is able to flush toxins efficiently.

There's simply no cure other than time for a hangover. Figure you'll feel bad for at least 8 hours and maybe a full 24 hours. That said, you can help yourself feel a bit better by doing the following: Rehydrate with water or an electrolyte-rich sports drink.

A February study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, led by scientists in Germany, defined an alcohol-induced hangover as a complex of “unpleasant physical and mental symptoms” that take place when blood alcohol concentrations drop from a relatively high level to zero.

Hair of the dog: the science

“However, when you eventually stop drinking and your blood alcohol levels return to zero, the hangover will return. In some sense, 'hair of the dog' delays the time until you experience a hangover – but it cannot prevent it entirely.”

What drink kills hangover? ›

Yes, the ingredients are safe and our recommended directions for use should be followed. DHM Detox is a blend of herbal ingredients, antioxidants, vitamins and electrolytes.

All H-PROOF Vitamins are made in the USA in an FDA-registered facility that follows Good Manufacturing Practices, which is the highest standard achievable. Our Vitamins are tested for impurities and heavy metals. H-PROOF is a nutraceutical, not a pharmaceutical, and as such, there is no FDA approval process.

"The combination of sugar, caffeine, fluid, fizz and cold gives people the impression that their hangover is better," she explains. "It is a fluid so will solve your thirst to a certain extent, but it does not contain much in the way of electrolytes; minerals that aid rehydration.

Obviously, the only sure way to avoid a hangover is to not drink alcohol. But if you are going to indulge, Tabakoff says the tried-and-true advice — eat something before you drink, and while you drink, makes good sense. "Food is very good for the purpose of slowing the absorption of alcohol," he says.

Your hangover symptoms may improve. But it won't last. The truth is, drinking again will just throw your body back into the same destructive cycle without giving it time to heal. Experts don't suggest trying this method.

Vodka, rum, and gin are low-congener drinks and may slightly reduce the risk of a hangover. Rest: Alcohol can affect sleep quality and sleep may help reduce the fatigue and other symptoms of a hangover.

The symptoms of dehydration and hangovers are similar, so they must be related. Science says: There's no evidence that dehydration is the culprit. While the symptoms are similar, it doesn't hold up to scientific scrutiny. Electrolyte levels in hungover people and control groups are roughly the same.

“Emotional hangovers can happen from really overtly impactful experiences, seemingly common things, and anything in between,” Robinson says. According to Robinson and Weinfeld, some examples of events that can cause emotional hangovers include: An argument with a loved one. Losing your job.