The Hangover

Tis the time of year for hangovers. This also means it is time for my annual message about the myth of caffeine and hangovers. If you drink coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages your body has already adapted to the very mild diuretic effect of caffeine. In fact, scientific studies show caffeine does not have any diuretic effect at less than 550 mg (i.e. it won’t start dehydrating you until your fifth cup of coffee). So, when you have a hangover, it is absolutely okay to have a coffee. I actually recommend it, as caffeine withdrawal causes headaches, general grumpiness and lethargy. Don’t believe me? Try substituting decaf coffee into a friends coffee supply and see what happens.

Compounding a hangover by avoiding caffeine, based on a flawed belief, is bad medicine. So, drink responsibly, don’t drink and drive and when you wake up with that hangover, pour yourself a good cup of coffee and start the day off right.

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