Hangover Nausea and Vomiting: How to Settle Your Stomach

Hangover nausea comes mostly from alcohol irritating the stomach lining and slowing digestion; small sips of water or an oral rehydration drink, bland carbohydrates and ginger may help, but repeated vomiting, vomiting blood or being unable to keep fluids down needs medical attention.1,2,3 Throwing up doesn't speed recovery.

Key takeaways

  • Alcohol directly irritates the stomach lining and increases acid release.1
  • Drinks stronger than about 15% alcohol tend to delay stomach emptying, which can leave you feeling full and uncomfortable.2
  • Repeated retching and vomiting after heavy drinking cause 20% to 50% of Mallory-Weiss tears, which can bleed heavily.2
  • MedlinePlus advises calling 911 for blood or dark, coffee-colored material in vomit, and seeking care if you can't keep fluids down for 12 hours.3
  • In a Japanese trial of 150 people with hangovers, the NSAID loxoprofen eased headache but did nothing for nausea.13

Why does alcohol upset your stomach?

Alcohol hits the gut directly. It irritates the stomach lining and increases acid release.1 Even a single episode of heavy drinking can inflame the stomach lining and cause bleeding lesions, and a single drinking session weakens the valve between the esophagus and stomach, which promotes heartburn.2

Strong drinks also slow things down. Beverages above about 15% alcohol tend to delay stomach emptying, which can cause fullness and discomfort.2 People who flush red when they drink, because they can't clear acetaldehyde efficiently, often get nausea along with it.5 For the bigger picture, see alcohol, your gut and inflammation.

Does throwing up help a hangover?

No. There's no evidence that vomiting shortens a hangover, and in a 90-person trial, people who vomited had worse hangovers, along with those who felt drunker.6 That likely reflects how much they drank, but it's no argument for throwing up.

Forcing it can do harm. Repeated retching and vomiting after heavy drinking cause 20% to 50% of Mallory-Weiss tears, tears where the esophagus meets the stomach that can bleed heavily.2 Never try to make someone who has been drinking vomit. If they're vomiting, have them lean forward; if they're lying down, roll them onto their side.7

What should you drink when you're nauseous?

Small amounts, often. MedlinePlus advises drinking small amounts of clear liquids often when you're nauseated or vomiting.3 Good choices:

  • Water, sipped slowly.
  • An oral rehydration solution if you've vomited more than once. Sports drinks, sodas and juices have too much sugar and not enough of the electrolytes lost through vomiting.8
  • Ginger or peppermint tea, warm or cool, in small sips (more below).

Skip alcohol and go easy on coffee; too much caffeine can cause nausea itself.9 See what to drink for a hangover and best electrolyte drinks for a hangover.

What to eat, and when

Once you've kept fluids down for a while, try something small and bland: dry toast, crackers, plain rice, a banana or broth. Cleveland Clinic suggests bland foods with complex carbohydrates, like toast or crackers.10 Eat a few bites, wait, and build from there. And don't drive: hangovers impair attention and coordination even at zero blood alcohol.1 Our best foods for a hangover guide has the details.

Hangover nausea: what to try, and how strong the evidence is (as of October 2026)
Option What the evidence shows Bottom line
Small, frequent sips of clear fluids Standard advice for nausea and vomiting3 Start here
Oral rehydration solution Standard for fluid lost through vomiting or diarrhea; untested for hangover8 Good after repeated vomiting
Ginger May help pregnancy nausea; little or unclear benefit for other nausea; untested for hangover11 Reasonable to try
Peppermint A little evidence for nausea during chemotherapy; the leaf is barely studied12 Reasonable to try
NSAID pain relievers A trial of the NSAID loxoprofen eased headache but not nausea13 Not for nausea

Ginger and other remedies for hangover nausea: what's the evidence?

Ginger is the most reasonable home remedy to try, though it's untested for hangovers. NIH's complementary-health center says it may help nausea in pregnancy, most motion-sickness studies show no benefit, and it can cause heartburn or diarrhea.11 Peppermint extract or inhaled peppermint oil may ease nausea in people having chemotherapy, but peppermint oil taken by mouth can cause heartburn.12 The research uses ginger itself, not ginger-flavored soda.

Over-the-counter options: ask a pharmacist

No over-the-counter medicine is approved for hangovers, and none has been shown to ease hangover nausea, so ask a pharmacist before you take one, and follow the label.

  • Antacids are the simplest option for a sour, acidic stomach; Cleveland Clinic suggests one to help settle it.10
  • Bismuth subsalicylate upset-stomach products contain a salicylate, a relative of aspirin, so check with a pharmacist first if you're allergic to aspirin or take blood thinners or a daily aspirin.4
  • Motion-sickness tablets are made for motion sickness, not hangovers, and can cause drowsiness; ask a pharmacist before taking one if you've been drinking.14
  • Pain relievers won't settle nausea and can make a sore stomach worse: aspirin and ibuprofen increase acid release.1,13

When is vomiting a red flag?

