Strength of hangovers is linked to how much we exercise, study finds

There have been countless things celebrated as hangover cures over the years, from 'hair of the dog' to the late, great Anthony Bourdain's prescription of "Aspirin, cold Coca-Cola and spicy Sichuan food".

It's inevitable that people will feel the effects of alcohol the next day if they drink enough - what goes up must come down, after all.

But new research has revealed surprising lifestyle factors that could reduce the severity of hangovers.

A recent study has suggested that rather than factoring in things to eat or drink the next day, the rate that people exercise can make a huge difference when it comes to severity of hangovers.

The study is published in the journal Addictive Behaviours and involved 1,676 undergraduate students.

All of them had been hungover at least once in the past three months when the study was conducted.

The students involved in the research all did at least 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise a week.

Data was gathered via questionnaires that recorded their consumption of alcohol, as well as the severity of their hangovers and the amount of exercise they did.

Increased levels of exercise leads to a better metabolism, which in turn can result in the body being more efficient at processing alcohol. Exercise also leads to the release of endorphins which can act as natural painkillers.

It comes after a previous study revealed that there is no evidence that drinking plenty of water gets rid of hangover symptoms.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the Indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the Indy100 rankings