The myth
Drinking coffee, and lots of it, is an excellent way to get over hangovers. Whatever be the booze consumed at night, appropriate amounts of coffee in the morning will clear it all and make you as fresh as before.
The origin
Coffee has traditionally been a drink that kick-starts the day for many people. One cuppa in the morning seems to kick in a surge of energy and this surge helps even overcome things like sleep, headaches and stomach aches. A hangover exhibits itself through exaggerated headaches, tummy pains and weakness. Thus, it is automatically assumed that drinking coffee will definitely help those in a hangover too.
The reaction
A hangover is a result of an alcohol overdose. The overdose happens because alcohol is addictive. Thus, addicts and hangovers are almost synonymous. Since the addicts are not able to let go of alcohol, they grasp for any ‘solution’ that helps them get over the hangovers. They want to believe that coffee is a ready ‘solution’ and they need not worry. While this is the case with those most prone to hangovers, the others believe in the facts and once convinced, it might even prevent the occasional drinkers from going ‘forward’ into becoming regular heavy ones.
The facts
This is the time to get all the facts straight. The myth explodes into nothingness once you realize that coffee not only ‘not helps’ hangovers but actually accentuates the associated problems.
1. Coffee helps overcome symptoms to a certain extent
It is a fact that coffee gives temporary relief from a hangover. This happens because, caffeine, the main constituent of coffee works as a vaso-constrictor. This means that it shrinks the blood vessels and thus increases the blood pressure. Alcohol works the other way. It expands the vessels and results in a throbbing headache. The intensity of this headache is momentarily reduced by the coffee.
2. Coffee increases hangover by dehydrating you
Just like alcohol, coffee too is a diuretic. This means that both these drinks increase your urine volume by dehydrating the cells and tissues. Therefore, an already dehydrated person suffering from hangover, gets more dehydrated and suffers even more.
3. Coffee makes you feel more tired during a hangover
Agreed that coffee is a great stimulator. It triggers a feeling of instant energy because of the effects of caffeine on the nervous system. During a hangover, the body has suffered from the toxins of alcohol metabolism. These toxins bring on fatigue and a feeling of nausea. The body actually needs a lot of rest now. Drinking coffee actually fools your brain by stimulating the nervous system. It makes you ‘feel’ energetic. This makes you exert yourself physically for you start to feel fine. Thus, when its effects wear out eventually, the body is more tired than ever.
4. Drinking coffee during hangover exposes you to other dangers
Coffee speeds up metabolism. This means that alcohol also breaks down faster. The palpitations of the heart that arise from the excess caffeine may actually make the hangover effects pale in comparison.
What experts say
Dr. Jefferey Wiese, professor of medicine at the Tulane University in New Orleans states that the only complete and true cure for hangovers is to restrain from alcohols completely. He opines that if you have to take them, you should do so in small quantities only so that they do not knock you off. The same opinion is strongly advocated by Dr.Pooja Yogesh, a practicing homeopath in Bangalore. Alcohol is a strict no-no. The initial kicks that it gives lead to terrible kickbacks later on. She explains that coffee seems to help heal the hangover but in reality, it only deals temporarily with the symptoms.
Quick tips
If you are really keen on preventing a hangover, the following tips will help.
- Before you set out on your drinking, have a lot of nutritious foods and fiber. These will absorb the alcohol and prevent its poisoning effects on you and your liver.
- Make sure you do not eat fatty and greasy foods. The oil mixes with the alcohol and the reaction may lead to severe diarrhea.
- Drink a lot of water and fruit juice in between drinks of alcohol. These drinks will dilute the alcohol and reduce the chances of a hangover in the morning.
- Avoid drinks that contain congeners that aid in adding taste, smell and looks to the drink. Lesser the quantity of congeners, lesser the chances of hangovers.
- A study found that drinking prickly-pear fruit extract a few hours before taking in alcohol reduces the intensity of the hangover.
