Can You Really Sweat Out a Hangover?

Of course prevention is the only certain way to prevent a hangover, but skipping the drinking isn’t always part of the plan. When it comes to hangover remedies some work, some sometimes seem to work, and some don’t really work at all. Sweating it out at the gym is one common way of tackling a hangover, but does it work?

Going for a mild workout might help you feel better when you’re hungover, but the important thing to keep in mind is that sweating is going to dehydrate you when you’re already dehydrated. If you’re planning to hit the gym be sure and fuel up with some electrolytes before you do so and keep the water close by as you workout. Don’t do anything more complicated than your hungover state can handle either. Running on the treadmill might make sense on a hangover day where doing crossfit for example doesn’t.

But even if a workout is going to help you it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be setting your alarm to hit the gym after a night of drinking. What really can be a big help for your hangover is sleep, so if you can sleep in that might do you more good in the moment. (If you have time to do both that’s even better.)

Some people think that spending some time sweating out toxins in the sauna is a good thing to do for a hangover, but be wary of this options. Saunas use extreme heat to make you sweat which can cause changes to the blood flow and blood vessels in your body.

This might be harmless, but in some cases it can make you feel worse or even lead to some health issues. Not to mention the fact again that you are already dehydrated when you are hungover so sweating more can make you even more dehydrated.

Obviously you should be drinking of plenty of water to help a hangover, and you should also be trying to get in some nutritious food. This isn’t always real appealing, some people have no appetite when they’re hungover while others prefer to go the greasy meal route, but a healthy meal will always have the best effect.

When your body is trying to recover from the toxins it produces while metabolizing alcohol, it needs all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it can get. Eating anything too fatty or sugary is just going to make the body work even harder to metabolize those as well, when it should be left to focus its energy on recovering from the alcohol.

Ultimately while a lot of things can be done to help ease the pain while you’re recovering from a hangover, the only thing that is guaranteed to help is time. Next time when you’re planning a night on the town try to remember to drink water between drinks to pace yourself and always drink with some food on your stomach to slow down how quickly the booze hits your bloodstream.