Electrolytes for a hangover: does Pedialyte help?

Do electrolytes help a hangover?

They can help with one piece of it. Alcohol makes you urinate more while you drink, and vomiting or sweating on a night out adds to the loss, so you may wake up short on fluid. An electrolyte drink replaces water along with sodium and potassium, which helps the body hold on to that water.

What electrolytes do not do is fix the rest of a hangover. In human studies, electrolyte concentrations and dehydration markers measured the morning after were not significantly correlated with hangover severity. NIAAA's hangover guidance makes the same point: research has not found a clear relationship between electrolyte disruption and hangover severity, or proof that added electrolytes reduce it.

Sources: Penning et al., 2010: The pathology of alcohol hangover; Hangovers: causes, remedies, and safety

Pedialyte for a hangover: what the evidence says

Pedialyte is an oral electrolyte drink, part of the oral rehydration solution category built to replace fluid lost through vomiting and diarrhea. In a randomized hydration trial, an oral rehydration solution kept more fluid in the body than still water over four hours, which a typical sports drink did not. So if you have been sick, or you are clearly dehydrated, an oral rehydration solution is a sensible choice.

We did not find a trial showing that Pedialyte, or any oral rehydration solution, reduces hangover symptoms beyond the fluid it provides. Read the label for sodium, potassium and sugar per serving and follow its directions.

Sources: Maughan et al., 2016: A beverage hydration index (13 drinks compared); Penning et al., 2010: The pathology of alcohol hangover

What electrolytes does alcohol deplete?

Alcohol's main effect is on water, not on any one mineral. It suppresses vasopressin, the antidiuretic hormone, so the kidneys release more urine while you drink. In a controlled study, a litre of 4% beer produced more urine than the same beer without alcohol in well-hydrated men. Vomiting causes direct losses of sodium, potassium and chloride.

Heavy or long-term drinking can affect minerals such as magnesium and potassium, but that is a medical question for a clinician, not something a hangover drink addresses. After one night of drinking in a healthy adult, most of the issue is fluid, and the morning-after electrolyte measurements researchers took did not explain how hungover people felt.

Sources: Swift & Davidson, 1998: Alcohol hangover, mechanisms and mediators; Hobson & Maughan, 2010: Hydration status and the diuretic action of alcohol; Penning et al., 2010: The pathology of alcohol hangover

Electrolytes vs water vs sports drinks

For most people after a night out, water is enough. An oral rehydration solution is the better option if you have lost a lot of fluid, because it is retained better than water. A sports drink hydrates about as well as water and adds sugar; see our guide to choosing a sports drink for a hangover. Milk also scored well in the hydration trial, if your stomach can handle it.

Sources: Maughan et al., 2016: A beverage hydration index (13 drinks compared)

Best time to take electrolytes when drinking

There is no tested electrolyte schedule that stops a hangover. Because alcohol's diuretic effect happens while you are drinking, steady fluid through the evening matters more than one large drink at the end. A glass of water or an electrolyte drink before bed and another in the morning are reasonable habits.

• Alternate each alcoholic drink with a glass of water.
• Have water or an electrolyte drink before bed.
• Sip again in the morning, with simple food if you can.
• None of this lowers BAC or makes it safe to drive.

Sources: Hobson & Maughan, 2010: Hydration status and the diuretic action of alcohol; Hangovers: causes, remedies, and safety

When dehydration needs medical help

Mild thirst is normal after drinking. Some signs are not something to manage with a drink at home.

• You cannot keep fluids down for several hours.
• You feel faint or dizzy when you stand, or you are barely urinating.
• Confusion, vomiting while barely responsive, slow or irregular breathing, or a person you cannot wake: call 911. That is alcohol poisoning, not a hangover.

Sources: Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose

Where Joyrise fits

Joyrise is not an electrolyte drink, and we do not position it as one. Joyrise is an Alcohol Metabolizing Aid: a DHM supplement built around dihydromyricetin. The capsule label says to take 3 capsules while consuming alcohol, or before bed. Do not exceed 3 servings (9 capsules) per day. Much of the alcohol-related DHM evidence is preclinical, and Joyrise does not lower BAC, reverse impairment, or make driving safe. Read the full directions and warnings on our Alcohol Metabolizing Aid capsules page before you buy.

Sources: Joyrise capsules: product page and current label; Shen et al., 2012: DHM and alcohol-related signaling