The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding a Hangover
Learn how to prevent hangovers and minimize the morning-after misery Experts agree that while the best cure is to avoid drinking, there are also effective strategies: eat before drinking, stay hydrated, choose beverages with fewer additives, and consider abstaining
You had a little too much to drink last night, and now youre nursing that dreaded morning aftermatha hangover.
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The once enjoyable experience now leaves you with trembling hands, a pounding head, and a racing heart, along with other unpleasant symptoms like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and extreme thirst.
Your body is suffering because the alcohol that went down so easily is now causing dehydration, stomach discomfort, and inflammation. These symptoms reach their peak as the alcohol is completely metabolized and leaves your body.
There is no scientifically proven way to cure a hangover, but experts say you can prevent oneor at least keep that morning-after misery to a minimum. Heres how.
Drink on a full stomach
It's best to eat before you start drinking and continue to snack throughout the night, rather than having a late-night meal after drinking. "Having food in your stomach can slow down the process of emptying your stomach and help to decrease hangover symptoms," explained Dr. Robert Swift, a professor at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island.
Eating a little before you start drinking can reduce your hangover symptoms, experts say.
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Why does food help? Because most alcohol isnt absorbed by an empty stomach but via the intestinal tract just below it, Swift said.
According to Swift, when someone takes shots on an empty stomach, the pure alcohol is not diluted by the stomach and is quickly passed to the intestine. However, if the stomach contains food, gastric juices and enzymes mix the food and alcohol, leading to gradual absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
Stay hydrated
The same concept applies to water and other nonalcoholic drinks, according to Swift. "When alcohol is mixed with a fluid, it is diluted. This means that when it enters your intestines, it is less irritating. As a result, you are less likely to experience inflammation in the intestines or stomach lining."
Drinking water can help reduce the dehydration that occurs from downing too many alcoholic drinks.
According to Dr. John Brick, former chief of research at the Center of Alcohol Studies, Education and Training Division at Rutgers University in New Jersey, there is another advantage to drinking water between alcoholic beverages.
Brick, author of "The Doctors Hangover Handbook" and published scientific papers on the biobehavioral effects of alcohol and other drugs, stated, "The primary cause of hangovers is dehydration and the loss of fluids, along with vitamins and minerals."
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Drinking just 3½ alcoholic beverages can lead to a loss of up to a quart of water over several hours, Brick noted. "That's a substantial amount of water that needs to be replaced."
Dehydration caused by alcohol may have a greater impact on women and they are more prone to experiencing a hangover, even if they consume less alcohol than men, according to Swift. This is due to the fact that men have a higher percentage of body water compared to women of the same height and weight, which means the same amount of alcohol will be more diluted in a man.
"The concentration of blood alcohol in women is higher due to their lower water content in the body," he explained. "Women are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of alcohol, experiencing greater intoxication and developing alcohol liver disease at a younger age compared to men."
Pick beer, wine or spirits with fewer additives
The alcohol we consume, known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol, is produced through the fermentation of carbohydrates and starches, typically derived from grains, grapes, or berries. Fermentation byproducts are utilized in various ways: Ethanol is blended with gasoline for use in our vehicles, and methyl alcohol or methanol, a toxic substance, is employed as a solvent, pesticide, and alternative fuel source. Also known as wood alcohol, methyl alcohol produced by bootleggers resulted in the blindness or death of thousands of people during Prohibition.
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In general, beverages such as dark-colored beer and spirits are known to have higher levels of congeners, making them more likely to lead to hangovers, according to experts. A study conducted in 2010 looked into the severity of hangovers in individuals who consumed bourbon, a darker-colored liquor, compared to those who drank clear vodka.
"Bourbon, with its higher congener content, has been found to significantly heighten the intensity of hangovers. This finding is not unexpected, given that bourbon contains approximately 37 times more congeners than vodka," noted Brick.
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Sulfites, chemical preservatives known to cause allergic reactions, can be found as a natural byproduct of fermentation in small quantities. However, many beer and wine manufacturers add sulfites to extend shelf life. Sulfites are also commonly added to soda, cereals, sweeteners, canned and ultraprocessed foods, medications, and more. While sweet and white wines tend to have more sulfites than red wines, red wines contain more tannins, bitter compounds found in grape skins and seeds that can also trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
As a result, limiting your drinking to light beers, clear liquors and white wine might help keep hangovers at bay.
Abstain
Ultimately, according to experts, the only surefire way to prevent or cure a hangover is to abstain from drinking. "There is no easy fix due to the variety of factors contributing to the symptoms of a hangover," explained Swift. "That's why the best way to cure a hangover is to avoid alcohol altogether or consume such a small amount that it won't lead to a hangover."
This story has been updated to clarify that the alcohol we drink, known as ethanol, is the same byproduct of fermentation as the ethanol used in gasoline for cars.
