That will increase your ability to reabsorb water, and leave you more likely to wake up feeling sparkling and ready to face the day — or at least less inclined to put a pillow over your head. Sugary drinks don’t have the same problems, unless you have difficulty regulating your blood sugar. “For some folks with medical conditions such as diabetes, they urinate a lot already based on blood sugar level,” Mieses Malchuk says.
Critical Symptoms
Want to gain an edge over plain old water to treat your hangover? Consider reaching for Gatorade, Pedialyte, Powerade, or a similar nonfizzy sports drink. This recommendation comes courtesy of Kelly Kennedy, RDN, the staff nutritionist at Everyday Health. Some articles purport that fermented drinks like kombucha can be an antidote for hangovers, but the concept is just theoretical.
Dehydration From Alcohol: 5 Tips to Prevent and Treat It
If you know you’ve got a night out planned, make a point to drink plenty of water all day long. Walking into the evening fully hydrated gives you a much-needed buffer against the fluid loss that’s coming. One study looked at how different drinks rehydrated people who were already dehydrated.
- Drinking beer on an empty stomach gives its alcoholic contents a quick entry into your bloodstream as compared to drinking while having lunch or dinner.
- The water we drink today is either tap water (full of chlorine and other chemicals) or filtered water (completely stripped of mineral content).
- “Sports drinks will elevate blood glucose and can elevate sodium levels, which help muscle cells uptake and use water, leading to quicker rehydration,” explains McCall.
- When drinking alcohol, you may become less cautious and more likely to engage in behaviors and take risks you wouldn’t consider when sober.
- When it comes to alcohol consumption, many people wonder, ‘Does alcohol dehydrate you?
Suppression of Vasopressin
One large study found excessive alcohol consumption is linked to accelerated facial aging. Consuming alcohol leads to dehydration and https://ecosoberhouse.com/ can affect several systems and functions in the body. It is important for a person to be aware of the signs and symptoms of alcohol-induced dehydration and the ways to avoid it. Binge drinking is when a person consumes an excessive amount of alcohol within a short period of time.
Alcohol Poisoning: Signs, Symptoms & Treatments
You’ll want to make sure you have a full stomach before you drink, because as Mayo Clinic notes, alcohol is absorbed faster on an empty stomach. Scientists are finding some interesting foods that may help too, like asparagus. Research has found that extracts of asparagus leaves and shoots contain amino acids and minerals that may help liver cells better metabolize alcohol Substance abuse and reduce inflammation.
- “They can definitely replenish fluids and decrease the dehydration that contributes to a hangover,” says Kennedy, who recommends watermelon and cucumbers, which both have a high water content.
- To better visualize how different drinks stack up, this table compares popular beverage types and their relative risk of causing dehydration.
- Alcohol disrupts frontal cortex functioning, leading to poor judgment, difficulty weighing options logically, and increased impulsivity.
- Alcohol works as a diuretic largely because it suppresses the release of a hormone called vasopressin, which is also known as antidiuretic hormone.
One effective strategy is to alternate alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic, hydrating options such as water or electrolyte-rich drinks. This can help offset the diuretic effects of alcohol and support proper hydration throughout the night. When it comes to alcohol consumption, many people wonder, ‘Does alcohol dehydrate you? Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production and can lead to dehydration if not managed properly. However, there are ways to stay hydrated while drinking to mitigate the dehydrating effects of alcohol. So, what can be done to mitigate the dehydrating effects of alcohol?
In total, 13 participants were needed to detect any differences between groups, applying a two-sided evaluation with an alpha of 0.05, a power of 0.80, and an effect size of 1.67 does red wine dehydrate you more than white mL. However, in the present study, a lower amount of alcohol is tested, and the period of urine collection is longer (24 h). Therefore, we decided to increase the sample size to 20 participants. Several factors influence how severely alcohol dehydrates you.

The Diuretic Action of Weak and Strong Alcoholic Beverages in Elderly Men: A Randomized Diet-Controlled Crossover Trial
Chronic heavy drinking is notorious for damaging the liver, resulting in conditions such as inflammation and scarring, known as cirrhosis, which can be fatal if not managed. Cardiovascular health is also at risk, with increased chances of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Moreover, alcohol can irritate the stomach lining, leading to gastritis and potentially causing stomach ulcers over time. The researchers also saw that just one hour after drinking the 5% beer, people’s urine output was nearly three times higher than it was with a sports drink.

Alcohol dehydrates us through its diuretic effect and contributes to fluid loss through sweating or vomiting. Extreme dehydration for a long period of time can be extremely damaging to our body and can even be fatal. Be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day, and if we’re going to be drinking alcohol, be sure to include water whenever possible. While the jury is still out on whether alternately drinking water while drinking alcohol is beneficial to staying hydrated, we don’t think it can do any harm.


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