How long does a hangover last?
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A hangover usually lasts most of the next day: in a 2018 survey of 811 Dutch students, the most recent hangover lasted about 18 hours from the last drink, or roughly 12 hours from waking up. The US National Institutes of Health says symptoms can last 24 hours or longer. In that survey, how long a hangover lasted depended more on how bad it was than on how many drinks came before it.
When does a hangover start?
A hangover starts as the alcohol leaves your blood, usually while you are asleep. The NIH fact sheet says symptoms peak when blood alcohol returns to about zero, which is why the worst of it is often waiting for you when you wake.
The 2018 survey did not ask when the hangover began. Its authors assumed blood alcohol reached zero during the night, so they counted the hangover from the moment drinking stopped.
How long did it last in the studies?
In the 2018 survey, the average hangover lasted 18.4 hours from the end of drinking, and for most people it fell between 14 and 23 hours. These were students aged 18 to 30 rating their most recent hangover from the past month, every two hours from 4 am to midnight, so the figures are self-reported and depend on memory.
The duration was counted until the rating first reached zero. If someone still felt it at midnight, the authors assumed it ended two hours later, so the longest hangovers may be undercounted.
| What was measured | 2018 survey (811 students) | 2017 study (578 students) |
|---|---|---|
| Average length from the last drink | 18.4 hours | 17.5 to 19.2 hours, by sleep group |
| Average length from waking | about 12 hours | not reported |
| Range for most people | 14 to 23 hours | not reported |
| Linked to the number of drinks? | no significant link | no significant link |
| Linked to sleep? | longer sleep, slightly longer hangover | shorter sleep, more severe hangover |
Both studies surveyed Dutch university students about one past hangover. They describe that group, not older drinkers or people who drink every day.
Does drinking more make it last longer?
Not in these surveys: the number of drinks was not significantly linked to how long the hangover lasted. In the 2018 survey, people who had ten or more drinks reported about the same length (18.3 hours) as everyone else.
That does not mean the amount is irrelevant. Both studies counted drinks from memory, and the hangover's length was strongly linked to how bad it felt: a worse hangover tended to be a longer one.
Does sleep change how long it lasts?
Sleep was linked to both the length and the severity of the hangover, in opposite directions. In the 2017 study of 578 students, those who slept less than five hours reported the most severe hangovers, while those who slept more than seven hours reported the longest ones (19.2 hours against 17.5).
The study was a survey at one point in time, so it shows a link, not a cause. The long sleepers had also drunk more, which the survey could not separate from the sleep itself.
Can you make a hangover shorter?
No reliable way has been shown. The NIH fact sheet says only time can help, and that the only sure way to avoid a hangover is to drink little or not at all.
If you feel very unwell after drinking, or unsure whether it is still a hangover, talk to a doctor; in an emergency, contact your local emergency services. If hangovers are becoming a regular part of your week, a doctor or a local support service can help you look at the drinking itself.
What does the next morning look like without one?
If your evenings often end with a few drinks, 18 hours is most of the following day. A morning without one is mostly about what is missing. You sit up and your stomach is fine, you have no reason to scroll back through last night's messages, and the day starts when you get up rather than an hour later.
That morning is decided the evening before, around six, when you are home from work and the fridge is right there. The craving at that moment is just a feeling. Picturing tomorrow at 7 am, from the side of the person who will wake up, is one way to decide the next hour from there.
Quick answers
Can a hangover last two days?
It can last longer than a day. The NIH says symptoms can last 24 hours or longer; in the 2018 survey most hangovers ended within 23 hours of the last drink, but that sample was young and the survey stopped at midnight.
How long does a hangover last after you wake up?
About 12 hours in the 2018 survey, on average. Counting from waking is shorter than counting from the last drink, because part of the hangover happens during sleep.
Do hangovers last longer for women or for men?
In the 2018 survey, women reported slightly longer hangovers than men (18.8 hours against 17.9), even though the men reported drinking far more. The difference was small, and it came from self-reports.
Why does the worst part come in the morning?
Because symptoms peak as blood alcohol falls back to about zero, according to the NIH fact sheet. After an evening of drinking, that point usually comes during sleep, which is what the 2018 survey's authors assumed.
How can Morning Mirror help with the evening before?
Morning Mirror is a drink less app for the evening: three minutes of audio before the first drink that show you tomorrow morning, so you decide from there. It does nothing for a hangover once you have one; it is for the hour before the first drink.