What to Eat and Drink With a Hangover: What the Studies Found

No food or drink has been shown in a trial to shorten a hangover, and the studies that looked found something narrower: thirst and dry mouth explain under 5% of how bad people feel, dehydration and hangover run alongside each other rather than one causing the other, and sugar corrected the blood chemistry of 109 men without changing how they felt. The NHS advice on fluids and a sick stomach is quoted as the NHS writes it. The wider picture is on how to not be hungover.

Is a hangover the same as dehydration?

No. Among 1,410 students, thirst was reported in 89.1% of hangovers and fatigue in 95.5%, but when the 47 symptoms were analysed together, drowsiness explained 28.8% of the variation in severity, cognitive problems 5.9%, and the "disturbed water balance" factor of dry mouth and thirst under 5%.¹ In 1,837 students surveyed, thirst had "little impact" on mood, thinking or function.²

A 2010 review found that "markers of dehydration (e.g., vasopressin) were not significantly related to hangover severity".³ A 2024 review concluded that "alcohol hangover and dehydration are two co-occurring but independent consequences of alcohol consumption": hangovers were "relatively enduring", dehydration effects "usually mild and short-lasting".⁴ Of six men who drank six pints of beer in three hours, "All subjects had a slight hangover, but none was fluid depleted."⁵ A randomised double-blind trial of 214 people found "no statistically significant relationship between the variation of body water content and alcohol consumption".⁶

What does the NHS say about fluids and food?

The NHS hydration page (reviewed 17 May 2023) says "the government recommends that people should aim to drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day" and that "Water, lower-fat milk and lower-sugar drinks, including tea and coffee, all count as part of your daily intake."⁷ On food and alcohol, the NHS tips page (reviewed 9 April 2026) says: "Try to have something to eat, and drink a glass of water, before you have alcohol."⁸ That is advice for the night, covered on what to eat and drink before drinking alcohol.

For a sick stomach, the NHS diarrhoea and vomiting page (reviewed 21 December 2023) says "drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash – take small sips if you feel sick", eat "when you feel able to", avoid "foods that are fatty or spicy", and "do not have fruit juice or fizzy drinks – they can make diarrhoea worse".⁹ The NHS feeling-sick page (reviewed 17 November 2023) lists alcohol among the causes and advises "eat smaller, more frequent meals" and "do not eat hot, fried or greasy food".¹⁰

Why do people reach for full-sugar fizzy drinks the next morning?

Because the hours after heavy drinking are a low-blood-sugar, high-acid state, and sugar does correct that. In the one large controlled study (1976), 109 men drank 1.75 g of ethanol per kilogram, then fructose, glucose or neither. Men given only alcohol had lower blood glucose, higher lactate and ketones, and "a marked metabolic acidosis during hangover"; the sugars "significantly inhibited" those changes. Yet "neither fructose nor glucose had any significant effect on the intensity of alcohol intoxication and hangover", and the authors concluded that "hangover is not directly related to the metabolic effects of ethanol".¹¹

So a full-sugar cola is sugar, fluid and usually caffeine, and no trial has measured it against how people feel. Great Britain's register of health claims has refused "Improves well-being after alcohol use" for fructose as "not sufficiently defined".¹² Flat cola for a stomach bug is answered on oral rehydration sachets compared with electrolyte drinks.

Are electrolyte drinks and rehydration sachets different from water here?

Not in anything measured the next day. The 214-person trial concluded that the disturbance of "electrolytes and minerals caused by alcohol consumption might be negligible".⁶ The NHS dehydration page (reviewed 1 May 2026) describes oral rehydration solutions as "powders that you mix with water and then drink", which a pharmacist can recommend when "you're being sick or have diarrhoea and are losing too much fluid".¹³ The register has refused "ensures adequate hydration" as a wording for carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks.¹² Neither sachets nor sports drinks have been tested against a hangover; what each contains is on what electrolytes are and what they do and drinking electrolytes every day.

Does a fry-up, bacon roll or fast-food breakfast make a difference?

No trial has tested any breakfast against a hangover, and the "bacon sandwich study" that circulates online has no peer-reviewed record that could be found. The food studies that exist are about the night before: in 16 volunteers, peak breath alcohol averaged 30.5 µg/100 ml fasting and 21.4 after a light meal, and the alcohol available for absorption after a meal fell "to only 66% in females and 71% in males".¹⁴ The NHS wording when you feel sick is "do not eat hot, fried or greasy food", and for a sick stomach, eat "when you feel able to".^{9, 10}

Which fruits or foods do people ask about, and what is known?

Bananas, apples, oranges, olives, tomato soup, mustard, beef jerky, instant noodles and ramen: none has a trial against a hangover. The one fruit tested is Korean pear: a randomised single-blind crossover in 14 young men, who drank pear juice or a placebo 30 minutes before 540 ml of spirits, recorded a mean overall severity score of 33.3% against 41.5% with placebo in the 2022 systematic review's figures, with the memory and light-sensitivity differences absent in men carrying two copies of the ALDH2*2 gene variant.^{15, 16} The review rated that result, like every hangover trial outcome, "very low quality"; the trials are reported one by one on what the trials of hangover pills and supplements found.¹⁶ Korean hangover soups and the Japanese habit of a meal after drinking are food culture, not evidence: no trial of either exists.

