Is it true that … you can sweat out a hangover? | Health & wellbeing

HHere’s a useful fact to mention to all the smug relatives who say they went for a run the morning after their Christmas party: you can’t get rid of toxins by sweating. “Toxins” is a broad term, says Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster Medical School, covering anything that can harm the body—from heavy metals to chemicals in plastics to normal byproducts of our own metabolism. The liver is designed to process the toxins found in alcohol and break them down into usable units or eliminate them. The waste is then filtered from the blood and excreted in urine or stool.

Sweat, on the other hand, has a very different role. Although it may contain extremely low amounts of certain metabolic byproducts, its purpose is to regulate temperature (and, in some situations, signal stress or fear). “Sweating is not a way to eliminate toxins,” says Taylor. “Going for a run or sitting in a sauna after a night of drinking will not reduce the toxins produced by alcohol metabolism, and it will not lower your blood alcohol level.”

In fact, there is no way to speed up alcohol detoxification. Each person metabolizes it at a fairly fixed rate.

So why does going to the gym or sitting in a sauna feel good when you’re hungover? Both activities are known to boost endorphins – the body’s natural “feel good” chemicals – and reduce cortisol, which can make us anxious or nervous. They also improve circulation, relax tense muscles, and stimulate the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system, which can aid recovery. But this is about managing symptoms and not speeding up detoxification.

If you choose to do something that makes you sweat when you’re hungover, make hydration a priority, says Taylor. “Alcohol depletes water from the body and sweating increases fluid loss, increasing the risk of dehydration and tissue inflammation.”