A series of uninspired decisions (we love euphemisms) can lead to that state which, unfortunately, most people have experienced and continue to experience. Yes, we are talking about those mornings when it feels like midgets have hammered nails into your head overnight, the sun bites at your retinas, an ill-intended worker has installed sandpaper on the roof of your mouth and down your throat, and your muscles feel like you’ve just come out of a week-long intensive training camp. Yes, it’s a hangover. But what is a hangover, and what causes it?
Dehydration vs. Hangover
Recently, we conducted a survey on the Wines of Romania social media channels, and as expected, almost half of the respondents identified dehydration as the main cause of hangovers. This belief is both popular and partially justified. Yes, alcohol consumption is usually accompanied by dehydration, as we will show below. However, dehydration and hangover appear to be separate symptoms of the same cause, according to a December 2024 study published by ScienceDirect.com. So, excessive alcohol consumption causes both a hangover and dehydration—not just dehydration, which would then be solely responsible for the hangover.
In the same survey, we included other possible factors – tannins, sugars, and sulfites – which can also influence metabolism. We will address these in future articles.
One fades, the other lingers
"A hangover is a combination of negative mental and physical symptoms that can be experienced after a single episode of alcohol consumption, starting when blood alcohol concentration approaches zero. (…) The positive correlations between the amount of water consumed and both hangover severity and thirst suggest that dehydration and hangover are co-occurring after-effects of alcohol consumption. While hangovers are usually relatively long-lasting, dehydration effects are generally mild and short-lived. Survey data revealed that drinking water during or immediately after alcohol consumption had only a modest effect on preventing a hangover the next day. Additionally, the amount of water consumed during a hangover was not correlated with changes in its severity or thirst. Thus, water consumption was not effective in alleviating the alcohol hangover. Overall, these data suggest that alcohol hangover and dehydration are two independent but simultaneously occurring consequences of alcohol consumption," states the cited study.
In other words, thirst can be treated—hangovers cannot.
Bathroom line? Only in the beginning
The popular explanation for the relationship between dehydration and hangovers lies in… the bathroom line. That is, in alcohol’s diuretic effect, which supposedly leads to the loss of water and electrolytes. Additionally, alcohol "warms up" the body (it’s a vasodilator), and another side effect is the loss of water and salts through sweating.
However, from the experiments of the 1930s–40s to today’s advanced studies, there has been no proven correlation between electrolyte balance and hangovers. Nor can alcohol’s diuretic effect be considered a major factor, since it only occurs in the initial stages of drinking. Prolonged consumption actually turns anti-diuretic over time.
Ultimately, the real culprit is acetaldehyde, a product of alcohol metabolism. This compound is responsible for numerous negative reactions, many of them inflammatory, and also plays a significant role in addiction formation.
There is no cure for a hangover
From cold water to raw egg yolks, from spicy and salty herbal and vegetable smoothies to elaborate mixes of aspirin and ibuprofen, "professionals" have all sorts of anti-hangover remedies.
The truth is, there is no cure yet because we still don’t fully understand the hangover’s entire "birth" process.
Although alcohol is one of the simplest molecules in chemistry, the way it enters the bloodstream instantly, its metabolism, acetaldehyde’s reactions in the body, and its final interactions with other ingested substances create such a complex picture that scientists are still working to decipher all the details.
All organs are involved – from the kidneys and liver to the brain and skin, at all cellular levels, even down to extracellular vesicles, which transfer substances between cells.
Moreover, alcohol amplifies ibuprofen’s side effects to dangerous levels, so it is recommended to wait about 10 hours between alcohol consumption and taking ibuprofen.
Experience, moderation, and enjoyment
If you want to learn more from experts in the field, we recommend watching two episodes of the Wines of Romania podcast – one with cardiologist Hayat Memiș, and one with psychologist Diana Vasile, discussing the physical and psychological effects of alcohol, addiction, pleasure, social drinking, and abuse.
Essentially, we all want to test our limits. It’s important to discover them—but also to respect them. There is no such thing as an “optimal quantity” of alcohol, but we can talk about an “optimal state”. Most people realize this by the end of adolescence or early adulthood, but many still fail to understand that a hangover is, in fact, the body’s negative reaction to being attacked, abused, and poisoned.
In other words, let’s raise a glass of wine – to moderation!
