Risk factors

Anyone who drinks alcohol can experience a hangover, but some people are more susceptible to hangovers than others are. A genetic variation that affects the way alcohol is metabolized may make some people flush, sweat or become ill after drinking even a small amount of alcohol.

Factors that may make a hangover more likely or severe include:

• Drinking on an empty stomach. Having no food in your stomach speeds the body's absorption of alcohol.
• Using other drugs, such as nicotine, along with alcohol. Smoking combined with drinking appears to increase the likelihood of next-day misery.
• Not sleeping well or long enough after drinking. Some researchers believe that some hangover symptoms are often due, at least in part, to the poor-quality and short sleep cycle that typically follows a night of drinking.
• Having a family history of alcoholism. Having close relatives with a history of alcoholism may suggest an inherited problem with the way your body processes alcohol.
• Drinking darker colored alcoholic beverages. Darker colored drinks often contain a high volume of congeners and may be more likely to produce a hangover.