A headache, a dry mouth and a brain running at half speed: most people who have had one beer too many know "The Day After". Here is what actually helps, what doesn't, and why.
What's actually happening in your body
Before the fixes, a quick word on why you feel like this. A hangover isn't one single thing – it's several processes overlapping. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you urinate more than you drink, which is the main driver of the dehydration behind your headache and dry mouth. Your liver processes alcohol into a compound called acetaldehyde before breaking it down further – acetaldehyde is significantly more toxic than the alcohol itself, and it's a major contributor to that generally poisoned, foggy feeling. Alcohol also disrupts your sleep architecture, cutting into the deep, restorative sleep stages even if you technically "slept" for eight hours, which is part of why a hangover feels like exhaustion as much as illness. And darker drinks (whisky, red wine, dark rum) tend to hit harder than clear spirits because they contain more congeners – chemical by-products of fermentation that are themselves mildly toxic. None of this is medical advice, just useful context for why the remedies below actually target the right things.
The survival guide
1. H2O – Water is your best friend. Let's be honest, alcohol can dry you out faster than the Sahara in the summer heat. So start the day with a glass of water (or three) to help bring you back to human levels. Small, steady sips work better than chugging a litre at once if your stomach is unsettled.
2. Breakfast feast. Food is the key to surviving "The Day After". Alcohol suppresses the liver's ability to release stored glucose, so your blood sugar can genuinely be low the morning after – which is part of why you feel shaky and foggy, not just tired. Something fatty and semi-heart-warming, like an extra-cheesy omelette or a "cowboy breakfast" with extra bacon, will make you feel better in a flash. Bananas and other potassium-rich foods help too, since alcohol flushes electrolytes along with water.
3. Netflix and chill (literally). Your bed is your best friend on "The Day After". Build yourself a comfy nest, fire up Netflix, and watch your favourite series. It's the perfect activity for forgetting that you feel like a zombie – and genuinely, doing nothing strenuous is doing your body a favour while it works through the alcohol's after-effects.
4. Electrolyte drink. If you can drag yourself away from your Netflix device, consider sipping a sports drink or an oral rehydration solution to restore the sodium, potassium and other electrolytes you've lost. It can help get you back in the fight faster than water alone, since it's actually absorbed more efficiently.
5. Power nap. A short nap can work wonders. 20–30 minutes is ideal; any longer and you risk sliding into a deeper sleep cycle and waking up feeling groggier than before, not less tired.
6. Music therapy. Put on some soothing tunes or your favourite chill-music playlist. It can help you relax and rediscover your zen – lowering stress genuinely helps, since a hungover body is already running on a stressed, depleted system.
What doesn't really work
Worth debunking a couple of persistent myths: greasy food doesn't "soak up" alcohol – by the morning after, the alcohol is long since absorbed, so food at this point is about blood sugar and general comfort, not blotting anything up. And "hair of the dog" (another drink) only delays the hangover by keeping your blood alcohol elevated – it doesn't cure anything, it just postpones the acetaldehyde processing your liver still has to do.
The only cure that works is time. What actually prevents "The Day After" is drinking less the night before: eat before you go out, have a glass of water between each beer, and decide on a limit before you start. If you notice hangovers have become a habit, help is available. See our article on getting help with alcohol dependence, or rusinfo.no in Norway.