Can a sauna session cure your hang over?

A heavy head in heavy heat might just be the cure

Surprisingly enough one country already uses saunas for a hangover cure and its so effective its the busiest time to go to a sauna. In the country where there are more saunas than cars, Finland has used contrast therapy (getting baked in a sauna followed by frozen in an ice plunge) for centuries. However, importantly saunas do not speed up the detoxification of alcohol from the body through sweating it out according Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster Medical School. In an interview with the Guardian he explains that ultimately the liver is the organ responsible for breaking down toxins to then be excreted out but sweat is not a means to do this.

So why does going to a sauna help a hangover? Well one of the things saunas does help with is cortisol levels, that hangxiety you get after a particularly wild night? A sauna session followed by a cold plunge will help lower that anxiety swelling up inside you. The process of detoxification might be sped up by an increased high rate and circulation caused by the increased heat in the sauna. There’s also a rush of endorphins which, even if they don’t cure your hangover, they will make you feel slightly better temporarily.

The most important thing to remember is hydration. Ultimately a sauna session can make you feel incredible but it is further dehydrating your already dehydrated body, it will help eliminate some of the sluggishness and adverse affects of alcohol and marginally speed up the detoxification through increased blood flow. But it’s not a miracle cure,