Hangover ‘cures’ and popular remedies are debunked by health experts and doctors
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From office parties to family gatherings to New Year’s Eve celebrations, the holiday season is often a time to overindulge and wake up the next morning scrambling for a hangover fix.
While social media is full of purported cures, from greasy breakfasts and “hair of the dog” shakes to sweat-inducing workouts, experts say most hangover remedies don’t address how the body actually processes alcohol.
Dr., a doctor from New York. “Most hangover ‘cures’ fail because they treat the liver like a sponge rather than a chemical processing plant,” Hillary Lin told Fox News Digital.
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According to the National Institutes of Health, a hangover is your body’s response to a buildup of harmful byproducts as it flushes alcohol from your system.
According to experts, the truth is that there is no immediate fix for this situation.
“Once a hangover starts, you can’t biohack it,” Lin said.
Holiday festivities often lead to overindulgence and hangovers. Here’s what you need to know. (iStock)
Fox News Digital spoke with experts to debunk five popular myths and uncover what actually works.
1. ‘Hair of the dog’
Having the “hair of the dog biting you” or drinking more alcohol to ease a hangover only “kicks the can down the road,” Lin said.
Although it relieves symptoms for a short time, it also gives the liver more work to do, said Alexa Ryan, a California neurotherapist and clinical dietitian nutritionist.
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“It doesn’t address underlying dehydration, inflammation, or toxic alcohol byproducts,” he said.
Adding other substances can make the situation worse, according to Ian Anderson, co-founder of responsible drinking practice Sunnyside.
“Smoking tobacco can increase the severity of your hangover, and using alcohol along with marijuana can lead to further impairment of memory, focus and cognitive functions,” said Anderson, who lives in California.
2. Fatty breakfasts
A heavy breakfast will sit on an already irritated stomach and slow down digestion, Lin said.
“When you wake up, the alcohol has already left your stomach,” he said. “There’s really nothing left to ‘get wet’.”
Experts say a heavy breakfast can do more harm than good when trying to cure a hangover. (iStock)
Experts agree that it’s best to prioritize eating before drinking to slow the rate of alcohol absorption into your bloodstream.
“The idea of drinking alcohol only applies before or during drinking,” Ryan added.
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Certain foods may support hangover recovery, including eggs, water-rich fruits, bananas, and nuts; But experts warn that the evidence is limited.
3. Coffee or water with lemon
Experts say many people reach for coffee or lemon water in hopes of getting rid of alcohol, but detoxification doesn’t work that way.
“By the time you wake up with a hangover, alcohol has already disrupted sleep, irritated the stomach lining, altered blood sugar regulation, and been metabolized into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that triggers many of the hangover symptoms,” Ryan said. “Coffee and lemon juice do not speed up alcohol metabolism.”
Experts say coffee does not speed up detoxification after alcohol consumption. (iStock)
Coffee may slow rehydration and increase blood pressure, Anderson added.
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“This can make the headache worse and leave you more dehydrated, anxious, and tense than you were before,” she said. “Plain water is your best friend when you’ve had too much to drink.”
4. Patches or supplements
Not all patches or supplements are created equal when it comes to hangovers, and experts warn that most products act too late to make a meaningful difference.
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Lin noted that some emerging probiotics work differently than typical hangover medications. Rather than trying to support the liver after alcohol is absorbed, they are designed to break down acetaldehyde in the gut before it enters the bloodstream.
Otherwise, Lin recommends drinking a high-quality electrolyte shake before bed.
5. ‘Work up a sweat’ exercise
Experts say alcohol is broken down by the liver at a constant rate, meaning exercise can’t increase the rate at which your body clears alcohol.
“You can’t sweat out alcohol. Your liver has to metabolize it,” Ryan said.
Experts say trying to sweat out alcohol through exercise can backfire. (iStock)
“Exercising while hungover can worsen dehydration, increase dizziness or nausea, and put extra strain on the body. Anything that adds more stress to the body usually backfires.”
Not a panacea
Despite numerous claims, experts say there is no proven cure-all.
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Anderson said the most effective approach is to drink less and avoid binge drinking; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines this as drinking five or more standard drinks at a time for men and four standard drinks for women.
Experts say the most effective way to prevent a hangover is to drink less. (iStock)
“A really successful tip for limiting hangovers is to replace every drink with water and/or soft drinks,” he added.
However, health experts say no amount of alcohol is completely safe and even low levels increase the risk of cancer.
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But when it’s too late, recovery requires rest, hydration, and time.
“Prioritizing fluids with electrolytes, eating a small, balanced meal, resting, and allowing time for the liver to complete detoxification are most effective,” Ryan said.
