The Art of the Hangover Cure: What Science, Culture, and This Sommelier Say to Do
God, I hate being hungover. It’s definitely gotten worse as I’ve gotten older, so of course I’m always super careful about how much I drink post-30s. You wake up with your tongue made of wool, the sunlight hits your eyelids like judgment, and somewhere inside you, a distant bell tolls the cost of last night’s joy. Someone once told me that drugs (alcohol included) just borrow happiness from tomorrow, and when you’re in “tomorrow”, that couldn’t be more true.
Hangovers are as old as celebration itself.
Ancient Egyptians had remedies, so did the Romans, and your grandmother might have had her own, too…whether it was a raw egg in tomato juice or a cold compress and prayer.
Of course, my style isn’t just to list a bunch of fixes, nope, it’s a love letter to recovery, to humanity, and to all the weird, tender moment we create in the quiet aftermath of excess to bring us some comfort.
Also, worth noting that these are all my personal finds, not a doctor here, just a sommelier.
The Science: Why You Feel So Awful
You might not want to read this while you’re actually hungover, but oh well. Your headache isn’t just dehydration, it’s a chemical protest.
When you drink, your liver works overtime breaking down ethanol into acetaldehyde…a substance more toxic than alcohol itself.
That, plus inflammation, poor sleep, and blood sugar dips, creates the perfect storm.
Scientists have tried to make hangover pills for decades, but none have really stuck. The one I’ve found works the best are these Cheers ones I’ve tried alongside my husband, but still…it’s not perfect. The thing is, really, your body isn’t broken…it’s healing…and healing hurts like a mother f-er sometimes.
Classic Western Cures: From Greasy Diners to Bloody Marys
The greasy breakfast myth persists…but research suggests it’s more psychological than medicinal. Still, there’s something comforting about eggs on toast with a side of redemption. I love to add in those greasy hashbrowns with the crispy outside too…so good!
Hair of the dog also just delays the hangover, not cures it. It makes everything feel better because you’re drunk again…duh.
Coffee + Advil remains the closest thing to Western alchemy, but be sure to be gentle on your stomach. Neither of those guys should be taken on their own unless ulcers are something you’ve always desired.
For this style of “cure”, it’s not so much about feeling better, but about being comforted while your body does it’s thing. A diner booth plus a cold orange juice and a side of sense of survival.
What Works for Me: A Sommelier’s Morning-After
Everyone has their own hangover language.
As a sommelier, I’ve danced with wine more times than I can count, but I’ve also learned how to waltz my way out of the fog the next morning. A lot of the time I have to, when you’re on a wine or bourbon trip you’re often out until past midnight drinking and need to be in meetings at 9am also ready to drink again.
My go-to cure isn’t glamorous, but more biological and practical. It’s definitely personal to me, but you’re more than welcome to try it.
I start with horseradish…not in a Bloody Mary, but raw, sharp, and alive. The heat jolts my circulation awake, sending blood flowing to my head and warming my stomach lining. The compound allyl isothiocyanate, responsible for the burn, stimulates digestion and may help clear sinuses and nausea, too. That nausea and headache the next day seem to go away pretty quickly after a ton of blood has rushed to the area.
Then come eggs, softly scrambled, of course, just the way I like them. Eggs contain something called cysteine, an amino acid that helps break down acetaldehyde, the toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. They also replenish B vitamins your liver desperately used up the night before.
I add a banana on the side for potassium, which alcohol quietly depletes. Normally I cut up a banana into oatmeal because it feels hearty and at that point I’ve got a growling stomach that wants more than a few measly eggs. Potassium helps regulate nerve and muscle function, and when it drops too low, headaches and fatigue roll in fast, but bananas bring it back gently.
After that, I go for a short run.
Nothing intense…I’m not even a person who likes to run, just enough to get my heart moving, oxygen flowing, and endorphins whispering their apologies. Light exercise speeds up metabolism and helps clear out the leftover alcohol more efficiently, while easing inflammation and that heavy, foggy brain.
Then comes the cold shower…a reset button in liquid form.
Cold exposure constricts blood vessels and reduces inflammation, but it also stimulates norepinephrine, a feel-good hormone that sharpens focus and energy. I step out feeling like I’ve shed the previous night’s mistakes.
Finally, I sip sparkling water, because flat water feels wrong, and the bubbles seem to wake up my whole mouth. Carbonation helps even help with delayed stomach emptying (yuck), easing nausea while hydrating at the same time. Those bubbles also push everything through to your small intestines faster, where it’s absorbed quicker than in the stomach.
It’s not a miracle, but it’s saved my day more times than I can count.
Global Remedies: What Other Cultures Swear By
Korea has something called Haejangguk ("hangover soup") with cabbage and ox blood. It sounds scary to me, but I bet it helps a ton. I went through a Pho phase when I was hungover around 22 and it was very comforting.
In Japan people reach for Umeboshi plums, and miso soup. As an admirer of both of those things, I approve.
In Mexico Menudo is the cure.
Poland has Pickle brine and Italy has their espresso with lemon.
