Does Coffee Help Hangovers?

We’ve all had those mornings after a bit too many drinks. Regretting your life decisions the night before. A pounding headache to make sure you don’t forget them. No matter who you are, this feeling is far short from a good time. Sadly, the doctor’s order more often than not is just to wait it out. However, is the myth true that a cup of joe can help subside the nasty hangover haunting your morning? After all, the common response when you tell someone that you are hungover is shoving a cup of coffee towards you. So, is coffee good for hangovers? 

We are going to get to the bottom of this proposition. After all, if this is the case, then people around the globe should be guzzling coffee anytime they wake from a long night of drinking. If it’s not the case, then we have been guzzling coffee in vain for quite some time. Either way, we need some answers. 

The Science

Let’s talk about the science behind answering whether java is good for hangovers or not. Before we can learn the science behind curing hangovers, we need to learn the science behind how alcohol causes a hangover. Alcohol, also known scientifically as Ethanol, has a chemical reaction in your body that causes headaches. This is a production of something called chemical acetate. 

This is important because it is this chemical that the caffeine counteracts with. After many studies including one led by Professor Oshinksky on rats, against our better judgement and support, the question has come to a conclusion. Does coffee help with hangovers? It has been proven that the beloved bean does, in fact, cure a hangover. 

The components of java block the acetate from entering the bloodstream and giving you the dreaded headache that is associated with a hangover. Now the degree of the cure is a bit up for debate, but there’s a significant shift in the headaches caused by a hangover when mixed with the caffeine in coffee. 

There’s also a component of anti-inflammatories that help subside the hangover making it a bit more unique than any means of caffeine. However, since the fix comes from these two combined components, you can use other means other than coffee that also have these components such as tea. However, more often than not, tea has much less caffeine than coffee, so it might not do the job as well as coffee could. 

Important Notes

There are a few things to take note of with this conclusion. Coffee does NOT sober you up. If you are still feeling the effects of alcohol, coffee is going to do absolutely nothing. It isn’t until you start to feel the aftermath of alcohol that coffee is helpful. 

Also, too much coffee can have some negative side effects in itself such as a caffeine high and extreme low, so monitor your amount of coffee. Excess amounts of coffee can leave you with a headache for other reasons, so there isn’t much of a solution if done this way. Instead, keep your coffee intake to a normal amount to get the best results. 

In some crazy scenarios, coffee can worsen the headache, but this is rare. Like always, there is a risk when trying home remedies, so be mindful that there is a small possibility of this happening, but we think it’s safe to say that it is worth the risk for the hope of relief. The risk is worth the reward for most people. 

Coffee is not the ultimate fix for a hangover. While it can help, you should still practice other routines such as staying hydrated with water, drinks filled with electrolytes, and grabbing a hearty breakfast to soak up the alcohol from the night before. Combining each of these tricks will give you the best outcome overall for a happier morning with less sluggishness and more pep in your step. 

Moving forward, drinking coffee after drinking alcohol can be a huge fix for you if need be when the dreaded hangover side effects come on. However, be sure to drink in moderation. This can also be a note that maybe next time you go out for the night, perhaps drink a few more waters and a few less cocktails. After all, moderation is great for more than just coffee.