You woke up and the room is spinning. Your mouth feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton balls and you’ve got that rhythmic drumming behind your eyes that makes even the thought of light feel like a personal attack. We’ve all been there. After a night of one too many, the first instinct is to grab literally anything liquid to douse the fire. But honestly, slamming a giant coffee or a sugary soda might actually make you feel worse. Figuring out what's good to drink for a hangover isn't just about chugging water; it’s about chemistry.
Alcohol is a diuretic. It tells your kidneys to stop holding onto water. For every 1g of alcohol consumed, you might excrete up to 10ml of urine. Do the math over a long night, and you're basically a walking raisin by 9:00 AM.
But it isn't just water you lost. You're missing electrolytes—sodium, potassium, magnesium. Your blood sugar is likely tanked because your liver was too busy processing ethanol to release stored glucose. To fix this, you need a strategy that addresses hydration, blood sugar, and stomach irritation simultaneously.
The Science of the "Morning After" Fluids
The gold standard for rehydration isn't actually plain tap water. If you drink massive amounts of plain water on an empty, hungover stomach, you risk further diluting the electrolytes you have left. This can lead to something called hyponatremia, though usually, it just makes you feel bloated and sloshy.
Instead, look toward Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS). These are drinks like Pedialyte or specialized rehydration salts. They use something called the sodium-glucose cotransport mechanism. Basically, a specific ratio of salt and sugar helps your small intestine absorb water much faster than water can on its own. It’s why medical professionals use these for cholera and severe dehydration. It works for a Friday night aftermath too.
Why Coconut Water Is Overrated (But Still Okay)
Coconut water gets a lot of love in wellness circles. It’s packed with potassium. That’s great! Potassium helps with nerve function and muscle contractions. However, coconut water is relatively low in sodium compared to what your body really needs after a bout of heavy drinking.
If you like the taste, go for it. It’s better than a Red Bull. But if you're choosing it because you think it's a "miracle cure," you might be disappointed. You’d be better off adding a pinch of sea salt to it to balance out the electrolyte profile.
What’s Good to Drink for a Hangover: The Electrolyte Heavy Hitters
Sports drinks are the classic choice. We've all seen the Gatorade-on-the-nightstand move. They provide the necessary sugar to kickstart your blood glucose and the salts to hold onto the fluid. The downside? The acid.
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Many sports drinks are highly acidic and loaded with artificial dyes. If your stomach is already doing somersaults, that neon blue liquid might come right back up.
Bone Broth: The Unsung Hero
If you can stomach the smell, bone broth is arguably the best thing you can drink. It’s savory. It’s warm (which is soothing for the GI tract). It contains glycine, an amino acid that helps the liver detoxify. More importantly, it’s a natural source of sodium and potassium. It’s like a warm hug for your internal organs.
The Caffeine Conundrum
Should you drink coffee? It’s a polarizing topic.
Caffeine constricts blood vessels. This can sometimes help with a pounding headache caused by vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels from alcohol). However, caffeine is also a diuretic. If you’re already dehydrated, a double espresso might push you further into the red.
If you’re a daily coffee drinker, skipping it might trigger a caffeine withdrawal headache on top of your hangover. That’s a nightmare. The move here is to have a small cup—maybe half your usual amount—accompanied by twice as much water. Avoid the milky lattes; dairy can be a disaster for a sensitive stomach.
Ginger Ale and the Nausea Factor
Ginger is one of the few natural remedies with actual clinical backing for nausea. A study published in the journal Foods highlighted that gingerol and shogaol compounds in ginger can speed up gastric emptying. This means it moves stuff out of your stomach faster, reducing that "I'm gonna barf" feeling.
But most "Ginger Ale" sodas contain almost zero real ginger. They’re mostly high-fructose corn syrup and carbonation. The bubbles can actually bloat you more. If you want the benefits, make a ginger tea with real shaved ginger root and a bit of honey. The honey provides fructose, which some studies suggest can help the body metabolize alcohol faster.
