Hangover Cures: 5 Foods To Ease Your Symptoms

It's the holiday season and chances are, you're knee-deep in parties, eating and stress. We all know that there is an increase in the frequency of these three components during the holiday season, however, what you may not be aware of is that fact that alcohol goes hand-in-hand with all three. You may find yourself drinking more than usual and before you know it, you're waking up more often with those telltale signs of man's greatest "last night" regret. Yep, you've got a hangover, and it's bad. Immediately, you realize that your day is shot, you feel miserable and nothing can take the misery away. You swear to yourself that you'll "never drink that much again" and you may even start surfing the Web for "hangover cures" as a desperate attempt to cure what ails you. What if the answer to feeling better though, was right in your kitchen? What if, amongst the gingerbread and the stuffing, you had a holiday hangover remedy that could help decrease some of those common, awful symptoms?

What's a hangover? If you've ever had one, you know what it is. You feel awful and that's the end of it. But if you're looking for a more scientific approach, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco explain it well in this Annuals of Internal Medicine article, published in 2000. Their review describes a hangover as "characterized by headache, tremulousness, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue combined with decreased occupational, cognitive, or visual-spatial skill performance." It also found that hangovers were mostly classified to light or moderate drinkers in terms of societal costs (loss in job productivity, absenteeism, etc.) and that the symptoms were caused by dehydration, the toxic effects of alcohol, hormonal changes and deregulated signaling of cells.

Sounds pretty bad, right? You may be thinking, can food actually help? Although no strong scientific evidence exists classifying these foods as cures, given the physiologic changes that occur with a night of drinking, they surely can't hurt!

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Although a hangover may seem like nothing more than a bad day after a hard night, a review in The Annals of Internal Medicine found that hangovers also increased the risk of injury due to diminished visual spatial skills and dexterity. Hangovers, they concluded, also could be an independent risk factor for cardiac death. They not only cost you, but they affect society as well. Researchers found that there were substantial economic consequences stemming from poor job performance and increased absenteeism. If you came across this article after a night of drinking, and you felt better by eating these suggested foods, it's hopefully the last time you'll need to read it. A 2005 study in the British Medical Journal found that the only true scientific "cure" to a hangover was to practice abstinence or moderation. Sounds like your vow to "never drink that much again" should be one you might want to keep. New Year's resolution anyone?

 

Follow Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., L.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic

Comments

[jsgaetano]

07:28 PM on 12/24/2011

If you drink, before going to bed drink a big glass of water and take an aspirin. And maybe a fish oil capsule, if you have them.

[Jeff Cunningham]

11:31 PM on 12/20/2011

When I know I'm going to be drinking heavily (like at a party), I make sure to drink a glass of water between alcholic drinks, then end the night with a glass or two of water. Yeah, it makes me pee like a horse the whole night, but I haven't had a hangover since I started doing this.

[jsgaetano]

07:28 PM on 12/24/2011

A lot of the hangover is dehydration.

[Godispretend69]

11:12 PM on 12/19/2011

An article on hangover and no mention of acetaldehyde. Eek. Figure out how to activate the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme and your hangover is nolonger.

[wrobbins]

07:06 AM on 12/26/2011

I assume you mean acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Alcohol dehydrogenase is what turns the alcohol INTO acetaldehyde.

[Fodderstompf]

10:40 PM on 12/18/2011

Throw some Alka-Seltzer in Pedialyte! It's Gatorade on 'roids ;)

[MB1East]

10:28 PM on 12/18/2011

I have found you need a giant glass of water before going to bed to help prevent the hangover. Then the next day I usually eat an entire box of Mac and cheese. Sounds gross. But it works.

[jsgaetano]

07:29 PM on 12/24/2011

That makes sense. I've heard the reason people crave fatty foods after they drink is because the fat helps your liver process alcohol. No idea how true it is, though.

[anfractuous]

08:31 PM on 12/18/2011

"For a bad hangover take the juice of two quarts of whisky." (Eddie Condon).

[elsquibbs]

02:00 PM on 12/18/2011

Cure for a hangover? A sack of McDonalds and a jug of gatorade.

[takecourage]

01:51 PM on 12/18/2011

Assuming the nausea isn't terrible, I've found that greasy foods work rather well. Lots of bacon. Also, oatmeal.

[jsgaetano]

07:30 PM on 12/24/2011

Bacon cures everything.

[RobJames]

11:00 PM on 12/17/2011

When I used to be a drunk, I would drink a chocolate milk in the morning to ease my hangover. It coats your stomach and calms it down. Also to best avoid a hangover after a night of heavy drinking, you need to drink 2 bottles of water prior to passing out. I used to go out and drink nightly and heavily(eg. 10+ drinks in a 3 hour period), and when I drank a lot of water before climbing in bed i'd usually wake up feeling like a million bucks.

[FunctionOfTheCrisp]

01:00 PM on 12/17/2011

Except for salmon, I think these are good recommendations. Fruit/vegetables, grains/bread, and water work very well. However, many people will tell you that meat and seafood can be the wrong things to add to a nausea hangover. If you only have a headache hangover, then you'll probably be fine.