Swollen Hands After Drinking: Causes and Remedies Explained
Nutrition & FitnessDiet & NutritionAlcohol

Why Your Hands Swell When You Drink Alcohol (and What to Do About It)

Why Your Hands Swell When You Drink Alcohol (and What to Do About It)
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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Perhaps headaches, nausea, and fatigue come to mind when you think of a hangover. But drinking can provoke other side effects, including swollen hands. What’s the link between alcohol and hand swelling?

Below, we explain why you may experience swollen hands from alcohol, and how to reduce swelling after imbibing.

Why Your Hands Swell After Drinking

Indeed, alcohol can cause swelling. Here are the reasons why you may have swollen hands or fingers after drinking.

1. Dehydration

Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate more frequently.

 That's because it inhibits the release of the hormone vasopressin, thus prompting your kidneys to pass more water out of your system than usual.
The result? Dehydration. And when you're dehydrated, your body starts to conserve the water it still has. In other words, drinking alcohol can make you retain water. And one possible symptom of that water retention — a condition called edema — is swelling, most often in your face, hands, arms, feet, ankles, and legs.

2. Electrolyte Imbalance

Excess urination can also throw your electrolytes out of whack.

 And one symptom of an electrolyte imbalance is — you guessed it — edema, which is why you may notice swollen hands after drinking alcohol.

The salty snack you might eat while out drinking can also contribute to puffiness. That's because too much salty food — especially when your electrolytes are already out of balance — can lead to further water retention and the resulting swelling.

3. Liver Problems

Long-term heavy drinking can lead to alcoholic liver disease, where your liver becomes scarred and damaged.

Signs of the condition include edema and redness on the palms of your hands, along with other symptoms like:

  • Abdominal pain and tenderness
  • Dry mouth
  • Increased thirst
  • Fatigue
  • Jaundice
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea

How Much Alcohol Should You Drink?

Adults should limit their alcohol intake to the following amounts per day:

  • Women: One drink or less
  • Men: Two drinks or less
Heavy drinking is defined as having the following amounts of alcohol per week:

  • Women: 8 drinks or more
  • Men: 15 drinks or more

How to Deal With It

Mild edema should resolve itself.

 But there are some strategies to treat or prevent swollen hands after alcohol.

1. Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water before, during, and after sipping alcoholic beverages to stay hydrated.

2. Limit Salty Foods

Skip salty snacks to avoid additional fluid retention and the puffiness that can come with it.

 Next time you drink alcohol, reach for low-sodium foods instead.

3. Drink Moderately

Get ahead of swollen hands and other hangover symptoms by drinking a smaller amount of alcohol.

Stick to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation of one drink or less for women and two drinks or less for men.

Tip: If your swollen hands from alcohol are accompanied by other symptoms like abdominal pain or jaundice, visit your doctor to see if you have an underlying liver issue.

The Takeaway

  • Drinking alcohol can provoke side effects other than headaches, nausea, and fatigue, like swollen hands and fingers.
  • Swollen hands after drinking can be caused by dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and liver problems.
  • Stay hydrated, limit salty foods when drinking alcohol, and drink moderate amounts to treat or prevent swollen hands and fingers.
  • Women should have one drink or less per day. Men should have two drinks or less per day.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Cleveland Clinic Staff. Hangover. Cleveland Clinic. January 22, 2024.
  2. Mayo Clinic Staff. Edema. Mayo Clinic. July 28, 2023.
  3. University of Michigan Health. Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders. University of Michigan Health.
  4. Mount Sinai Today Blog. Alcoholic liver disease. Mount Sinai.
  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  6. Facts About Excessive Drinking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 7, 2024.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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A registered nurse with more than 25 years of experience in oncology, labor/delivery, neonatal intensive care, infertility and ophthalmology, Sharon Perkins has also coauthored and edited numerous health books for the Wiley "Dummies" series. Perkins also has extensive experience working in home health with medically fragile pediatric patients.

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