Analgesic, anti-inflammatory… Regular physical activity can drastically reduce the intensity of a hangover when you wake up, according to a team of researchers.
- A study of 1,700 students showed that those who engaged in intense physical activity, such as running, suffered less severe hangovers.
- Exercise not only releases endorphins, relieving pain, but it also improves sleep quality, reduces inflammation in the body and helps flush out alcohol toxins more quickly.
- If sport helps make the aftermath of the party more bearable, it doesn’t work miracles either. Moderation remains the best way to avoid a hangover, researchers warn.
Who has never regretted those too many drinks the night before which are accompanied, the next morning, by a throbbing headache and a general feeling of unease? While there are many grandmother’s remedies to counter these well-known hangover symptoms, regular physical exercise could well be one of the best solutions to reduce their intensity. At least that’s what a new study published in the journal reports Addictive Behaviors and relayed by The Conversation.
Physical exercise reduces hangover pain
To reach this conclusion, researchers from Nottingham Trent University (United Kingdom) recruited nearly 1,700 students: all practiced at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per week and were asked to complete online questionnaires on their habits. of alcohol consumption and their exercise levels. The results showed that those who engaged in vigorous physical activity, such as running, suffered less severe hangover symptoms. In other words, moving regularly would help alleviate difficult tomorrows. But how can we explain this link between sport and reduction of symptoms? Several physiological mechanisms may come into play, according to scientists.
Hangovers are often accompanied by physical pain, such as headaches and body aches. This is due to dehydration caused by alcohol, which affects the blood vessels and fluids around the brain. Alcohol also triggers inflammation in the body, releasing molecules called cytokines, which cause muscle pain. Not to mention that poor sleep quality, linked to alcohol consumption, increases sensitivity to pain. However, physical exercise has an analgesic effect, by promoting the release of endorphins, these hormones produced by the brain which act as natural analgesics. According to researchers, very regular sports practice could even increase the base level of these endorphins, and thus reduce the perception of pain associated with a hangover.
Another advantage of sport is that it improves the quality of our nights. Alcohol consumption disrupts sleep cycles, notably reducing paradoxical sleep – a crucial phase for brain recovery – and promoting nighttime awakenings due to dehydration. However, by regulating our circadian rhythm, physical activity helps to extend the duration and depth of sleep, and therefore to better recover from a drunken evening.
Sport to eliminate toxins and reduce inflammation
Finally, sport contributes to better metabolic health. Alcohol is primarily metabolized by the liver, but an overall healthy and active metabolism helps more effectively eliminate its byproducts, like acetaldehyde, a toxic substance that causes many hangover symptoms. All the more reason to do physical exercise, which promotes blood circulation and helps flush out these toxins more quickly. Sport also helps reduce inflammation: by stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, it reduces the discomfort linked to the inflammatory response caused by alcohol.
If this study confirms that exercise can make the aftermath of evenings more bearable, it should not be seen as a miracle solution either. The best prevention obviously remains moderate alcohol consumption. Also note that exercising while hungover is not always a good idea, because the body is already dehydrated and weakened. A lighter activity, such as walking or yoga, therefore appears to be an ideal solution for gentle recovery.