Even if they don’t work physiologically, they often work spiritually, because you know that somewhere, across cultures, someone else has felt exactly like this…crappy with a side of belly ache.
People love to claim on the internet that milk thistle, B12 patches, and activated charcoal does something. Hangover hydration powders sold for $12 a sachet are abundant everywhere you look. Do they help though? Jurys still out. It’s possible that DHM, NAC, and thiamine do something, but also…maybe not.
The wellness industry wants you to believe you can out-supplement your sins, and sometimes you can, but sometimes you just bought $40 pee.
What Actually Helps (A Short, Honest List)
Water + electrolytes is the no-brainer. If you aren’t hydrating properly then you aren’t going to feel better…duh.
Sleep is the golden goose here. You won’t stop feeling fully hungover until you sleep. Naps are encouraged, but there’s a good chance you’ll feel like shit until tomorrow (sorry).
Simple carbs play their part as well from toast to bananas.
Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen (never Tylenol) can help with the pain and a slow walk, some sun, and a nap will do wonders for you.
You can’t fast-forward a sunrise, and the same goes for healing. Time needs to pass one way or another.
The Weirdest Hangover Cures People Swear By
Okay, I found some pretty weird ones out there. No clue if it’s science or not, but I thought I would mention it for laughs and curiosities sake. In Puerto Rico people seem to try rubbing lemons under their armpits. Don’t ask me why…I’m not entirely sure. There’s even some things I found where people drink asparagus water. I’m not really sure why that gives me the ick other than I’m thinking of how my pee smells after I eat asparagus. It’s sort of like kale juice though, right? I’m sure it’s got to do something in terms of giving your body more nutrients.
Pickled sheep’s eyes in Mongolia definitely threw me through a loop. I’m not sure of course because I’ve never tried it, but the thought of eating a pickled eye makes me want to vomit before I’m hungover, so yeah…not really sure.
Someone else out there swears up and down that charcoal toast does something. I couldn’t figure out if charcoal was rubbed on the toast or if the bread was just burnt to high heaven. Either way…interesting.
Not all cures are created equal of course, but if it brings you comfort, who are we to say it doesn’t work?
The truth is that hangovers are brutally honest.
They amplify whatever you've been ignoring in the absolute worst way and at the worst time. If you’re overworked, you feel it, and if you’re lonely, you know. If you drank to quiet something in you, the silence feels deafening in the morning.
If there is a gift of a hangover it’s that it makes you take a beat for a moment. You can't scroll away the headache or hustle through the nausea. You have to sit with yourself, and sometimes, you hear what your life’s been trying to say all week.
Your Hangover Kit
Rehydration salts or coconut water first and foremost. Just have these, they don’t hurt anything.
Have some crackers (get some good ones) or extra salty pretzels on hand. I normally have both because my husband hates pretzels for whatever weird reason.
A sleep mask is helpful if you don’t have dark curtains, but use something that helps you to sleep as best as possible. Pain relievers are a no-brainer here.
Miso or bouillon cubes for broth because…you know why. Grab your favorite hoodie and a gentle show (not Game of Thrones) and prepare to relax yourself. A little Epsom salt bath never hurt anyone either if you can’t fall back to sleep.
Recovery is an art.
When Food Is Medicine (and When It’s Just a Hug)
There’s a reason you crave carbs and fat when you're hungover. Your blood sugar is low and your serotonin is sputtering as your gut sits there more inflamed than the sun.
There’s also a reason people call certain foods “comfort food”…because they soothe more than the stomach.
A bowl of buttery pasta forgives you for all your past mistakes. That’s why I love pasta so much. A slice of toast, a bowl of cereal, a handful of crackers…simple, soft foods are how we reintroduce the world to our nervous system.
And when someone makes you food after a night out, well, that’s more healing than any supplement, it’s love in edible form.
There is magic in shared misery, which is why it’s annoying my 250lb husband is never hungover at the same time as little old me. Ha, you thought I’d put my weight in here…as if. The split aspirin and the blurry laughter are cute moments I share with my other lightweight friends.
The unspoken bond of two people slumped on the couch, chewing dry toast and watching cartoons. Misery doesn’t just love company…it metabolizes faster with it.
What To Do Before You Drink
Want to skip tomorrow’s punishment?
Eat before drinking and alternate alcohol with water. Drink so much water you feel like a bloated little hippo come to eat all the marbles. Avoid sugary mixers as if your life depends on it. If it’s sweet, it’s going to punish you tomorrow, I promise you that.
Stick to clear liquors (less congeners) and avoid all the deliciously oaked spirits out there (sorry whiskey and cognac).
Take B vitamins + electrolytes before bed and chug that last little bit of water before closing your eyes.
It’s not sexy…but neither is nausea in a subway station.
You had fun, you overdid it…it’s cool, it literally happens to everyone, even the professionals like me.
Be kind with yourself and sit in a patch of sunlight and drink water like it’s mercy.
The world doesn’t need your productivity today, so get back in bed.
Amazon: Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (I like the passionfruit one!)
Etsy: Hangover Recovery Kit Gift Bag (only $1!)