Call 911 if vomiting comes with confusion, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, or if the person can't be woken: that can be alcohol poisoning (see the box below).7 Also call 911 for blood or dark, coffee-colored material in the vomit.3 Get medical care promptly if you:

  • can't keep any fluids down for 12 hours or more;
  • vomit 3 or more times in a day, or for longer than 24 hours;
  • have severe belly pain, a headache with a stiff neck, or haven't urinated in 8 hours.3

Morning vomiting with shakiness and sweating after heavy drinking can be withdrawal.16 See signs of alcohol poisoning and how to cure a hangover. The best prevention is drinking less: US guidance says to "consume less alcohol for better overall health"; pregnant women, people in recovery or unable to control their drinking, and people on interacting medicines shouldn't drink at all.17

What we don't know yet

No trial has tested ginger, rehydration solutions or stomach medicines for hangover nausea. Remedy trials that reported less nausea are small and dated: in a 2004 trial, prickly pear extract taken before drinking reduced nausea, but the overall symptom score didn't significantly improve.18

Frequently asked questions

Does throwing up help a hangover?

No. There's no evidence vomiting shortens a hangover, and people who vomited had worse hangovers in a 90-person trial.6 Forceful, repeated vomiting after heavy drinking can tear the lining where the esophagus meets the stomach.2

What should I drink when I'm nauseous from a hangover?

Small amounts of clear fluids, often: water, or an oral rehydration solution if you've vomited more than once.3,8 Ginger or peppermint tea in small sips is reasonable. Avoid alcohol and extra coffee.

Is ginger ale good for hangover nausea?

The evidence comes from ginger itself, mostly in pregnancy nausea, not ginger-flavored soda.11 Soda has too much sugar to rehydrate well after vomiting, but if a few sips go down easier than water, that's fine.8

When is vomiting after drinking an emergency?

Call 911 if vomiting comes with confusion, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, or someone can't be woken.7 Also call for blood or dark, coffee-colored material in the vomit, and get prompt care if you can't keep fluids down for 12 hours.3

Why do I feel sick the day after only a few drinks?

Hangovers can follow modest drinking, and sensitivity varies.20 An empty stomach speeds alcohol absorption, strong drinks slow stomach emptying, and people who flush red often feel nauseated.21,2,5

Sources

  1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Hangovers. Updated December 2025. NIAAA
  2. Bode C, Bode JC. Alcohol's role in gastrointestinal tract disorders. Alcohol Health Res World. 1997;21(1):76-83. PubMed
  3. MedlinePlus (NIH). Nausea and vomiting - adults. Reviewed July 22, 2025. MedlinePlus
  4. MedlinePlus (NIH). Bismuth subsalicylate. MedlinePlus
  5. Brooks PJ, et al. The alcohol flushing response: an unrecognized risk factor for esophageal cancer from alcohol consumption. PLoS Med. 2009;6(3):e50. PubMed
  6. Köchling J, et al. Grape or grain but never the twain? A randomized controlled multiarm matched-triplet crossover trial of beer and wine. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;109(2):345-352. PubMed
  7. NIAAA. Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol Overdose. Updated December 2025. NIAAA
  8. HealthLink BC (Province of British Columbia). Rehydration drinks. Current as of March 1, 2023. HealthLink BC
  9. FDA. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? August 2024. FDA
  10. Cleveland Clinic. Hangover. Last updated April 6, 2026. Cleveland Clinic
  11. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Ginger. Last updated February 2025. NCCIH
  12. NCCIH. Peppermint Oil. Last updated May 2025. NCCIH
  13. Hara M, et al. A nationwide randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled physicians' trial of loxoprofen for the treatment of fatigue, headache, and nausea after hangovers. Alcohol. 2020;84:21-25. PubMed
  14. MedlinePlus (NIH). Meclizine. MedlinePlus
  15. FDA. 21 CFR 201.326: required warnings for over-the-counter pain relievers. eCFR
  16. MedlinePlus (NIH). Alcohol withdrawal. Reviewed January 1, 2025. MedlinePlus
  17. USDA and HHS. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. January 2026. PDF
  18. Wiese J, et al. Effect of Opuntia ficus indica on symptoms of the alcohol hangover. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164(12):1334-1340. PubMed
  19. SAMHSA. National Helpline. SAMHSA
  20. Verster JC, et al. Sensitivity to experiencing alcohol hangovers: reconsideration of the 0.11% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold for having a hangover. J Clin Med. 2020;9(1):179. PubMed
  21. Cederbaum AI. Alcohol metabolism. Clin Liver Dis. 2012;16(4):667-685. PubMed

Published by Fuller Health, which makes After Party. This article is general information, not medical advice: talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health, medicines and drinking. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research and write.

Back to blog