- You're hungover and you need a cure quick.
Today, we're going over the top hangover myths.
You're gonna wanna watch this, I assure you.
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You had a great time last night
and now your head and your wallet is in a world of hurt
and you're desperately searching Google and YouTube
for the best way to cure a hangover.
Well, let me just say this,
there's a lot of information out there.
And what if I told you
that a lot Of your old school hangover remedies
are actually causing you more harm than good?
Hey, everyone, I'm Dr. Jordan Wagner.
I'm an emergency room doctor who treats everything
from COVID to gunshot wounds, burns, you name it.
I've created this video series
to help answer some of your medical questions
and the questions that I get from patients
each and every day.
Be sure to smash that subscribe button
if you find this video helpful.
All right, you feel like crap, I get it.
You need a cure for the hangover stat.
Here are all your top hangover myths we are breaking down.
Myth number one, liquor before beer, in the clear,
beer before liquor, never sicker.
This might've been some college frat science,
but this one is untrue.
There's a lot to unload here, I'll explain.
The liquor first rule seems to work at least sometimes.
The keyword being seems to work
because according to experts,
most people don't drink a lot of beer
after they've started drinking liquor.
Whereas some people who start drinking beer
which has a lower alcohol content
and don't feel really buzzed yet
then shift to liquor and overdo it.
It's as simple as that.
It's not really based on the alcohol order
mixing in your body per se,
it's just a tendency for people to drink more
if they start with beer and switch to hard liquor later,
as opposed to the other way round.
But what is important is drinking in moderation,
not the order in which you have them.
While moderate amounts of drinking are fairly common,
many individuals regularly abuse alcohol
through binge drinking.
So limit the amount you're consuming, no matter what order.
And perhaps the real rhyme
you should be keeping in mind is this,
add water plus booze if you don't wanna lose.
Hangover myth number two, pop pain relievers before bed.
Popping bottles and popping pills don't mix.
I get it, you really think you're doing something
by taking Advil or Tylenol before heading to bed.
As a rule of thumb,
you shouldn't take any medications while drinking alcohol.
Medicine, especially those containing acetaminophen
like Tylenol, I repeat, especially Tylenol,
after drinking can cause serious damage
to your already overloaded liver when mixed with alcohol.
Instead, down some water
and try eating a banana before you go to bed.
And truly wait until the next morning
to take any sort of pain medication.
Why a banana?
Bananas can work as somewhat of an antiacid
and bananas contain a good amount of potassium,
fiber, and sugar.
Eating a banana will help replenish
the body's potassium levels
after a heavy night of drinking.
Myth number three, having a sports drink before going to bed
can prevent a hangover the next day.
Well, this one is sort of a mixed bag.
You see, there's little evidence
that downing an electrolyte-infused sports drink before bed
can prevent a hangover.
You see, dehydration,
which can happen when you drink alcohol,
can throw your body's electrolyte levels out of whack.
Contrary to common belief that drinking electrolytes
can actually help reduce the severity of hangovers,
research has increasingly shown that this is not the case.
According to the "BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health,"
drinking a supplement of vitamins and minerals,
including magnesium and potassium,
was not effective in improving people's hangover symptoms.
But then again, some sports drinks,
as long as they don't have
too many of those bad ingredients,
will elevate blood glucose and elevate sodium levels.
This in theory helps the muscle cells uptake and use water,
leading to quicker hydration.
Do you drink Gatorade or Pedialyte
or some other random drink to help cure your hangover?
Let me know which ones in the comment below
and let me know if it works.
I personally think getting hydration with mostly water
is kind of your best bet.
Hangover myth number four, sleeping it off.
The day after, don't be a victim to your bed.
Get up, get out, get active, and drink lots of water.
I know, you're probably thinking
that Dr. Wagner is 50 shades of crazy.
I hear you, but let me first explain.
Alcohol leaves your body in two ways, urine and breath.
On the other hand,
alcohol continues to be absorbed as you sleep,
raising your blood alcohol levels.
When you're active,
you're metabolizing any toxins in your body.
So the faster you burn it off through exercise
or breathing or peeing it out,
the quicker it's out of your system.
Drink tons of water, I'm telling you it will help.
Also, it's important to note
that if you're with an individual that passes out
or goes to sleep due to alcohol consumption,
please be sure to monitor them closely for a bit
as they're at high risk for aspiration,
AKA choking on their own vomit.
Myth number five, throwing up.
This is totally counterproductive.
If you think calling Ralph on the big white telephone
will improve your chances of reducing a hangover,
or simply put, inducing vomiting, think again.
Most likely your body has already absorbed the alcohol.
Although you may puke up fluids
and anything else you've ingested that evening,
the alcohol is already in
and you will only further dehydrate yourself.
Not to mention it is unhealthy
and also dangerous to force it out of you.
All right, my friends,
there's no magic hangover cure-all unfortunately,
besides pacing yourself and drinking less.
This may be a bit of a buzzkill,
but guaranteed you won't hate yourself in the morning
if next time you go drinking,
you add in water in between drinks and pace yourself.
All right, that's been five hangover myths debunked
with me, Dr. Wagner.
If you wanna learn about some more hangover remedies,
check out the video right here,
where I go into more detail about some of them.
Also, do you have any home remedies for your hangover
that you swear by?
Please be sure to let me know in the comments below.
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Thank you so much for watching and stay healthy, my friends.
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