5 Drinks for Hangover Cure

Best Drinks for Hangover for the Day After

Hangover symptoms are unpleasant and could last for up to 24 hours. These usually begin when, after drinking a certain amount of booze, your blood alcohol content drops significantly. They’re usually in full effect the morning after a night of heavy drinking. Depending on what and how much you drank, you may notice:

• Headaches and muscle aches
• Fatigue and weakness
• Excessive thirst
• Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain
• Poor and interrupted sleep
• Increased sensitivity to light and sound
• Dizziness or a sense of the room spinning
• Inability to concentrate
• Rapid heartbeat
• Mood disturbances, such as depression, anxiety, and irritability

Hangovers generally worsen with age. Overconsumption of alcoholic beverages is a well-recognized factor in a variety of health problems. It may cause function disorders of major organs such as the liver, lung, heart, brain, and prostate.

The organ effects of alcohol are not limited to a single night. Chronic heavy drinking is also linked to lower testosterone in men, through direct effects on the testes and disruption of the hormone signals that regulate them, according to a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism review. A hangover the morning after does not mean your testosterone has dropped, but a pattern of heavy drinking is worth mentioning at a physician visit. See low testosterone in men for the symptoms and what a workup involves.

Can a Hangover Be Dangerous or a Sign of Alcohol Poisoning?

A hangover itself is not a medical emergency, but some of the same symptoms overlap with alcohol poisoning, which is. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism lists the warning signs: mental confusion, difficulty staying conscious, repeated vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, a slow heartbeat, clammy skin, and a dangerously low body temperature that can show as bluish or pale skin. Any one of those signs calls for emergency care right away. A home remedy will not treat alcohol poisoning. Call 911 or your local emergency number, and stay with the person until help arrives.

While it may be better to drink moderately or not at all, hangovers may be inevitable on some occasions. Here are some drinks for hangover you can easily prepare for the day after to help ease unbearable symptoms:

Good Ol’ Water

Drinking water may not only prevent hangovers; it also reduces its symptoms such as headache and thirst caused by dehydration.

Alcohol is a diuretic that promotes urination by inhibiting the release of vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone that decreases the kidneys’ volume of urine. This results in a loss in the fluid that can cause electrolyte imbalances and dehydration.

 

Coconut Water

Alcohol consumption promotes oxidative stress, an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals in the body. Research has associated oxidative stress with various health conditions, including cancers and heart disease. Antioxidants are compounds that help mop up these free radicals.

Although there is no scientific evidence that coconut water cures hangovers, it can be a flavorful and low-calorie drink that helps replenish antioxidants and electrolytes. Coconut water contains antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals. It also contains natural electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and manganese that helps replace lost ones caused by dehydration.

 

Green Tea

Green tea will not cure a hangover, but its antioxidants may help protect the liver from the oxidative stress that alcohol causes. An animal study on green tea's antioxidant effects during alcohol intoxication found it reduced markers of the oxidative stress linked to liver damage. Catechins, the antioxidant compounds in green tea, cause that effect.

Human research directly linking green tea to eased hangover symptoms such as nausea or headache is limited. Treat a cup of green tea as a supportive drink alongside water and rest rather than as a cure on its own.

Does Green Tea Flush Alcohol Out of Your System?

Your liver clears alcohol at a fixed rate that no beverage, including green tea, can accelerate, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. We recommend drinking green tea anyway, to counter the oxidative stress alcohol causes while your liver works through it. Its catechins provide antioxidant support that protects liver cells and helps your body return to baseline.

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Tomato Juice

Tomatoes contain a significant amount of water that helps with rehydration. Furthermore, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants that help reduce oxidative stress.

Study shows that the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes protects against liver injury. High consumption of tomatoes and tomato products is associated with a decreased risk of chronic disease, including several types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Excessive alcohol consumption may cause liver damage, so tomatoes may help reverse the effects of drinking alcohol.

 

Ginger Lemon Tea

Ginger has long been used in Chinese medicine as an anti-nausea measure for its anti-inflammatory and heart benefits.

A cup of ginger tea may help alleviate some of the hangover symptoms, such as vomiting and nausea. You can prepare 5-10 slices of ginger and boil them in two cups of water for 10 minutes or opt for powdered ginger. Add in a squeeze of lemon for added zest and vitamin C. This helps stabilize decreased blood sugar after alcohol consumption.

Water and electrolytes are the best drink for a hangover, since dehydration and electrolyte loss drive most of the symptoms above; coconut water, green tea, tomato juice, and ginger lemon tea are secondary support for specific symptoms once you have rehydrated. These fluids replace the water, electrolytes, and antioxidants that alcohol depletes, though none cures a hangover outright. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that no hangover remedy has been scientifically proven to work faster than time. These drinks ease specific symptoms while the body recovers, rather than shortening how long that takes.

 

Which Tea Helps Most With a Hangover?

Ginger tea works best for nausea and vomiting, while green tea provides antioxidant support that eases liver oxidative stress from drinking. Neither tea cures a hangover, and both remain secondary to the water and electrolytes we prioritize as your primary recovery drink. Pick your tea based on your actual symptom instead of treating one option as a universal winner. Use ginger to settle nausea, or drink green tea for general recovery support once your baseline hydration is restored.

 

Do Hangover Pills or IV Drips Work Faster Than Water?

No hangover pill or intravenous vitamin drip marketed as a cure has been proven to work faster than time, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Just as with coffee and other promoted remedies, these commercial pills and IV drips cannot accelerate the pace at which your liver breaks down alcohol. Drinking plain water paired with electrolytes provides the fluid and mineral replenishment your body needs while it clears the rest naturally. If drinking has become a frequent routine for you, bring it up with a physician alongside your other health markers.

 

What Not to Drink When Hungover?

Avoid a second round of alcohol the next morning. Drinking again to dull hangover symptoms is known as “hair of the dog.” The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that this practice can prolong the hangover instead of ending it. No drink marketed as a hangover cure, including coffee, has been proven to work. Water, coconut water, and the other drinks above support the body’s recovery better than a second round of alcohol does.

 

Is It Safe to Take Ibuprofen or Tylenol for a Hangover Headache?

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and NSAIDs like ibuprofen carry different risks when alcohol is still in your system. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that combining alcohol with acetaminophen can be toxic to the liver. Aspirin and ibuprofen carry a different risk, since both can increase stomach acid and irritate the stomach lining when combined with alcohol. Talk with a doctor or pharmacist about which option, if any, makes sense for you before taking one.

 

Can Frequent Hangovers Signal a Bigger Health or Alcohol Issue I Should See a Doctor About?

Frequent hangovers can be a sign worth raising with a doctor. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism uses a screening question for alcohol use disorder that covers exactly this. It asks whether, in the past year, you spent a lot of time drinking, being sick from drinking, or recovering from other aftereffects. An Opt Health physician consultation reviews your health history and current habits as part of every initial visit, so it is a reasonable place to bring up a pattern like that.

 

Preventing a Hangover Before It Starts

Preventing a hangover comes down to slowing how fast alcohol reaches your bloodstream and offsetting fluid loss before symptoms emerge. Eating a substantial meal before and during drinking keeps absorption steady, while pacing rather than drinking quickly gives your body time to process each serving. Alternating every alcoholic drink with a glass of water through the night preserves the hydration balance alcohol otherwise drains. Because water and electrolytes matter most either way, prevention and treatment rely on the same principle applied at different times.

 

Are you looking to boost your youthful vigor and energy? Get personalized support and insight from top-tier physicians, entirely available for you 24/7. Contact us today or leave a comment below.

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