How Long Do Hangovers Last? Science-Backed Timeline & Fast Recovery Tips

There are several recognizable i drink every night, am i an alcoholic effects of a hangover. The medical term for a hangover is “veisalgia,” which is a combination of the Greek word for pain and a Norwegian word for “uneasiness following debauchery.” You may have a headache, feel nauseated, or get dizzy when you have a hangover. The only real cure for a hangover is time. Research has not found a correlation between the extent of electrolyte disruptions and the severity of hangovers, or the impact of added electrolytes on hangover severity.

Cleveland Clinic’s primary care providers offer lifelong medical care. But talk to your provider if you have signs of alcohol use disorder. For example, driving during a hangover can be dangerous or deadly.

Some people rehydrate using sports drinks containing electrolytes to ease hangover symptoms. They include body weight, sex, alcohol type, and a person’s drinking speed. Hangovers begin when a person’s blood alcohol level drops several hours after they stop drinking. However, you can have a hangover any time of the day—they usually begin between three and ten hours after drinking. The effects usually begin hours after drinking alcohol and can last for a whole morning or even for several days.

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If excessive drinking and hangover symptoms are interfering with your life, talk to your healthcare provider. Most people who get hangovers can diagnose themselves based on their alcohol consumption and symptoms. For people living with heart disease, hangover symptoms such as rapid heart rate and high blood pressure can be dangerous. A popular myth about hangover remedies suggests having an alcoholic drink the day after drinking. A person’s hangover symptoms can last for 24 hours or more. Some experts state that the symptoms of a hangover peak when a person’s blood alcohol level reaches 0.

• A hangover is a feeling of illness that occurs after alcohol consumption.
• When we drink, the liver immediately starts using enzymes to break it down in a two-step process.
• Halloween candy can give you a ‘sugar hangover.’ Experts weigh in on how much is too much.
• A hangover is unpleasant, but symptoms tend to go away within a day or so.
• ⚠️ If you still feel unwell after 48 hours, it might be something more serious—consult your GP.
• The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey.

What’s the best hangover cure?

But it can cause inflammation in organs, leading to uncomfortable symptoms. You may end up feeling more restless, anxious and irritable than before you drank. But when the alcohol wears off, your nervous system must readjust. Your nervous system adjusts to these effects.

💡 TL;DR: Hangovers Last Hours—But Recovery Can Be Faster

That’s why hangovers can linger for a full day—or more. These symptoms are also called alcohol poisoning and are a medical emergency. A hangover is unpleasant, but symptoms tend to go away within a day or so. As your body readjusts to the lack of alcohol, you start to feel better. Typically, your symptoms are the worst when your blood alcohol level returns to zero. If you feel sick after consuming alcohol, you most likely have a hangover.

• If you’re in the throes of a monster hangover, relief can’t come soon enough.
• While there are differences in how people experience hangovers, these differences are not understood and are not related to resilience or alcohol tolerance.
• Even if alcohol initially makes you feel drowsy, it disrupts the quality of your sleep.
• Moments after feeling that pounding headache, dry mouth and nausea, you are likely pondering just how long you will have to endure this unfortunate situation.
• Drinking helps you feel calm, relaxed and even happy.

Sleep Disruption

A night of drinking can leave us feeling unusually fatigued, dizzy, or shaky. For many, a night of drinking is often followed by the all-too-familiar unpleasantness of an upset stomach the next day. The immune response is part of the reason why, after a night of drinking, we might feel like we’re coming down with something, even if we aren’t. While hangover symptoms can vary, they follow a general timeline, often unfolding in a predictable sequence.

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You may notice these effects after you drink alcohol and then sleep for a few hours. In most people, the body will quickly restore electrolyte balance once the effects of alcohol subside. There is no way to speed up the brain’s recovery from alcohol use—drinking coffee, taking a shower, or having an alcoholic beverage the next morning will not cure a hangover. Hangover symptoms peak when the blood alcohol concentration in the body returns to about zero. Alcohol is the main culprit in a hangover, but other components of alcoholic beverages might contribute to hangover symptoms or make a hangover worse.

