I hate to break it to you, but there’s still no freaking cure for a freaking hangover. We can prevent HIV transmission. We can create AI that writes as well as a university graduate. But we can’t find a way to make hangovers a thing of the past.

You’ve been there before. You had a few too many drinks the night before, and now you’re paying for it. Now, you’re feeling nauseous, your head is pounding, and all you want to do is curl up in a dark room until the pain disappears.

Some 7 out of 10 people report feeling hungover after drinking alcohol the night before. The records of this phenomenon date back to ancient Egypt. So by now, you’d think we would have found a cure for this common ailment.

However, you would be wrong. Hangover cures, it turns out, are nothing more than old wives’ tales. So let’s jump in and try to figure this shit out, ‘cos it’s crazy:

• Why do we still not have a cure for hungover?
• Why does drinking give us a hangover in the first place?
• Is there anything any of us can do to cure a hangover?

 

First, let’s look at the bad news.

 

THE FACTS AS THEY STAND

A team of English researchers looked at 21 hangover cures, including probiotics, prescription drugs, and clove extract, and discovered that there’s no scientific evidence that they work.

There’s some anecdotal evidence, of course. For example, people swear by hangover cures like the so-called “Hair of the Dog” method (drinking more alcohol to ease hangover symptoms) or sports drinks to replenish electrolytes.

But the fact is, if you hit the drink hard enough, you’re gonna feel like crap the next day. And maybe for another day or two after that.

All of the studies the team looked at used placebo-controlled trials, which are the gold standard for scientific research. In other words, no hangover cure has been proven to work by science.

And that’s not for lack of trying. Scientists have been searching for a hangover cure for centuries, but so far, they’ve come up empty-handed.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Let’s backtrack a bit. I always like to start with the basics. So, what exactly is a hangover?

A hangover is an experience of having various unpleasant physical and mental symptoms after drinking too much alcohol. These symptoms can include headache, nausea, dizziness, increased sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.

Consuming more alcohol than your body can handle leads to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Alcohol also interferes with the production of certain hormones, including vasopressin, which helps the body regulate fluid balance.

 

💰  A Bigger Cost Than The Bar Tab

Feeling hungover from the night before won’t just cost you your physical health. It turns out that hangovers also cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year.  The average working adult spends $2,000 yearly on hangovers in the form of lost productivity, hangover-related doctor’s visits, and hangover cures. You can bet that Australia has a similar — or possibly worse — per-person impact. We tend to down a few extras compared to Americans.

 

🍾  If It’s Bubbly, Avoid It At All Cost

If you’re a beer lover, you won’t appreciate this one. Carbonation makes alcohol more absorbed into the bloodstream, which means you’ll get drunk faster and have a worse hangover. Champagne, beer, and hard seltzer are all carbonated alcoholic beverages to avoid if you try to stay hangover-free.

🧬  Genetics Matter

There’s a genetic component to hangovers. Hangover symptoms are linked to how quickly your body breaks down acetaldehyde, a by-product of alcohol metabolism. If you have a slow reaction to acetaldehyde, you’re more likely to experience hangover symptoms, including headache, nausea, and fatigue.

 

HOW TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF A HANGOVER

Ok, what have we learned so far? Hangovers are proof that there’s such a thing as too much fun. They suck, and it turns out that there’s no real cure for them. Is there anything else we can learn?

As it turns out, there is.

You can do certain things to minimize your chances of getting a hangover – or at least make it less severe. Here are five things to keep in mind next time you go out with your mates for a quick one. 

 

🥃  Look Out for Congeners

Through fermentation, alcohols like bourbon, whiskey, and tequila contain higher congeners. These are toxins that are produced during the fermentation process and contribute to hangover symptoms. Any alcoholic drink containing congeners is more likely to give you a hangover than vodka, which has fewer of them, but you’re still gonna feel crap if you overdo it. So, if you want a less severe morning after, stick to clear drinks like vodka, gin, and rum and avoid the sugary mixers that usually go with them. That includes tonic (one of the most surprisingly high-sugar sodas you can drink).

🚰  Hydrate Like Crazy

This one should be a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate more. That leads to dehydration, which contributes to hangover symptoms like headache and fatigue. To avoid this, make sure you drink plenty of water before going to bed and when you wake up the next morning. You can also alternate between alcoholic drinks and water throughout the night.

🛌  Get Lots of Sleep

A good night’s sleep is important for overall health and can help reduce hangover symptoms. Alcohol interferes with sleep, so you’re likely to wake up feeling tired and unrested if you drink too much the night before. Your body needs to recover from the effects of alcohol, and sleep is an important part of that process. Now, this may be hard, depending on how much you drink. But, if you can, aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep.

💊  Try Supplements

In all honesty, there’s no guarantee that hangover supplements will work. But some people swear by them. One hangover supplement that’s gained popularity in recent years is prickly pear. A 2004 study claims that prickly pear not only decreases overall symptoms, but continuous use can potentially lower the risk of experiencing severe symptoms like vomiting. Ginger is another popular hangover remedy. It’s often used to treat nausea, and some people claim it helps with hangover-related nausea as well. According to test-tube studies, ginger can potentially protect your liver from alcohol-induced damage.

🥣  Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Eating a nutritious breakfast can help replenish nutrients lost when drinking alcohol. It can also help your body recover from the effects of alcohol and reduce hangover symptoms. Maintaining good blood sugar levels is important for hangover recovery. So, choose breakfast foods that are high in protein and complex carbohydrates. Some examples include eggs, oatmeal, whole-grain toast, and yoghurt.

 

WILL WE EVER HAVE A CURE?

Don’t hold your breath. The US supplemental medicines industry is pumping hundreds of millions into hangover cure research and development every few years, and a breakthrough might arrive within your lifetime So for now, it’s either give up hope, give up booze, or give up making plans the day after a night on the town.