7 Fast-Acting Hangover Cures for Even Your Worst Mornings

Everyone’s been there — happy hour specials and a girl’s night out lead to one crummy hangover the following morning. Even worse is when you’ve misjudged how much you’ve had to drink and your alarm clock buzzes for work.

You need a cure fast. Here are seven fast-acting hangover remedies that actually work for your worst mornings.

Drink Ginger Tea

Ginger has been a common medicinal remedy for nearly 2,500 years, helping treat various digestive problems, including nausea and vomiting. Preliminary research even shows ginger tea may reduce nausea in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer.

Sip on ginger tea when waking up with a nasty hangover. The spice will settle your stomach and allow you to recover without vomiting throughout the day.

Take the Right Painkillers 

If you have terrible head pressure with your hangover, you can take over-the-counter painkillers to reduce inflammation that causes headaches and muscle pains. Your best option is to take ibuprofen — such as Motrin or Advil — but only take the recommended dosage.

The alcohol may have damaged your stomach lining, which will worsen with certain painkillers. As such, always take pills with water — especially if you have a sensitive stomach after drinking.

Replenish Electrolytes

Alcohol dehydrates the body, preventing the removal of lactic acid for faster cell recovery. You’ll feel more significant muscle soreness during a hangover. At the same time, your body will have lost electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium.

Your body must have potassium and magnesium for proper muscle functioning and fewer cramps, which could be the reason for your hangover aches. You can replenish electrolytes by drinking Powerade or consuming electrolyte-rich foods like bananas, coconut water, almonds, nuts and potatoes. It would also help to keep electrolyte drink mix packets on hand for future instances.

Do Some Light Exercises

Exercise is likely not on your to-do list when battling a hangover. Rigorous activity may cause dizziness or injury, but light exercises could help you recover faster.

Go for a walk or do some easy yoga stretches to help your body remove toxins. These exercises are low impact and cause less stress on your joints. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself with physical activity when you’re feeling unsteady.

Eat Clean

You may not have much appetite the morning after drinking, but eating clean is one of the best fast-acting hangover cures. Try drinking a smoothie with a banana to replenish your potassium levels.

A smoothie with banana, yogurt, fresh berries, spinach, a milk alternative and granola is an excellent option. Granola in particular will boost your gut health and regulate bowel movements if you suffer from diarrhea. Additionally, cucumbers have a 95.2% water content — an ideal snack for rehydration.

Rock Your Shades

You may be more sensitive to light and sound during a hangover, so don’t be afraid to wear sunglasses — even inside the house. If you live with someone, ask your housemates to lower their music or be sure to wear earplugs.

A good pair of polarized sunglasses should do the trick if you must go outside. This goes for nighttime, too. Wearing sunglasses in the dark might seem silly, but streetlights might still bother you.

Sleep it Off

The best fast-acting cure for the worst hangover is sleep. If you can clear your schedule, slip under the covers and go to bed.

An alcohol binge and its many side effects can disrupt your sleep, so you likely won’t feel well-rested in the morning. While a nap won’t exactly cure your hangover, your liver will continue metabolizing the alcohol to eliminate your symptoms eventually.

Take Care of Yourself During Hangover Recovery

Listen to your body to understand its needs during a hangover. Take note of your symptoms and which of these seven fast-acting hangover cures will tackle those side effects first. Then, maybe next time, pace yourself so you can curb another morning hangover.