Hydration alone won't undo a hangover. We share what else actually helps once the damage is already done.
Article Highlights
- Hangover symptoms aren't just from dehydration. Alcohol affects your body in several ways, contributing to headaches, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue and brain fog.
- Alcohol may make you sleepy at first, but it disrupts deep, restorative sleep, which is why you can wake up exhausted the next day.
- Staying hydrated can help ease hangover symptoms. Alternating alcoholic drinks with water may also help reduce dehydration.
- The order of your drinks doesn't appear to matter as much as how much and what type of alcohol you consume.
- Darker alcoholic beverages, such as bourbon, whiskey and red wine, contain compounds linked to a higher risk of hangovers than clearer spirits like vodka and gin.
I don't need to say it, but I'll just say it — hangovers are the worst. After having a great night out with your friends, waking up with a headache or stomachache (or both) is about as big of a buzzkill as there is.
While you're lying in bed trying to will your headache away, you may start wondering: Where did I go wrong?
In the video above, Dr. Natalie Dryden, primary care physician at Houston Methodist, explains why hangovers happen, tips for preventing them and why hydration alone won't be enough to save you from your next one.
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