• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Experts warn against the 'worst thing you can do' when you're hungover

Home> Lifestyle

Published 17:25 15 Dec 2023 GMT

Experts warn against the 'worst thing you can do' when you're hungover

Does it ever work?

Stefania Sarrubba

Stefania Sarrubba

Everyone who's ever had a hangover after a big night out knows that desperate feeling to find a way to ease the throbbing headache the following morning.

There are several, allegedly miraculous, methods that promise to help with the migraines and nausea but, as with most things, not everything works for everyone.

Advert

While no method is guaranteed to make you feel instantly better, some swear by one morning-after solution that is supposedly very effective, though it may seem counterintuitive.

Experts, however, have debunked the method and explained why it may not be the best thing for your body.

Experts have warned against the 'worst thing you can do' when you’re hungover.
Pexels/ELEVATE

Yes, we're talking about what most people refer to as 'hair of the dog'. The name refers to an old practice of treating a rabid dog bite by taking hair from the same dog and putting it in the wound.

While this doesn't seem particularly hygienic, there may have been some truth to it if its logic has been translated to this day and applied to hangovers. That, or people just really like throw common sense out of the window.

Advert

"For people who drink occasionally, the use of alcohol to treat hangovers may mask some of the unpleasant symptoms, but it's only going to make the overall recovery from your night of drinking last longer," Dr Sarah Shafer, a medical toxicology specialist and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told Business Insider.

In short, the 'hair of the dog' approach won't make your hangover magically disappear; it will just make it last longer.

"Your body feels bad after drinking alcohol because alcohol is a poison," she continued.

"Our bodies have evolved ways to metabolise alcohol so it's less harmful to our system, but it's not good for us, and a hangover is the result of that."

We've all been there.
Getty stock images

Advert

Dr Natasha Bhuyan, national medical director at One Medical, added: "It will just mask or delay symptoms - and when those symptoms return, they could be even more severe."

In the case of a hangover, the best thing to do is to take it slow, hydrate, and avoid drinking more alcohol.

Depending on how much you've drank and how often you consume alcohol, there's the possibility that you might be having alcohol withdrawal symptoms versus those of a typical hangover.

Dr Shafer warned those who may feel significantly better after having a drink following a hangover to rethink their relationship with alcohol.

"If someone feels significantly better after drinking some alcohol, then some of the symptoms they are experiencing may actually be alcohol withdrawal symptoms," Shafer said.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: Food And Drink, Health

Stefania Sarrubba
Stefania Sarrubba

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
a day ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Gordon Ramsay says you should never order one starter at a restaurant for worrying reason

    The acerbic star knows his way around a kitchen

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Harvard scientists create 'brain scorecard' that tells you your risk of cancer, dementia and depression

    It's hoped Harvard's brain scorecard can help improve brain health

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Airport baggage handler explains why you should never tie ribbon on your suitcase

    Airport staff have warned against tying a ribbon onto your luggage while travelling for one reason

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Man is suffering strange health consequence after living on cruise ship for 25 years

    Mario 'Super Mario' Salcedo is arguably the king of cruises

    Lifestyle
  • Recovery coach shares the three signs you’re a functioning alcoholic
  • Experts issue warning over alcohol mixed with energy drinks after study reveals effects on body
  • Gordon Ramsay says there’s one thing he’ll absolutely never eat
  • Doctors have come up with the sizes you need to know if you're a 'grower' or a 'shower'