Alcohol strips you of B vitamins and Vitamin C—both essential for energy, brain function, and liver health. So it’s not just one thing—it’s a biological storm that takes time to clear up. Let’s break down how long you can expect to feel rough—and what actually helps you bounce back faster. MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. During this period, an individual may have severe mental and physical stress due to alcohol withdrawal. They may differ from person to person.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

A hangover begins when a person’s blood alcohol level begins to drop. This means it is difficult to predict the number of drinks or the amount of alcohol that will cause a hangover. The more a person drinks, the greater their chance of experiencing a hangover. In some instances, symptoms of a hangover can begin before the effects of alcohol have worn off. The combination of these physiologic effects of alcohol can cause several of the symptoms of a hangover. There are slight differences in how quickly or slowly different people metabolize alcohol, but the physiology of a hangover is very similar between one person and another.

What is acetaldehyde and how does it relate to hangovers? Chronic alcohol consumption can also change how the body responds to insulin, the hormone that allows cells to take in glucose from the bloodstream. The type of alcoholic beverage consumed, and what it’s consumed with, can also impact blood sugar levels. As a result of these factors, alcohol can lead to hypoglycemia, a condition characterized by abnormally low blood sugar levels. One of its primary responsibilities is to release stored glucose into the bloodstream when blood sugar levels drop, ensuring a steady energy supply for the body’s functions.

However, you may not want to sleep all day and have other obligations like work or school. There is no cure for a hangover, but there are some treatment strategies. You don’t necessarily have to have been drunk to have a hangover, and there are differences between being drunk and having a hangover. Dizziness is exacerbated by alcohol toxicity, as well as by dehydration. Headaches, for example, are triggered by alcohol’s vascular changes in the brain and by dehydration. In some instances, however, delayed short term effects can be symptomatic.

In the case of alcohol, though, this paradoxical effect is very real, and it comes down to how booze interacts with our bodies. Or Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’s Diary lamenting her choices from the previous night, nursing a headache with a glass of water and an aspirin? Who can forget the disheveled crew in The Hangover, waking up in a trashed Las Vegas suite with absolutely no memory of the night before?

Many remedies are available that claim to cure a hangover, but there is no scientific evidence any of them work. Proceed with caution when using these medications before or after consuming alcohol. Like alcohol, certain over-the-counter pain relievers, including aspirin and ibuprofen, can increase acid release and irritate the lining of the stomach.

Plus, hangovers tend to be more severe after drinking on an empty stomach. There’s evidence that reduced sleep after drinking leads to more severe hangovers. However, drinking more does often make for a more severe hangover, and severe hangovers usually last longer. Still, 24 hours can feel like an eternity when you’re dealing with a mishmash of physical and mental symptoms.

This will help keep you hydrated and, since you would be drinking so much liquid, it may inadvertently keep you from drinking too much alcohol. For best results, you will want to hydrate before you start drinking, while you’re drinking and afterwards. Drinking alcohol can cause dehydration, which is what leads to some of the symptoms of a hangover like dry mouth, fatigue and dizziness. A hangover is the feeling of illness that follows alcohol consumption. Hangover symptoms that last longer than a day or so may require medical attention.

If you’re in the throes of a monster hangover, relief can’t come soon enough. Reframe supports you in reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing your well-being. Then download our app through the App Store or Google Play today! The Reframe app is free for 7 days, so you don’t have anything to lose by trying it. Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance.

Drinking helps you feel calm, relaxed and even happy. In general, the severity of your symptoms depends on how much you drank and for how long. You’re also more likely to have memory, concentration and coordination issues when you have a hangover. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. It can be tempting to try quick hangover remedies, like a shower, coffee or greasy breakfast. The good news is that a hangover is a temporary condition, and the best thing to do for it is to simply let it run its course.