Do electrolytes help a hangover?
Not for the hangover itself. Studies find no link between your electrolyte levels and how rough you feel. Thirst and the hangover are two separate things, and only one fades fast.
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Do electrolytes help a hangover?
Not that anyone has shown. Electrolytes are the salts and minerals in your body’s fluids, like sodium. Drinking makes you pee more, so people top them up with sachets, sports drinks or even a drip.
The US alcohol research institute (NIAAA) says research has not found a link between electrolyte changes and how bad a hangover is. Nor has it found that added electrolytes ease one.
Studies of blood and urine found the same. Electrolyte levels did not match how bad people felt. In a trial of 214 people, a vitamin and mineral supplement did not ease hangover symptoms any better than a dummy one.
| Cause | What it does | Water or electrolytes? |
|---|---|---|
| Losing fluid | You pee more. Likely adds to thirst, tiredness and headache. | Drink water if you’re thirsty. Added electrolytes not shown to help. |
| Broken sleep | You sleep in bits and wake early. | Not a fluid problem. |
| Upset stomach | Alcohol irritates your stomach lining, so you can feel sick. | Not a fluid problem. |
| Inflammation (the body’s response to harm, like when you’re ill) | May add to that ill, run-down feeling. | Not a fluid problem. |
| Acetaldehyde | A toxic by-product made as your liver breaks alcohol down. | Not a fluid problem. |
| Mini-withdrawal | You feel restless and anxious as the buzz wears off. | Not a fluid problem. |
Source: NIAAA
In most people, the body quickly puts its electrolytes right once the alcohol wears off. So save your money. If you’re thirsty, plain water does the job.
Is a hangover just dehydration?
No. A 2024 review found thirst and the hangover happen together but separately.
Losing fluid was usually mild and short-lived. The hangover tended to last longer.
What happens to fluid and the hangover after a night out
- 1
While you drink
Alcohol holds back a hormone that helps you hold on to water, so you pee more.
- 2
Alcohol near zero
The hangover peaks as the alcohol in your blood falls to about zero.
- 3
Thirst
Usually mild and short-lived.
- 4
The hangover
Can last 24 hours or longer. Only time ends it.
Sources: NIAAA; Mackus 2024 review
Think of them as two guests leaving a party at different times. Thirst is the one that fades fast. The hangover can stay for a day or more.
That’s why topping up doesn’t speed things along. In the same review, how much water people drank during a hangover was not linked to how bad it got. Drink when you’re thirsty, and plan for a slow day.
What is the best electrolyte drink for a hangover?
No drink is proven best. A review of 21 trials found only very low quality evidence for any hangover remedy it looked at. So pick by what’s actually wrong.
| Drink | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Water or diluted sugar-free squash | You’re thirsty, or your pee is darker than pale. Start with small sips if you feel sick. |
| Pharmacy rehydration sachet | You’ve been sick or have diarrhoea and are losing too much fluid. It puts back sugar, salts and minerals. |
| Sports drink, electrolyte tablet or drip | Not shown to ease a hangover. |
| Coffee | Skip it if you have signs of dehydration. The NHS says caffeine dehydrates you. |
| More alcohol (hair of the dog) | May ease symptoms briefly, but can drag the hangover out. |
A sachet is for fluid you’ve lost by being sick or having diarrhoea. Ask a pharmacist which one suits you. For when sports drinks do earn their place, see electrolyte drinks.
Reaching for a painkiller? The NIAAA warns paracetamol with alcohol can harm the liver.
Aspirin and ibuprofen can irritate your stomach. Take care with them before or after drinking.
Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.
Should you take electrolytes after drinking?
There’s no proof it helps. In survey data, water during or straight after drinking had only a modest effect on the next day. No study shows electrolytes do better.
What matters most is how much you drink. The NIAAA says the more alcohol, the worse the hangover, whatever the drink.
What to do before, during and after a night out
- Eat something and drink a glass of water before you have alcohol.
- Swap every other alcoholic drink for water or another non-alcoholic drink.
- Don’t regularly drink more than 14 units a week. If you do drink that much, spread it over 3 or more days.
- The morning after, sip water or diluted sugar-free squash until your pee is pale.
- If you’ve been sick and are losing a lot of fluid, ask a pharmacist about a rehydration sachet.
- Skip more alcohol the next morning, and plan the morning without driving.
Sources: NHS: cutting down; NHS: units; NHS: dehydration; NIAAA
14 units is about 6 pints of average-strength beer or 6 medium glasses of wine. To count yours, see alcohol units.
How long does a hangover last?
It peaks as the alcohol in your blood falls to about zero. Symptoms can last 24 hours or longer.
The NIAAA says there’s no cure but time. None of the remedies sold online is proven to work.
While you’re hungover, your attention, choices and coordination can be off. That can affect driving, using machinery or caring for others, so plan the day around it.
Get hangovers a lot? See what changes when you give up alcohol.
Had a blood test the morning after? Read how dehydration can shift results.
When to speak to a GP
Most hangovers pass with time. Get help if:
- You often wake with anxiety, sweating, mild shaking, retching or being sick. The NHS lists these as withdrawal signs that may need medicine. If your body has come to rely on alcohol, stopping overnight could be harmful, so see a GP. Call 999 if you see or hear things that aren’t there, shake badly or have a fit.
- You feel dizzy when you stand and it doesn’t go away, you’re unusually tired, your pee is dark or you’re peeing less, or you’re breathing fast or have a fast heartbeat. Get an urgent GP appointment or call 111.
- Call 999 if dehydration comes with blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, cold skin, trouble breathing or lots of quick breaths, confusion, or being sleepier than normal or hard to wake. These could be signs of shock.
- Call 999 if you think someone has alcohol poisoning, or they have a fit, pass out or stop breathing.
- You’re worried about how much you drink. Drinkline is free on 0300 123 1110.
Looking after someone who has drunk too much? Stay with them. Give sips of water only if they’re awake, can swallow and aren’t being sick.