Stay away from energy drinks and sports drinks like Lucozade's or Red Bull's to cure a hangover though, as these tend to have about twice the amount of caffeine as a cuppa. They'll make you dehydrated and anxious which isn't what you need.
Drink Lots of Water to Replenish Lost Fluids
One of the easiest home remedies for a hangover? Drink water. “Alcohol itself is a diuretic, meaning that it causes you to urinate more,” says Shilpi Agarwal, MD, a family medicine physician in Washington, DC.
All you can do is: Rehydrate yourself — drink water or juice but steer clear of sports drinks that contain caffeine or other caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, and energy drinks as they will dehydrate you more.
Dangers of Mixing Alcohol and Caffeine
The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans cautions against mixing alcohol with caffeine. When alcohol is mixed with caffeine, the caffeine can mask the depressant effects of alcohol, making drinkers feel more alert than they would otherwise.
Energy drinks can mask the sedative effects of alcohol, making people less aware of how much they've had to drink. The very high levels of caffeine in energy drinks work against the drowsiness effects of alcohol in what researchers describe as 'wide awake drunk'.
Dark drinks, like red wine and bourbon, have more congeners than light ones and there are several studies to show that for a given level of blood alcohol, dark drinks produce worse hangovers.
Tequila, cognac, and whiskey are drinks high in congeners. Bourbon whiskey has a substantial amount of congeners, more than most other alcoholic drinks. Drinking alcoholic drinks high in congeners can give you an intense hangover.
The sugar in full fat Coca Cola will give you some much needed energy if you are unable to catch up on any lost sleep. Ice cold is often the preference, and from a can instead of a bottle.
No food can erase the effects of a night of drinking alcohol, but the best hangover foods are hydrating and anti-inflammatory. Rest helps, too. Try to avoid greasy foods, sugar, and caffeine which can make your symptoms worse. Instead, stick to water and foods like bananas and crackers.
Taking a shower won't slow down your recovery from symptoms, but it won't help you instantly bounce back either. A hangover is very unpleasant, and we would love to do something as simple as a jump in the shower to make the symptoms disappear, but that is not the case.
Stay away from energy drinks and sports drinks like Lucozade's or Red Bull's to cure a hangover though, as these tend to have about twice the amount of caffeine as a cuppa. They'll make you dehydrated and anxious which isn't what you need.
Some alcoholics prefer to drink vodka because it is clear and looks like water, and it doesn't have the strong odors that other alcoholic beverages have. Just because someone prefers vodka doesn't mean they're an alcoholic.
But a study by the British Medical Journal found that vodka is actually the least likely drink to give you a hangover: it's so pure that it contains virtually no congeners. Mixing vodka with soda or fruit juice is ideal, as sugary soft drinks can contribute to a headache the morning after the night before.
According to one report in The British Medical Journal, which looked at the effects of different types of alcohol, the drink that produced the most hangover symptoms was brandy, followed by red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin and vodka.
For example, the liver will be overworking to process alcohol, you'll be tired from little and/or poor quality sleep, you're likely to be urinating more as alcohol is a diuretic, leaving you dehydrated and headache-y – and any post-night out vomiting can irritate the stomach for several days.
A hangover typically lasts anywhere from 12 to 36 hours, although it could last in some cases for up to 72 hours. Exactly how long a hangover can last will depend on several factors, such as the person's tolerance of alcohol, how much they drank, when they stopped drinking, and what kind of alcohol was consumed.
Drinking alcohol causes a hangover for a number of reasons, including dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, poor sleep, and inflammation. The severity of a hangover is closely linked to how much alcohol the person has consumed and how much sleep they have had.
According to the research, the caffeine found within Red Bull begins to permeate the blood stream within 10 minutes, causing an increased heart rate and blood pressure level. 15 to 45 minutes later, the user will begin to feel more concentrated and wired, depending on how fast they consumed the drink.
Red Bull® Energy Drink contains several ingredients including caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, B vitamins, and inositol. The combination of these ingredients is believed to account for the positive effects on cognitive performance, attention, and driving performance.
While energy drinks can provide a quick boost of energy, consuming them too often can lead to a crash in energy levels or disrupted sleep patterns, which can make you feel tired. Try natural ways to improve your energy levels, like exercise, a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep.
Sip a glass of water
"A glass of water when you first wake up will help you rehydrate from the night before," says Beaver. "If you got to the point of vomiting, drinking Gatorade and Pedialyte are good choices to help replenish the lost electrolytes."