Many of us celebrate New Year’s Eve with a glass or two of champagne. One study found that 39% of men drank more than four alcoholic drinks on New Year’s Eve, and 24% of females downed just as many. This leads to hefty hangovers and many myths about how to cure them.
A viral TikTok claimed that a natural remedy is dunking your face in a bowl of ice water. A pharmacist from Texas claims that keeping your face submerged for 15 seconds turns on part of your brain that is responsible for digestion. However, there is no scientific proof it works.
Another myth is that having a drink the morning after will help. Experts say having a drink the next day will actually prolong your pain.
Science says to drink water. Dehydration contributes to increased thirst, fatigue, headaches and dizziness.
Next, eat a good breakfast. It helps to maintain steady blood sugar levels and science shows low blood sugar can worsen nausea, fatigue and weakness.
One older academic study found that supplementing with red ginseng reduced blood alcohol levels and hangover severity.
In a 2004 study, prickly pear extract halved the risk of experiencing severe symptoms and test-tube and animal studies found ginger may protect against alcohol-induced liver damage.
One more thing to keep in mind is the type of alcohol you drink. There is evidence that many wines contain sulfites which can trigger headaches. Similarly, dark spirits like bourbon tend to have higher levels of compounds called congeners which may worsen hangover symptoms.