The honest truth first: nothing cures a hangover but time. What genuinely helps: water and electrolytes, food (even bland), ibuprofen for the headache (not acetaminophen - see below), and sleep if you can get it. Most hangovers resolve within 24 hours.
What helps and why: hydration - alcohol is a diuretic and dehydration drives the headache and dry mouth; water plus an electrolyte drink beats either alone. Food - alcohol drops blood sugar and irritates the stomach; bland carbs and eggs are the classic for a reason. Ibuprofen - handles the inflammatory headache; skip acetaminophen (Tylenol) on a hangover: the liver is already processing alcohol, and the combination stresses it - and never take it while still drunk. Sleep - alcohol wrecked your sleep architecture; a nap genuinely repairs. What does not work: hair of the dog (more alcohol just delays and compounds it), coffee (you are awake and still hungover, plus more dehydrated), and 'hangover cure' supplements (trials are unimpressive). Prevention beats cure for next time: eat before drinking, alternate drinks with water, darker liquors carry more congeners (worse hangovers), and pace - the liver clears about one drink an hour. Danger signs that are NOT a hangover: vomiting that will not stop, confusion, slow or irregular breathing, unrousable - that is alcohol poisoning, call 911. Emergencies skip this list: chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke signs, severe bleeding, or thoughts of self-harm mean call 911, or 988 for a mental health crisis in the US.
What to do
Common questions
Why shouldn't I take Tylenol for a hangover?
Because both alcohol and acetaminophen are processed by the liver through pathways that produce a toxic byproduct - combined, especially with alcohol still in your system or with regular heavy drinking, the risk of liver damage rises meaningfully. Ibuprofen or another NSAID is the better hangover choice for most people (with food, since NSAIDs can irritate an already-irritated stomach; skip them if you have ulcers or kidney issues). The safest painkiller for a hangover is the one matched to your own health - and the safest dose of acetaminophen while drinking is none.
Does 'hair of the dog' actually work?
It postpones, not cures - drinking more raises blood alcohol again and briefly masks withdrawal symptoms, but the hangover returns when that wears off, now compounded. It is also the habit most associated with sliding into problem drinking. The mechanism it exploits (easing withdrawal) is the same one that makes it risky. Water and food do the actual repair work.
Why are hangovers worse as I get older?
Several changes compound: liver enzyme activity slows, so alcohol and its toxic metabolite acetaldehyde linger longer; body water percentage drops with age, so the same drinks produce higher blood alcohol; sleep gets lighter and alcohol disrupts it more; and many people drink the same way they did at 25 with a liver that is not 25. It is biology, not imagination - and the practical answer is fewer drinks, more slowly, with food.
When is 'a bad hangover' actually an emergency?
Alcohol poisoning is the line, and it is different from a hangover: someone who cannot be woken, vomiting repeatedly without waking, breathing slowly (under 8 breaths a minute) or irregularly, with pale or bluish cold skin - call 911 and put them on their side. Also not-a-hangover: a headache so severe it is the worst of your life, confusion persisting into the next day, or vomiting past 24 hours (dehydration needs IV fluids). Emergencies skip this list: chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke signs, severe bleeding, or thoughts of self-harm mean call 911, or 988 for a mental health crisis in the US.