The Smart Way to Soothe a Hangover

By Dylan Roche

Holiday revelry is fun. The hangover the next day though? Not so much. Unfortunately, if your carousing in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s leaves you feeling under the weather, there’s no foolproof way to cure it quickly and completely. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take certain steps to make yourself feel (and function) a little bit better.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a hangover isn’t as much a condition as much as it is a set of symptoms—fatigue, headaches and muscle aches, nausea, sweating, thirstiness, and general overall weakness. While all the causes of these symptoms trace back to heavy alcohol consumption, there are several reasons drinking makes you feel this way—so your hangover could be different depending on how you’re processing the alcohol.

Dehydration: Because alcohol suppresses the hormone vasopressin, which tells your kidneys to retain fluid, you’ll be urinating a lot more when you’re drunk than you do when you’re sober. The dehydration you then suffer can cause things like headaches and muscle weakness.

Poor Sleep: You might fall asleep easily after you’ve been drinking, but your quality of sleep will not be very good. That’s because alcohol prevents your body from achieving a deep state of slumber. This insufficient sleep is a major reason you feel so fatigued the next day.

Gastrointestinal Upset: Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach, which is what causes the nausea and stomach pains you experience as part of a hangover. You’ve probably heard plenty of advice from people about ways you can “cure” a hangover, but little of this advice is scientifically supported. The only way to actually cure a hangover is to just wait for time to pass. But if you’re looking to minimize your symptoms, here are some smart ways you can take care of yourself:

Eat something nutritious. Don’t go for greasy foods, despite what you might have heard. High-fat meals are digested more slowly, which will put even more work on your irritated stomach. Instead, seek out something nutritious. Alcohol will lower your blood sugar levels, leaving your body operating without its primary source of energy. Get some carbohydrates in you, as well as some vitamins and minerals. If you’re having trouble stomaching anything, try a nutrient-rich smoothie made from fruit, yogurt, banana, and nut butter. This will give you the nutrition you need, but without putting added strain on your digestive system, as liquid empties from your stomach much more quickly than solids do.

Rehydrate. Your body lost a lot of fluid from urination—you need to replace that. Furthermore, drinking plenty of water will help your liver and kidneys flush toxins from your body. Don’t forget that fluid loss also means loss of electrolytes like sodium and potassium. Add a pinch of salt or a splash of lemon juice to your water to recoup them.

Avoid medicine. While a painkiller might seem like a good idea for your splitting headache, you likely still have alcohol in your system, so combining that with acetaminophen will be toxic to your liver. Aspirin and ibuprofen can bother your already sensitive stomach. Don’t be deceived by any products on the market that claim to cure hangovers—last year, the FDA sent warning letters to companies that were selling unapproved products with these baseless claims.

Get as much sleep as you can. Even though your sleep isn’t of the best quality after a night of drinking, allowing yourself to rest for as long as possible will help with the fatigue. If you don’t have to be anywhere in the morning, give yourself the chance to lie back down and get some extra rest. If that’s not an option, a moderate amount of caffeine from coffee or tea will help stimulate you.