Another myth busted: Drinking water doesn’t prevent a hangover.
According to molecular biologist Patrick Schmitt the anti-hangover recipe of drinking a bathtub full of water before bed won’t save your bacon in the morning.
Let’s take a look at Patrick Schmitt’s study!
The Theory
Schmitt points to the fact that the body excretes more water while a person is drinking alcohol. So, the theory developed that drinking alcohol must dehydrate you, thus this dehydration leads to hangovers.
The Testing
(We sure hope he tested by drinking loads.)
Schmitt ran tests confirming that while the body does indeed excrete more water when alcohol is being consumed, the loss of H2O isn’t sufficient to lead to dehydration.
The Conclusion
Since drinking alcohol doesn’t lead to dehydration, consequently lack of water isn’t driving your hangover. Hence, drinking barrels of water isn’t going to prevent your misery.
Additional Thoughts
Schmitt postulates: People busy drinking water during the evening (in anticipation that it will help them from being hungover) most likely imbibe a little less. This might help prevent symptoms due to overindulgence on the basis of alcohol intake.
I think this could be true when drinking wine. As for those engaging in shots of alcohol, I have a feeling it won’t decrease the alcohol consumed (or not enough anyway).**
Sláinte,
Jim & Barbara Moroney
**Sixmilebridge staff would like to add: We’ve never seen Jim take shots and prefer to keep it that way. Also, the acceleration from a glass of wine to shots isn’t recommended.