Is coffee a cure for your hangovers, or does it just make them worse?

One of the cruelties of aging is the much easier invocation of the dreaded demon, the hangover. Whereas when we were teenagers we could consume alcohol in alarming doses and not get headaches and other symptoms, today we can almost look at some alcoholic beverages, and tomorrow we will need a cold compress and 18 hours of sleep. But once a hangover does occur, everyone has their cure for a guaranteed recovery. For many of us, it might be coffee. But what is its effect on hangovers?

An article published in Medical News Today suggests that while coffee may relieve some symptoms, it may worsen others. According to the article, the exact causes of hangovers are unknown. In addition to excessive drinking, there are biological factors such as dehydration, gastrointestinal irritation, chemical exposure, sleep disruption, and minor withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms may also include fatigue, weakness, headache, increased thirst, sensitivity to light and noise, sweating, irritability, anxiety, nausea, stomach pain, muscle pain, dizziness, and increased blood pressure.

The effects of coffee on hangovers

So what role does coffee play in this? While there isn’t much research on the effects of coffee on drinking, the CDC warns that mixing alcohol and caffeine can be dangerous. Caffeine boosts alertness and creates a feeling of sobriety. Increased alertness could at least partially counteract the fatigue caused by a hangover. Caffeine is popular for its short-term benefits for people suffering from lack of rest. And it is this disturbance that can be caused by drinking instead of sleep.

Other symptoms, according to Medical News Today, can be worse with coffee (and the caffeine in it). One of those symptoms is dehydration. The article states that both coffee and alcohol are diuretics. Thus, coffee can further dehydrate the body and potentially prolong or worsen some hangover symptoms. Another piece of research on the subject says that coffee doesn’t actually dehydrate us. Coffee is made up of 98% water. And while caffeine has been shown to irritate the walls of the bladder and give a person a sense of urgency to urinate, it probably doesn’t actually dehydrate us.

Of course, coffee can have a negative impact on a variety of other symptoms. Caffeine can cause headaches and increased blood pressure in some people. If a person is experiencing these particular symptoms of a hangover, coffee can actually increase them. But the situation with headaches is complicated, it always depends on the origin of the headache. Some headache medications contain caffeine and this is mainly to speed up their onset. But this amount of caffeine is regulated, unlike our morning coffee.

At the moment, there is no known cure for hangovers, as the article states, other than the “preventative” non-consumption of alcohol (like abstinence). We don’t have a choice but to drink in moderation or use natural remedies.