Electrolyte drinks, ibuprofen, a bagel overflowing with bacon, egg and cheese — 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,” said 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 said. Here’s what experts advise if you are thinking about sweating through a rough morning.
How does a hangover affect your body?
After a night of drinking, several things happen to your body at once, said 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.
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, Dr. Khurshid said.