What should you not eat or drink when hungover?

More alcohol. The research definition of a hangover is the symptoms that begin "when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) approaches zero", so drinking again only moves the start later.⁴ The NHS says "there's no safe drinking level", and that binge drinking "means drinking more than 8 units of alcohol in a single session for men, or more than 6 units in a single session for women".¹⁷

Coffee and cold showers have never been tested against a hangover. Alcohol leaves the blood with time, at around one unit an hour by the NHS figure, "although this will vary from person to person"; how long alcohol stays in your system has the detail.¹⁸ Painkillers: the NHS medicine wording is under what the NHS says about painkillers and alcohol. If you cannot keep fluids down, the NHS says to call 111 if you "keep being sick and cannot keep fluid down", and 999 if you "vomit blood" or "are confused or not responding as usual".⁹ The signs of alcohol poisoning, a 999 call, are on the NHS alcohol poisoning page.¹⁹

When will you feel like eating?

Usually later in the day. Among 727 drinkers' latest hangovers, severity fell continuously in 54.5%, stayed flat in 19.1%, and rose then fell in 21.8%, "characterized by the increased presence of gastrointestinal complaints".²⁰ What sets the severity is on what causes a hangover.

Frequently asked questions

Is water good for a hangover?

For thirst, yes. For the hangover itself, the 2024 review found that water drunk during or straight after alcohol "had only a modest effect" on whether a hangover followed, and the amount drunk once hungover "was not related to changes of hangover severity and thirst".⁴

Does a shower or exercise make a difference?

No trial has tested either. The NHS says to "drink extra fluids if you've been sweating from physical activity", so exercise on a day when you are already thirsty adds fluid loss.⁷

What do Japanese and Korean people eat after drinking?

Soups and broths, by tradition; none has a trial. The one Korean food tested, pear juice, is covered above.¹⁵

What is the best thing to drink the next morning?

Anything the NHS counts as fluid: "Water, lower-fat milk and lower-sugar drinks, including tea and coffee", in "small sips if you feel sick". No drink has been shown in a trial to change the hangover itself.^{7, 9}

Is coconut water better?

It has no hangover trial. It counts as fluid, and how it compares with milk, sports drinks and sachets is on which drinks contain electrolytes.

If you are worried about your drinking

"Drinkline is the national alcohol helpline. If you're worried about your own or someone else's drinking, you can call this free helpline in complete confidence. Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm)." "A good place to start is with a GP."²¹ In Scotland, NHS inform lists Drinkline Scotland on 0800 7314 314.²² "Call 999 if: you think someone has alcohol poisoning; you or someone else has had a seizure or fit; someone has lost consciousness; someone has stopped breathing."¹⁹

The NHS low-risk guidance: "men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis", "spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week" and "try to have several drink-free days each week".¹⁷ Units per drink are on how many units are in a drink.

Sources

1. Penning R et al. Hangover symptoms and overall severity. 2012. PubMed 22434663
2. van Schrojenstein Lantman M et al. Impact of hangover symptoms on functioning and mood. 2017. PubMed 28750479
3. Penning R et al. The pathology of alcohol hangover. 2010. PubMed 20712596
4. Mackus M et al. Alcohol hangover versus dehydration revisited. 2024. PubMed 39069212
5. Gill GV et al. Acute biochemical responses to moderate beer drinking. 1982. PubMed 6816364
6. Lieb B, Schmitt P. Randomised placebo-controlled study of a food for special medical purposes and a supplement in veisalgia. 2020. PubMed 33235969
7. NHS. Water, drinks and hydration (reviewed 17 May 2023). nhs.uk
8. NHS. Tips on cutting down on alcohol (reviewed 9 April 2026). nhs.uk
9. NHS. Diarrhoea and vomiting (reviewed 21 December 2023). nhs.uk
10. NHS. Feeling sick (nausea) (reviewed 17 November 2023). nhs.uk
11. Ylikahri RH et al. Fructose, glucose and the intensity of alcohol intoxication and hangover. 1976. PubMed 1253812
12. Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims register. gov.uk
13. NHS. Dehydration (reviewed 1 May 2026). nhs.uk
14. Sadler DW, Fox J. Breath alcohol pharmacokinetics: the effect of food on absorption. 2011. PubMed 21334574
15. Lee HS et al. Korean pear juice and hangover severity. 2013. PubMed 23587660
16. Roberts E et al. Pharmacologically active interventions for alcohol-induced hangover: systematic review. 2022. PubMed 34972259
17. NHS. The risks of drinking too much (reviewed 10 September 2026). nhs.uk
18. NHS. Alcohol units (reviewed 27 August 2024). nhs.uk
19. NHS. Alcohol poisoning (reviewed 4 June 2026). nhs.uk
20. Verster JC et al. Temporal typology of alcohol hangover. 2018. PubMed 29423958
21. NHS. Alcohol support (reviewed 17 August 2026). nhs.uk
22. NHS inform. Alcohol support (updated 7 October 2026). nhsinform.scot