Anyone who has experienced a nasty hangover has probably sworn off alcohol at least once. The nausea, headache and overall feeling of malaise is enough to make anyone desperate for a cure. Yet despite centuries of touted hangover remedies, we have only recently come up with a hangover cure that really works.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common and bizarre hangover remedies and why they don’t work, then dive into the latest IV drip for hangovers that some people swear by.
The Science Behind Hangovers
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines a hangover as a set of uncomfortable symptoms that arise after drinking too much alcohol. Symptoms can vary from one person to the next in terms of scope and severity, and some people have a greater tolerance for alcohol than others. But at the end of the day, your body treats alcohol as a toxin that needs to be eliminated to restore metabolic balance.
Common hangover symptoms include:
- Dehydration
- Headache
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Sensitivity to noise and light
- Irritability
- Elevated blood pressure
Although universally consumed by humans, alcohol is toxic to the human body. It enters your bloodstream almost immediately, and circulates until your liver is able to process it. Meanwhile, it crosses the blood-brain barrier, making you inebriated.
The underlying causes of hangover symptoms are attributed to:
- Disrupted sleep
- Dehydration
- Acidic stomach
- Systemic inflammation
- Exposure to acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism
While alcohol itself is a toxin, alcoholic beverages often contain other toxic substances that exacerbate hangover symptoms:
- Sulfites are compounds in wine that occur naturally as part of the fermentation process, but some wine producers add extra sulfites to wine to accelerate fermentation and to act as a preservative. Added sulfites can produce headaches in some people.
- Congeners are compounds that occur naturally during the fermentation of hard liquors, with higher concentrations found in brown liquors. Congeners can make your hangover symptoms worse.
- Sugar are often highly concentrated in mixers used to make alcoholic cocktails. A sudden spike in blood sugar prompts your pancreas to produce excess insulin, throwing your metabolism out of balance and worsening your hangover symptoms.
10 Mythical Hangover Remedies that Don’t Work
1. Liquor before beer, nothing to fear
Some people try to outsmart a hangover by switching to beer after a few hard drinks. Because beer contains more water than hard liquor, it may slightly reduce dehydration. But alcohol in any form is a natural diuretic, which means you’ll urinate more, and still end up dehydrated.
2. Stick to top-shelf liquor brands
This approach may hold some water, since more expensive brands tend to have purer ingredients. Nevertheless, alcohol is still toxic and the main cause of a hangover.
3. Make yourself vomit to reduce symptoms
Throwing up may help ease your queasy stomach, but it won’t get rid of the alcohol circulating in your bloodstream. Alcohol is absorbed almost immediately when it reaches your GI tract.
4. Chug a lot of water
Drinking water alongside alcoholic beverages may be a good strategy to avoid a hangover, since you will probably drink less alcohol and stay more hydrated. But once the effects of alcohol set in and your judgment is impaired, your good intentions may go out the window.
5. Drink tomato juice before bed
This remedy is based on the theory that alcohol throws your body’s pH out of balance, and the acid in tomato juice will help to restore it. However, if you’ve already drunk enough to cause a hangover, the odds of you chugging a lot of tomato juice before bed are slim to none.
6. Eat a greasy breakfast
Going out to breakfast in the wee hours after a night of binging alcohol is a common practice for some. But a high-fat breakfast is likely to make your symptoms worse by adding to your digestive distress.
7. Make a raw egg cocktail
You would almost have to be drunk to try this remedy. Recipes vary, but most include a raw egg, a few dashes of hot sauce, a splash of vinegar and some Worcestershire sauce. Bottoms up!
8. Drink black coffee
While the caffeine in coffee may make you more alert, it is not likely to soothe your hangover symptoms. Caffeine and alcohol are both diuretics, so drinking coffee could actually make your symptoms worse by promoting dehydration.
9. Take NSAIDs before bed
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen may temporarily suppress hangover symptoms, but like alcohol, NSAIDs are toxic to your liver. Your liver is already working overtime to process and eliminate alcohol, and taking NSAIDs while you’re still drunk can do more harm than good.
10. Have a hair of the dog that bit you
Drinking more alcohol to ease your hangover symptoms may provide temporary relief by raising your blood alcohol level, but once you quit drinking your hangover will return with a vengeance, prolonging your misery.
IV Hangover Therapy — a Remedy that Really Works
Most people don’t have the luxury of staying in bed all day to nurse a hangover. The responsibilities of work, family and life in general mean you have to get up and seize the day, no matter how bad you feel. When life won’t let you take a sick day, a vitamin IV drip for hangover symptoms may be your best solution.
A hangover cure cocktail infuses potent nutrients and medicine into your bloodstream to tackle your hangover symptoms at their source:
- Fluids and electrolytes eliminate dehydration
- Vitamin C and B-vitamins help restore metabolic balance and ward off fatigue
- Medications for nausea and headache help you feel better in minutes
IV hangover therapy takes about an hour, giving you a chance to relax and catch a nap. By the time your IV hangover drip is done, your hangover symptoms are gone, so you can get back to your busy life.
Get Fast Relief with IV Hangover Therapy in NYC
Navigating the fast-paced lifestyle of New York City with a severe hangover is nearly impossible. If you want to keep up with the demands of urban life, you can’t afford to miss a beat. Don’t let a hangover keep you from living your best life. An IV hangover cure is nearby at InVita Wellness on Broadway. Contact us now, and get a vitamin IV for your hangover so you can get back into the human race.
