How Does Drinking Water Prevent a Hangover?

Anyone who has ever had a hangover after a night of drinking knows how unpleasant they are. While not drinking too much is the best way to prevent a hangover, and not drinking at all is a 100-percent effective way to not get one, drinking water before drinking alcohol can help you to prevent a hangover. Understanding the effects of alcohol on your body can help you to understand why this works.

Many of the unpleasant feelings you receive from a hangover are the result of your body being dehydrated. Alcohol in the body keeps the body from producing a hormone that enables the body to absorb water. While normally your body would absorb the water and send it to all parts that need it, when you consume too much alcohol the water goes directly from a person's kidneys to their bladder. It is this diuretic effect that causes one to feel so bad the next day. 

After a night of drinking too much a person will often wake up with a headache. This is due to the lack of water in the body. The body tries to make up for this lack of water by taking water from the brain, and this causes a painful headache.

Drinking water before heading out for a night of drinking helps to keep the body functioning normally. Once you start drinking, alternate water and alcoholic drinks to keep water in your body. This will help to stop dehydration. It is a good idea to have a glass of water once you are home and before you go to bed as well.