Consuming a meal containing plenty of healthy fats before drinking buffers alcohol absorption and allows more time to process and detoxify alcohol, which helps prevent dehydration. Research published in Psychopharmacology found that alcohol suppresses the release of vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone that regulates kidney function and urine production. Follow drinking behaviors that are best for you, not what everyone else is doing. And above all, limiting your alcohol consumption in general is the best way to avoid dehydration. Even though alcohol-induced dehydration is not the is vodka dehydrating core problem we grew up believing it to be, that does not mean you should stop “hydrating” while drinking alcohol.
- Moderation is key to maintaining a healthy balance and avoiding the adverse effects of dehydration.
- In addition, increased urination can cause the loss of electrolytes, especially potassium and sodium, which are crucial for maintaining the body’s fluid balance.
- These might lead to dehydration more quickly, according to a 2010 study 8 9.
- Dehydration, toxic chemicals, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and more can all contribute to the development of a hangover.
What Type of Alcohol Dehydrates You The Most?
This means that it increases urine production, leading to a loss of fluids and electrolytes in the body. As a result, drinking vodka without moderation can lead to dehydration. A lower-alcohol beer, if you don’t drink too many, will be less dehydrating than wine or hard liquor, since beer generally has a lower alcohol content. No matter what you choose to drink, drinking slowly and savoring your drink is a good way to moderate your total alcohol consumption and minimize alcohol’s dehydrating effects. Alcohol dehydrates you, and it’s crucial to drink plenty of water and replenish electrolytes after consuming alcoholic beverages to restore optimal fluid balance. Any alcoholic drink, beer, wine, vodka, whiskey, rum, gin, or tequila, will inhibit the body’s production of vasopressin, which will cause a person to pee more and increase the chances of becoming dehydrated.
- Drinking alcohol can dehydrate you, and it’s one of the main reasons you can get a hangover.
- Alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and liquor increase urine output and could cause dehydration if consumed in large amounts.
- After consuming a lot of alcohol—and experiencing the dehydration that comes with it—it’s very possible that you experience a post-alcohol disorder known as a hangover.
- As I said before, the issues I listed are not comprehensive, but they paint a pretty good picture.
- Read on to see what experts say about alcohol and hydration.
- Any alcoholic drink, whether beer, wine, vodka, whiskey, rum, gin, or tequila, will inhibit the body’s production of vasopressin, which will cause you to pee more and increase your chances of becoming dehydrated.
What to do if you’re dehydrated
When a person has very high blood sugar, their body may borrow water from other areas to balance out the volume in the cells. Higher blood sugar may also cause the body to urinate more to get rid of this excess sugar, which can influence dehydration. The extent of these effects and how long they last may vary. Liquor tends to have a much higher alcohol content and significantly less liquid than other alcoholic drinks, which can contribute to dehydration.
What to Do If You’re Already Dehydrated from Alcohol
A vodka with soda is likely more hydrating than just a shot of vodka because you’re consuming more fluids from the soda. Drinks that contained electrolytes—milk and oral rehydration solutions, for example—were more hydrating after two hours compared to water. 6 In other words, subjects peed less relative to their fluid intake two hours after consuming these drinks compared to water. Our body requires water and fluids to maintain normal functions. When we get dehydrated, our body is unable to regulate these important functions, putting us at risk of various health complications.
Soda
This also means drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can lead to a higher blood alcohol content (BAC). All types of alcoholic drinks cause dehydration to an extent. However, alcohol’s dehydrating effects will be somewhat reduced in some of the “lighter” alcoholic drinks. You may experience increased urination, sweating, and other means of bodily waste disposal when you drink alcohol.
- Additionally, dark liquors especially have high contents of congeners and tannins, which studies have shown to increase hangover symptoms (including dehydration).
- It is always wise to stay hydrated before, during, and after consuming alcohol to counteract its diuretic effects.
- This outcome makes sense and aligns with our common beliefs about alcohol’s effect on the body.
- Dehydration can affect multiple bodily functions and cause a wide range of symptoms.
Beer and wines, meanwhile, tend to have lower alcohol content, though fortified wines like sherry and Madeira pack a kick at above 14.5% alcohol. How long it takes to rehydrate after drinking depends on how much alcohol you have consumed and how much fluid volume and electrolytes your body lost. The most common symptoms of alcohol dehydration include thirst, a dry mouth, headaches, muscle aches or cramps, fatigue, and dark-colored urine. It’s generally believed that for every gram of alcohol consumed, the kidneys produce around ten milliliters of urine, which increases fluid loss and contributes to dehydration. While mild dehydration isn’t anything to worry about and can quickly be remedied by drinking water, moderate or severe dehydration can impair critical physiological functions.
- Although beer has a high water content, it does not hydrate us.
- Plus, we’re always introducing new features to optimize your in-app experience.
- While it’s well known that drinking too much alcohol can lead to a hangover, even moderate alcohol consumption can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
- Craft beers can be particularly misleading because while they have an ABV closer to that of wine, they’re generally served in much larger portions.
Your body’s metabolism can turn some components of alcohol into nutrients and energy. This happens at a rate of about one beer, a small glass of wine, or one shot of liquor per hour. So what can you do to make sure you don’t get that infamous hangover headache caused by dehydration?
