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If you already have a hangover -- a dry mouth, nausea, dizziness and a nasty headache -- it's too late to do much to make yourself feel better. A lot of hangover remedies are out there, but there's not much evidence they actually help.
Causes
Many factors related to overindulging in alcohol combine to result in a hangover. Dehydration can certainly cause some of the symptoms. Byproducts from the breakdown of alcohol, called "congeners," cause others. Alcohol also causes your blood sugar to drop, and it causes your body's immune system to mount an inflammatory response. Complicating the picture is the fact that some people react strongly to congeners, and some aren't as bothered by them -- and whereas some alcoholic drinks, such as red wine, are high in congeners, other drinks, such as vodka, are quite low.
Treatment
The best approach to hangovers is to avoid them by not overindulging in the first place. However, even small amounts of alcohol can cause unpleasant side effects in many people.
If you have a hangover, skip the black coffee and other folk remedies, such as having another alcoholic drink in the morning. Instead, try to rest and rehydrate. Give yourself time to recover, and drink plenty of water. Soda, fruit juices or broth are also okay, but avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it tends to make dehydration worse. For this reason you want to avoid caffeine as well. Use over-the-counter pain medication if you need it. Acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may help relieve your headache. However, they're not risk-free. NSAIDS may irritate your stomach unless you take them with food. And excessive doses of acetaminophen can be toxic to your liver, particularly when combined with alcohol. If you are a heavy drinker, ask your doctor if over-the-counter pain medicines are safe for you to use.
Prevention
The best prevention is not to drink alcohol. If, however, you suspect you've had too much to drink, you might be able to prevent the hangover the next morning, or lessen its effects, by drinking plenty of water and taking an over-the-counter pain reliever before you go to bed.
