Download ArticleDownload ArticleThis article was medically reviewed by Sarah Gehrke, RN, MS and by How.com.vn staff writer, Amber Crain. Sarah Gehrke is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Massage Therapist in Texas. Sarah has over 10 years of experience teaching and practicing phlebotomy and intravenous (IV) therapy using physical, psychological, and emotional support. She received her Massage Therapist License from the Amarillo Massage Therapy Institute in 2008 and a M.S. in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2013.
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Waking up after a big night of drinking can be rough, especially if you're feeling sick to your stomach. Luckily, you can get rid of hangover nausea fast with a few simple techniques. Putting some food and drink in your stomach, taking over-the-counter medicines, and getting some much-needed rest are your best options to feel better quickly and get back on your feet. Read on for our expert-backed tips!
Things You Should Know
- Eat bland, fast-digesting carbs like toast, apple sauce, or crackers to settle your stomach.
- Drink plenty of fluids to rehydrate. Start with water, then add other liquids like fruit juice, soup broth, or sports drinks.
- Try over-the-counter medications like Pepto-Bismol, Alka-Seltzer and Nauzene to soothe your stomach. If you're throwing up, try Emetrol.
Steps
Help Feeling Better
Snack on bland, fast-digesting carbs like toast or crackers. Eating is probably the last thing you want to do right now, but it is one of the best ways to help relieve nausea. Try nibbling on a little bit of dry toast or plain crackers. Continue eating little snacks until you feel well enough to have a meal.[1]- Go with something bland for your first full meal. Simple foods like rice, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, and oatmeal are easy to digest.
Drink plenty of fluids. Dehydration is one of the main causes of a hangover, so replenishing your fluids will help you feel better faster. Sip a full glass of water as soon as you wake up to start rehydrating. As your stomach begins to settle, feel free to add fluids like fruit juice, vegetable juice, soup broth, or sports drinks to replace lost salt, potassium, and electrolytes.[2]- Electrolyte-replacing products like Pedialyte are usually in liquid form, but you can also find freezer-pops and other options.
- Avoid drinking more alcohol to ease your symptoms. The "hair of the dog" remedy is a myth and will probably make you feel even worse.
- Skip soda and other high-sugar drinks while you're nauseous since they can make you feel worse.[3]
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Eat a banana or make a fruit smoothie. Bananas are bland, easy to eat, and replace lost potassium in your body. If you don't feel up to chewing anything quite yet, consider having a fruit smoothie. Liquids are a lot easier on the stomach when you're feeling nauseous, and the fruits can help replace fluids and nutrients.[4]- Drinking depletes your body's potassium levels, which contributes to hangover symptoms.[5]
Sip on mint or ginger tea. Both mint and ginger are excellent herbs for soothing an upset stomach.[6] Try brewing a warm mug of ginger or mint tea to replace lost fluids while easing stomach discomfort. Sip on the tea slowly until your nausea starts to subside.
Limit yourself to 1 cup of coffee (if you must have it). Coffee has long been considered a hangover cure, but this advice is misguided. A cup of coffee can help wake you up and ease a pounding head, but coffee can also aggravate your stomach. If you're a daily coffee drinker, try just having just 1 small cup. If you don’t usually drink coffee, it's better to avoid it completely when you have hangover nausea.[7]- If you suffer from acid reflux, avoid coffee altogether when you're hungover. Caffeine can make your acid reflux worse.[8]
Drink Alka-Seltzer. Alka-seltzer contains aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), sodium bicarbonate, and anhydrous citric acid. Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever, while the sodium bicarbonate and citric acid work to neutralize stomach acid. Drop 2 tablets into a small glass of water and drink it quickly.[9]
Try bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). Bismuth subsalicylate (also called Kaopectate or Pepto-Bismol) can treat nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, and upset stomach. Bismuth subsalicylate comes in liquid form, chewable tablets, and capsules.- Read package instructions and follow dosage guidelines.
Take sodium citrate dihydrate if you want something salicylate-free. Sodium citrate dihydrate (also called Nauzene) comes in chewable tablets. You can begin with 2 tablets, and continue taking another tablet every 15 minutes until your symptoms subside.[10]- This product claims to work within 4 minutes.
- Do not take more than 24 tablets in a 24-hour period.
Try phosphorated carbohydrate solution (Emetrol) if you're vomiting. Phosphorated carbohydrate solution (also called Emetrol) is available over-the-counter and works by relaxing the stomach muscles. It is a good choice if you've already thrown up or if you feel like you can’t stop throwing up.- Phosphorated carbohydrate solution comes in liquid form. Read and follow the instructions for dosage.
Take a warm shower. Sometimes a shower can really help you feel like yourself again. Try hopping in the shower, scrubbing up, and putting on some clean clothes. Removing the scents and smells from the night before might help ease your upset stomach. Plus, taking a shower is a nice way to hit the refresh button.- Avoid making the water too hot or staying in there for too long. This can actually make your nausea worse.
Get plenty of rest. Hopefully, you have some time to sleep it off. In addition to dehydration, hangovers can be due to exhaustion. Try to go back to sleep or sneak in an afternoon nap. If you can’t fall back to sleep, try resting on the couch.[11]
Give it some time. Although any of these methods might help you feel a little better, the truth is the best cure for a hangover is time. Give it a few hours (or in the worst cases, a full day) and you’ll feel right as rain again.[12]
How Do You Cure Nausea?
Expert Q&A
Tips
- In the future, you may want to focus on preventing a hangover and drinking in moderation, but for now, just focus on feeling better!Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11151864
- ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002041.htm
- ↑ https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/feb/does-ginger-ale-actually-help-with-a-stomachache/
- ↑ https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2020/dec/hangover-cures-no-they-are-not-real-here-is-what-to-try-instead/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12189007
- ↑ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ginger-benefits
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-coffee-help-hangovers/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16722996
- ↑ http://time.com/3648823/cure-fix-hangover/
About This Article
Medical Disclaimer
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.
To cure hangover nausea, try putting some food and drink in your stomach to replenish your electrolytes and absorb any acid. While eating might not sound very good when you’re nauseous, nibbling on a bit of dry toast or plain crackers can settle your stomach. You’ll also want to drink plenty of fluids since dehydration is a big part of being hungover. To ease your nausea, try drinking fruit or vegetable juices, sports drinks, or plenty of water. Since drinking can lower your potassium levels, eating a banana or making a banana smoothie can also help you feel more like yourself again. You can also brew a cup of mint tea, which will not only help rehydrate you but also settle your upset stomach. To learn how to use medication to ease hangover nausea, keep reading!
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