Most of the unpleasant symptoms experienced during a hangover are caused by alcohol’s diuretic effects, causing the body to become dehydrated, and the toxins that are produced as the liver metabolizes alcohol. With a little planning, the effect of these processes can be greatly reduced.
The Bottom Line
If you drink any alcohol at all you can experience some negative effects the next morning. Generally, the more you drink the greater the chance of experiencing more severe hangover symptoms. If you drink moderate amounts or alternate during the evening between water and alcoholic beverages, you can reduce alcohol’s dehydration and toxic effects and reduce many of the unpleasant symptoms of a hangover.
What If You Did Nothing?
OK, you ignored all the advice. You did not eat anything before you started drinking, you did not drink moderately, and you did not avoid congeners. What do you do at this point? Drink water. Even at this stage of the process, if you can drink as much water as you can before hitting the pillow, you can significantly reduce the hangover effects caused by dehydration. You may not avoid all of the unpleasant effects, but you will certainly be better off than if you do not drink any water before you sleep. There was an error. Please try again.
