2 weeks Ago By Talya Minsberg
Electrolyte drinks, ibuprofen, a bacon and egg roll – everyone has their own way of nursing a hangover. There are also plenty of products that claim to make the experience less miserable, with little evidence to support them. But what about exercise? Some people swear that a workout can help cure, or blunt, a hangover.
If it can, what type of movement could be most helpful? “There’s very few settings where exercise is not beneficial,” says Dr Andy Peterson, a team physician at the University of Iowa. It’s “the closest thing we have to a miracle drug in medicine”. That includes hangovers – with some caveats – he says.
Here’s what experts advise if you are thinking about sweating through a rough morning. If you do want to exercise hungover, staying hydrated is important. Credit: iStock How does a hangover affect your body? After a night of drinking, several things happen to your body at once, says Dr Shaan Khurshid, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
You might be dehydrated, and you might experience sleep disturbances, digestive issues or a spike in anxiety. Loading While hangover symptoms and their severity can vary a lot between people – and even for the same person at different times – no one is going to be at their physical peak after drinking a substantial amount of alcohol, Khurshid says. Alcohol is a relaxant, which is why it can make you feel less stressed and more at ease.
But as those effects wane, they can be followed by what Khurshid called a “compensatory kind of adrenaline surge”. He explains: “That’s why some people will notice that their heart rate is faster, or they are a little bit more anxious or on edge” the next day..
