Not only is staying well-hydrated key to your long-term health, but it can also help you avoid uncomfortable hangover symptoms. Alcohol can increase urine production, which can lead to dehydration. When the body is dehydrated, it tries to conserve water by producing less urine. However, alcohol can interfere with this process and cause does alcohol make you dehydrated the body to produce more urine than it needs to (breaking the seal). This can lead to dehydration and further electrolyte imbalances.

Alcohol and Dehydration

Electrolytes can help direct water to where it’s most needed, and DripDrop has three times the electrolytes of a sports drink. Multi-flavor pouches are available for mixing it up, and subscriptions allow users to save 25%. Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut.

Moderate consumption

However, if you plan to partake in beer, wine or other alcoholic beverages, there are a few things that can be done to lessen dehydration’s toll on your body. Alcohol can lead to dehydration, but why does alcohol dehydrate you? When we drink alcohol, it gets absorbed into our bloodstream through our stomach but mostly through our small intestines. From there, the alcohol is processed by enzymes in the liver. As the liver breaks down the alcohol, it is converted into a substance called acetaldehyde, which can be toxic in high doses.

• In order to break this substance down and remove it from the body, your liver does most of the work of turning it into acetate.
• This may lead to fat buildup, inflammation and, eventually, scarring of liver tissue.
• But if you insist on having a drink or two, there are things you can do to mitigate the dehydrating effects of alcohol.

Make sure you’re hydrated before you start drinking

• The best way to ensure proper hydration is to drink plenty of water.
• Therefore, alcohol induced dehydration can occur when drinking alcohol without having a glass of water–or more, depending on how much alcohol you’re drinking.
• Intravenous (IV) fluids may be required to stabilize you if you’re experiencing severe dehydration.
• A small study in 10 people found that consuming 537 mg of caffeine, or about 6 cups of coffee, significantly increased urine production.

If you notice a dry mouth or other signs of dehydration, stop drinking alcohol and prioritize hydration. In addition, increased urination can cause the loss of electrolytes, especially potassium and sodium, which are crucial for maintaining the body’s fluid balance. When you’re feeling a hangover, it’s important to explore the root cause.

Our liver quickly works to break down acetaldehyde into acetate. According to science, about 90% of alcohol is eliminated by our liver, but 2-5% of alcohol leaves our body through urine, sweat, or breath. And since alcohol increases our heart rate, it makes us sweat more, which accelerates how fast we become dehydrated. Although alcohol has no health benefits, many people enjoy drinking beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages, and there are several ways you can minimize or avoid alcohol dehydration. When you’re drinking more than usual, it’s important to remember to consume alcohol responsibly (for both your health and safety!). Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it moves fluid out of your body and can easily dehydrate you.