How Do I Cure a Wine Hangover?

Drinking wine, especially in excess, means you may deal with a hangover the next day, especially if you drink red wine. Though the typical wine hangover is often more severe than the kind caused by other types of alcohol, you may be able to cure the issue with the same remedies. One of the most effective cures centers on hydration, with the focus being on drinking lots of water and avoiding beverages that tend to dehydrate. Certain foods, such as bananas and eggs, also can help, because they can add nutrients to your body that you lose when drinking wine. Additional wine hangover cures include rest and over-the-counter pain relievers.

Hydration should be your first concern, because wine and other types of alcohol tend to dehydrate the body, causing a headache and dizziness the next day. The easiest way to hydrate your body is to drink a few glasses of water when you wake up after a night of drinking wine. If you become bored of drinking just water, you can start drinking fruit juice, such as orange juice. This is because vitamins B and C are often depleted when you drink wine. In addition, many fruit juices contain fructose, which can increase your energy and help your body eliminate the toxins from the alcohol.

Another way to get rid of a wine hangover is to eat food, which allows you to regain some energy and start feeling better, in general. While any food tends to help, some nutrients — such as carbohydrates and protein — are particularly beneficial when you are recovering from a wine hangover. For example, bananas feature potassium, which you tend to lose to wine's diuretic effect. Eggs feature cysteine, which can start breaking down acetaldehyde, one of the toxins that cause hangovers.

One of the main features of a wine hangover is a lack of energy, so rest should help you feel better. You also may want to take pain relievers, though it is important to note that acetaminophen combined with alcohol can result in liver damage, while caffeinated pain relievers tend to further dehydrate the body. Instead, consider taking aspirin, which is known as a prostaglandin inhibitor that can reduce the pain associated with hangovers. Of course, if you have any health conditions that you make you sensitive to aspirin, be sure first to consult a doctor or pharmacist. You also can take dietary supplements that are geared toward curing hangovers, in general, but they are often expensive concoctions of vitamins, so you can usually get the same effects from ingesting the recommended drinks and food products.