With the supplement industry projected to be worth £221 billion by 2030, there are pills and powders promising to cater to every health concern. Poor sleep, better gains at the gym, more focus and even a growing number of anti-hangover pills. And with festival season upon us, they sound like the holy grail for drinkers. Because as much as a weekender may equal the opportunity for all day and (for hardcore types) all night fun for a few days... there are also the mornings after (plural) to contend with.
As clinical nutritionist Stephanie Moore explains, several days of partying on the trot really are going to take their toll on your organs and nervous system. “Alcohol dysregulates you. Dehydration means you’re losing minerals and dancing makes you very sweaty. Your body is in so much crisis by night two, and by night three, forget it: you’re wrecked. And who gets a good sleep at a festival?” So, failing being sensible: wouldn’t it be great if you could pop a few pills and prevent or curb the tell-tale sweats, thumping head and weary legs?
So-called hangover pills to be consumed during or after drinking, and ‘post rave’ supplement packs, make claims such as being a ‘cheat code’, or to contain science-backed ingredients to make you feel better in time for your mid-week commitments. But is it really possible to hack a hangover? We asked leading nutritionists and herbalists to weigh in and dish out their recommendations on what will actually help you to minimise the symptoms and make the most of your weekend.
What even is a hangover?
To understand what supplements can and can’t do for your raving ailments, it’s helpful to understand what’s happening to your body after a long session. Moore explains that while “the jury is out on exactly what having a hangover is, there are numerous mechanisms.”
Firstly, there’s the obvious dehydration of the body and especially the brain, which might lead to a headache or feeling “a bit creaky,” as Moore puts it. Then there are the lost nutrients. Your body is particularly depleted of B12 the morning after and Moore explains, “the brain is a massive reservoir for B12 — it is important for mental and neurological health.”
It’s likely you’ll experience a loss of zinc, which is also important for brain health as well as your immune system, so you can feel “almost flu like or as if you have a cold,” adds Moore.
We all know the liver suffers, and this is because it is the organ that breaks down ethanol [the toxin in alcohol] into less dangerous substances. Though the efficiency with which it does so depends on your genetics, according to Moore, which may contribute to how bad you feel. However, a lesser known factor, but of particular interest to Moore (and anyone else who is fixated on their microbiome) is that the extent to which you feel hungover could be linked to your gut health.
“Some people have microbes that manage the ethanol better than others,” she notes. “While most ethanol gets broken down by the liver, some of it stays in the digestive system and in the gut,” she explains. “Ethanol kills off our good microbes, so if you’ve already got a dodgy digestive system and gut microbe system you’re going to feel [the side-effects of alcohol] worse.”
And to top it off, there’s the lack of sleep and recovery time. “Alcohol sedates us but it doesn’t help us sleep — people accidentally conflate the two,” says Moore. Metabolising alcohol is a huge job for your liver which takes hours (approximately an hour per drink) and “it takes up so much energy doing that job which leads you to feel overheated and agitated,” preventing you from sleeping. Then there’s the fact you’re creating extra urine, which means that you’re needing to trek to the portaloos more than you would if you were sober, further disrupting your shut eye.
So can hangover supplements help?
First and foremost: it’s important to remember that alcohol is toxic, and therefore, Moore warns, “we can mitigate damage to a degree but no level of alcohol is safe.” So if you’re reaching for a ready-made aid for a hangover, it’s important to take the claims with a pinch of salt.
Clarissa Lenherr, a leading nutritionist who runs a clinic in London’s Harley Street warns that “whilst hangover and post-party supplement mixes can sound very appealing, the evidence supporting their efficacy is very limited. Most of these supplement mixes have not had studies or trials done on their specific blend.” This is because supplements fall under a different category of regulation to medicines, so they’re not always tested in clinical trials and instead studies on the individual ingredients they contain are often cited to support their effectiveness.
Whilst hangover and post-party supplement mixes can sound very appealing, the evidence supporting their efficacy is very limited
Catarina Oliveira, founder of adoptogen brand Herbar, adds that you should be wary of what’s known as proprietary blends in products. “They might not list all the ingredients [nor the amount of each], which can make them ineffective or even unsafe,” she warns. A 2021 study of 82 hangover products showed they contain a dose which exceeds the daily recommended intake level, and in many cases the dose wasn’t reported at all, nor was there was any human data supporting their safety or efficacy.
