It begins as a person’s blood alcohol levels decrease after they stop drinking, and it can last for 24 hours or more. Although many remedies for alleviating hangovers are mentioned on the web and in social media, none have been scientifically proven to be effective. There is no magic potion for beating hangovers—and only time can help. It’s possible to reduce hangover symptoms by eating food and drinking plenty of water while you’re consuming alcohol, but there’s only so much you can do to avoid one. More-serious symptoms from heavy drinking may be a sign of alcohol poisoning — a life-threatening emergency.
What are the symptoms of a hangover?
You’ll feel the worst as your blood alcohol level goes back to normal. Hangover symptoms can linger for a day or sometimes longer. In addition, a person can limit the risk of a hangover by drinking plenty of water alongside any alcoholic beverages or eating a meal after drinking alcohol. Hangover headaches tend to have symptoms common to many people.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Some people have a headache a few hours after drinking wine — especially red wine. But it’s different from a hangover, which may or may not include a headache. It’s possible that some chemicals in wine and how the body responds to them could https://ecosoberhouse.com/ result in a headache after drinking wine. More research is needed to find the exact cause of wine headache. The toxic effects of alcohol on your body never seem more apparent than in those hours after downing one too many adult beverages.
Long-Term Impacts of Hangovers
- However, the difference between a hangover and alcohol withdrawal has to do with the history of alcohol consumption.
- When your body processes alcohol, one of the byproducts is acetaldehyde.
- And don’t reach for pain relievers with acetaminophen, as it can potentially damage your liver when there’s alcohol in your system.
- Getting an IV insertion increases your risk that a vein may clot or become inflamed, or the injection site could become infected.
And depending on various factors, some symptoms can be worse than others in terms of severity and duration. Those who should consider getting an RSV vaccine includes those 75 and older or those 60 and older who are at increased risk for severe illness. Household contact is one of the highest risks for being infected so, if possible, isolate as best you can when you are contagious. That means staying in a separate room, using a separate bathroom, eating meals at different times and opening windows to improve air flow. While you wait for your hangover to end, try to rest and drink plenty of hydrating fluids. Hangover-related nausea usually resolves within 24 hours.
- The nausea, headache, parched mouth, and fatigue are telltale signs you’ve got a serious hangover.
- Still, 24 hours can feel like an eternity when you’re dealing with a mishmash of physical and mental symptoms.
- Now, COVID is behaving more like flu and RSV where contagiousness peaks when symptoms peak several days into the illness.
- One of the easiest and most effective ways to treat a hangover is to hydrate with water or an electrolyte drink.
Take our free, 5-minute alcohol abuse self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with alcohol abuse. The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of an alcohol use disorder. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result. You likely want to know how to cure a hangover fast, but there’s only so much you can do to shorten how long you feel the symptoms of one.
How to Ease Symptoms
Sian Ferguson is a freelance health and cannabis writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. She’s passionate about empowering readers to take care of their mental and physical health through science-based, empathetically delivered information. Hangover-related nausea usually passes within a day or so, and as such, prescription medication how long does a hangover last isn’t always necessary or practical to take. However, in some cases, prescription antiemetics might be helpful. Find other hangover food recommendations from a registered dietitian. Drinking too much water too quickly (we’re talking gallons) can lead to lead to swelling of the brain, a serious and potentially deadly situation.
The best way to prevent hangovers is to avoid alcohol entirely or drink in moderation, giving the body plenty of time to process the alcohol before consuming more. A person can limit the risk of a hangover by drinking plenty of water alongside any alcoholic beverages, or eating a meal after drinking alcohol. It is important to stay hydrated, eat nutritious food, and get plenty of rest to prevent the symptoms of hangover.
The timeline depends on several things
Eat crackers, toast, or other bland, carb-rich foods that are easy on your stomach. The idea behind this popular hangover remedy is that taking another drink will ease the effects of the last few you had. The name comes from an old folk tale that says the way to treat a dog bite is to cover the wound with hair taken from the dog that bit you. But it can damage your liver if you take it while you have alcohol in your system.
- Popular strategies such as cold showers and coffee drinking can briefly increase alertness.
- Time without alcohol use is the only true remedy for a hangover.
- The more you drink, the more pronounced these issues become, too.
