Never Drink Coffee If You Have A Hangover. Here's Why.
When you wake up the morning after drinking a little too much, it's reasonable to feel like you might need coffee. After all, the soothing warmth of a caffeinated pick-me-up seems like just the thing to cure the foggy-headed, fatigued feeling that comes from imbibing too much alcohol.
Hangovers are a bit of a mystery to scientists, since different amounts of alcohol can bring them on in different people. But there are some commonalities that exist. According to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol causes dehydration by leading the body to produce more urine. This can lead to dizziness and a lightheaded feeling. Alcohol can lower blood sugar, which can cause the shaky, weak feeling experienced during a hangover. And it causes your immune system to initiate an inflammatory response, which can bring on memory issues and problems concentrating.
It's what alcohol does to your stomach that might make you want to avoid coffee, however. Too much of it can result in digestive acids backing up into the esophagus, otherwise known as acid reflux (via Everyday Health). Caffeine is also known to cause heartburn, so it could lead to further stomach upset and a worse feeling overall.
Here's how to ease hangover symptoms
Caffeine also leads to narrowing of blood vessels and a rise in blood pressure, according to CNN, which are two things that will make a hangover feel worse. John Brick, Ph.D., an alcohol research scientist and author of The Doctor's Hangover Handbook, told CNN, "If you drink coffee regularly, you might try a very small amount in the morning. Wait 30 to 60 minutes and see how you feel."
There are better options to make yourself feel better, however. Water is your best choice, as it will reintroduce that important fluid that has been lost while drinking, according to Ask Men. Juice and electrolyte drinks will also help your system rebalance faster and ease symptoms.
Work some eggs into your diet, as they contain cysteine, which helps your liver process toxins from the alcohol. Bananas are a good choice, too, as they're chock-full of vitamin B6 and the electrolytes magnesium and potassium. And if you can manage it, consider some light exercise. Stay away from the sauna, however. It may be tempting to want to sweat out your hangover, but saunas raise your blood pressure, which will only make you feel worse.
And if you can afford the time, get some sleep. Alcohol disrupts good sleep, so you'll probably feel sleepy the day after a night of drinking anyway. Be kind to your body and let it heal.