Researchers Find Hangover Cure

MIAMI (CBS4) -- Most people feel awful when they have a hangover and there are all kinds of remedies people use to get over one. Now, researchers say they've discovered the solution.

Most hangovers aren't as bad as what was in the movie "The Hangover." But over imbibing can leave you feeling lousy the next day, and people have all sorts of hangover remedies.

"Take an aspirin before you go to bed and keep your feet on the floor," said Kevin Springs.

Some of the more popular hangover cures include guzzling water, eating bananas or a greasy breakfast, or having a Bloody Mary.

"Drink Gatorade to hydrate and lots of water," according to Natalia Pardey.

Dr. Michael Oshinsky led a ground breaking research project on headaches and alcohol in rats. Yes, humans and rats have a lot of similarities

"Rats would get headaches similar to humans because they have a similar physiology even though they look very different," said Dr. Oshinsky.

But how do you tell if a rat has a headache? They get super sensitive around the eyes.

"We developed sensory tests on the face and around the eyes of a rat where we can determine when the rat is having a headache," said Dr. Oshinsky.

And so after they were given alcohol and tested positive for a headache, researchers were able to debunk a popular theory that hangover headaches are caused by dehydration. It's actually a by-product of the alcohol that makes your head hurt. And the research showed the best remedy was a combination of caffeine and an anti-inflammatory, like ibuprofen or aspirin.

"So if a person uses alcohol, a significant amount, and they expect to get a headache they should take that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug soon after finishing drinking, and then they should definitely have a Coke or a coffee the next morning," said Dr. Oshinsky.

The researchers didn't set out to find a hangover cure. They were actually trying to better understand what triggers headaches, in hopes of developing targeted treatments.