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The Hair of the Dog Myth
We have to talk about the Bloody Mary.
The "hair of the dog" theory is based on the idea that a hangover is actually a very mild form of alcohol withdrawal. By having another drink, you're easing the come-down. While it might provide temporary relief by numbing the senses and hitting the GABA receptors in your brain, you're just delaying the inevitable.
You’re also giving your liver more work to do when it’s already struggling. Plus, the methanol theory—where small amounts of ethanol stop the body from processing toxic methanol into formaldehyde—is interesting but doesn't justify a morning margarita. Stick to non-alcoholic fluids if you actually want to recover.
Tomato Juice: A Powerhouse in a Glass
If you’re skipping the vodka, keep the tomato juice. It’s a staple in the search for what's good to drink for a hangover for a reason.
Tomato juice is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce inflammation in the liver. It also contains fructose and a high water content. The thickness of the juice is often more satiating than plain water, which helps if you can't fathom the idea of solid food yet.
Fruit Juices and the Acid Test
Orange juice is the default, but the high citric acid content can be brutal on a stomach lining that’s already been irritated by ethanol.
Apple juice or pear juice is often a safer bet. In fact, a study from the CSIRO (Australia's national science agency) famously suggested that Korean Pear juice can significantly reduce hangover symptoms if consumed before drinking. If you're already in the thick of it, it’s still a gentle way to get some sugar back into your system without the harsh acidity of citrus.
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The Power of Herbal Teas
- Peppermint Tea: Excellent for calming a churning stomach and reducing gas.
- Chamomile: Good if your hangover is accompanied by "hangxiety" (the crushing dread and anxiety that follows a night of drinking).
- Green Tea: Contains L-theanine, which helps with focus, but be careful with the caffeine content.
Making Your Own Recovery Drink
You don't need to spend $8 on a "hangover recovery" bottle at the gas station. You can make a highly effective version at home with stuff in your pantry.
Take 16 ounces of water. Add a big squeeze of fresh lemon (if your stomach can handle it), a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup, and a quarter teaspoon of high-quality salt. This creates a DIY electrolyte solution that hits the three pillars: hydration, glucose, and minerals.
Drink it slowly. Don't chug. Your body can only absorb so much fluid at once, especially when it's under stress.
What to Avoid at All Costs
Stay away from heavy protein shakes or thick smoothies immediately. Your digestion is sluggish. Throwing a bunch of whey protein or thick dairy at it is like trying to start a fire with wet logs.
Also, avoid sugary "energy" drinks. The crash from the sugar spike combined with the high caffeine and taurine can lead to heart palpitations and increased anxiety. When your heart is already racing from the alcohol withdrawal, you don't need to add fuel to that fire.
Summary of Actionable Steps
Recovery isn't an overnight (or over-morning) miracle. It’s a process of biological damage control.
- Prioritize Salts: Start with a cup of bone broth or a professional rehydration salt packet.
- Steady Sugar: Sip on apple juice or a honey-sweetened ginger tea to stabilize your blood sugar without a massive spike.
- Manage Nausea: Real ginger is your best friend. Skip the soda and go for the root.
- The 1:1 Rule: If you must have coffee, match it ounce-for-ounce with water.
- Rest and Time: Fluids facilitate the process, but your liver needs time to clear the acetaldehyde (the toxic byproduct of alcohol).
The best drink for a hangover is ultimately the one you can keep down. If everything feels like a struggle, stick to small sips of room-temperature water or a weak electrolyte mix until the worst of the nausea passes. Once your stomach settles, move to the nutrient-dense options like tomato juice or broth to really kickstart the healing.
There's no magic "cure" that works instantly. You’re essentially waiting for your body to finish a massive cleanup job. The drinks listed above just provide the tools the body needs to do that job a little more efficiently. Next time, maybe try the Korean pear juice before the first round—your future self will thank you.