That being said, some of the nutrients and vitamins which may help to soothe hangover symptoms can be found in supplements marketed for them. “They have at least some benefit,” says Moore. “Yes, they make you drink fluids often [as you’re advised to take them with water], and they almost always have Vitamin C in, which gives us energy and helps with hydration. And they give you a bit of a buzz as usually there is B12 in there which is an energy vitamin.” Plus, positive thinking could be at play. “The idea that you’re having something that is helpful is probably a placebo effect,” Moore says.
If you are keen to take a ready-packaged solution, it’s smart to check the supps don’t contain sugars and are free from emulcifiers. “These are very disruptive to the gut microbiom, [with the latter used to give] supplements a texture, a sort of smoothness,” says Moore. Another ingredient common (and helpful) in many of the hangover pills is B9, which aids in the production of genetic material, but it needs to be the right kind. “The good form of B9 is folate or methylfolate,” says Moore. If it says folic acid, it’s probably bad quality, she adds. Another simple metric is to “look for as few ingredients as possible.”
It’s important to be aware that taking new supplements without professional guidance, especially in combination, can be risky due to potential negative side effects. “Combining certain supplements can interact with prescription medications, like St. John's Wort and antidepressants or birth control pills. While herbs like ashwagandha (a type of mushroom) can interact with immunosuppressants, sedatives and thyroid medications.” And a too high a dose of magnesium could lead to “gastrointestinal symptoms.”
5-HTP is an ingredient found in some post-party packs, it is a building block of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is known to deplete when taking drugs such as MDMA. Though Lenherr explains, “combining 5-HTP with recreational drugs that increase serotonin levels can lead to serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition.”
So what do the experts recommend?
To help your body cope as best it can, here is our nutritionists’ crib sheet for before, during and after partying at festivals.
The week before: look after your gut
It’s all about preparation when it comes to gut health, so eating varied probiotic foods (dairy yoghurts, ferments and kombucha, for example) in the lead up to your festival and taking a good quality supplement perhaps for a week beforehand (such as Epetome, £54.99 for a trial pack, epetome.com) — which has an above average 11 science-backed bacterial strains — will help to increase the colonies of microbe in the gut.
On the night: line your stomach
Yes, it’s obvious, but getting a meal in before drinking really will make a world of difference. “Seek out protein and fat based foods, so if you’re pushed it could just be a handful of nuts, or olives or a bit of cheese, but something substantial in your stomach does not only seem to slow the absorption of alcohol into your blood stream, but also reduces how much alcohol gets absorbed,” says Moore. And it goes without saying: stay hydrated with non-alcoholic drinks throughout the night, and try to match your volume of water drink for drink.
Before bed: supplement for sleep and your liver
As Moore puts it: “if you have your wits about you,” take the following before bed: milk thistle or silymarin (the active ingredient name) “which supports the different pathways in the liver that break down alcohol into its safer form before it’s eliminated,” and magnesium glycinate which “will really help you to sleep better. The magnesium will help relax the nervous system and the muscular system.”
The morning after: top up lost nutrients and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Supplements could actually be your best shot at supporting your body the morning after excess, according to Moore. “I always say food first, but if you’ve really inflamed and aggravated your digestive system through lots of alcohol, your ability to absorb much from real food might be a bit compromised. So the benefit of a supplement and particularly a liquid supplement at this point that is easily absorbed is that your body doesn’t have to work hard at getting the nutrients out really quickly and that will help,” she explains.
So as a first port of call take some Vitamin C and B12. Lenherr recommends Nutri Advanced supplements (nutriadvanced.co.uk), and adds “take liposomal Vitamin C for optimal absorption, and no more than 1000mg spread across the day to avoid stomach upset.”
And to rehydrate and compensate for electrolyte loss take a supplement such as Elete (£18.45, eletewater.co.uk). “Coconut water can also be used as an alternative to electrolyte supplements, as it provides potassium, magnesium and sodium,” says Lenherr.
If you are used to taking to adaptogens or medicinal mushrooms they could have additional benefits when you’re feeling anxious or low on energy after a hangover and once you’re home. For example, some studies have shown that Cordyceps can help with fatigue, “making you feel more energetic and less wiped out after drinking,” says Oliveir.
It goes without saying, but try to pack in meals containing colourful vitamin, minerals and antioxidant-rich foods, which will help protect and support your body. Eggs are also a wonder food for the morning after which contain lots of brain supporting nutrients.
And then of course, give yourself plenty of rest and recovery time once you’re back home.
