Find out if this age-old strategy really works.

The answer isn’t as straightforward as you’d think.

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What Causes a Hangover?

a collage featuring a young woman with a holding her sore head with two hands - one holding a cup of water and another holding a cocktail

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Ahangover is an umbrella term for symptomscaused by drinking too much alcohol.

And these side effects can span both your body and brain.

Common hangover symptoms include:

Does Drinking Water Between Alcoholic Drinks Help with Hangovers?

And there isn’t any solid research that directly shows drinking water can help prevent a hangover.

And folks with lower electrolyte levels don’t tend to have worse hangovers, perCedars-Sinai.

So, it is reasonable to assume drinking water could help a hangover," Betz says.

Alternating alcoholic drinks and water can help slow down your drinking and help you drink less alcohol overall.

No, water does not help metabolize alcohol.

“Alcohol dehydrogenase is the main enzyme that breaks alcohol down in our bodies.”

Unfortunately, time is the best way to get rid of a hangover.