Feeling rough after drinks? On Skeptical Sunday, Jessica Wynn reveals why hangovers hurt, why "cures" fail, and why dark liquors might be your worst enemy. Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by Jessica Wynn! On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: Hangovers aren't just about dehydration — they're your body's complex response to processing alcohol as a toxin. When your liver breaks down alcohol, it produces acetaldehyde, a nasty chemical that causes inflammation throughout your body. Meanwhile, your blood sugar goes haywire, your sleep quality plummets, and your entire system essentially stages a biochemical rebellion. Despite a $2 billion (and growing) hangover remedy industry, there's no scientifically proven cure for hangovers. All those miracle pills, electrolyte drinks, and bizarre remedies — from pickle juice to rabbit dung tea — are essentially sophisticated placebos. Your body needs time to process and eliminate alcohol's toxic byproducts, and no amount of coconut water can accelerate that biological reality. Drinking more alcohol to cure a hangover merely postpones the inevitable crash when your blood alcohol returns to zero. Similarly, the concept of "healthy moderation" has been debunked by research showing that no amount of alcohol consumption is actually safe — many studies suggesting otherwise were funded by the alcohol industry and used flawed methodologies. Darker alcohols like whiskey and bourbon contain higher levels of congeners (byproducts of fermentation) than clear spirits, potentially leading to worse hangovers. These compounds, along with other additives and ingredients in alcoholic beverages, contribute significantly to hangover severity beyond just the alcohol content. When dealing with a hangover, embrace the basics: hydration, rest, bland foods to stabilize blood sugar, and perhaps some mild pain relief (though be cautious with acetaminophen). While not glamorous, these approaches support your body's natural recovery processes. Understanding why hangovers happen empowers you to make more informed choices about drinking habits — whether that means switching to clearer spirits, drinking water between alcoholic beverages, or simply accepting that sometimes the most profound wisdom lies in listening to what your body is telling you about that third cocktail. Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [email protected] and let him know! Connect with Jessica Wynn at Instagram and Threads, and subscribe to her newsletter: See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What are the common myths about hangovers?
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JordanHarbinger.com slash news is where you can find it. All right, back to Skeptical Sunday. Hangovers are confusing. So for me, it's like, do I need sleep? Do I need medical attention? Should I lay in bed in the fetal position? Do I lay on the bathroom floor? Alcohol is so intense and I never quite know what to do with it.
And I remember even in college, it was like, if someone's drunk, make sure you lay them on their side. And I was like, how is this allowed where you might just die?
Oh, yeah. So they don't Hendrix.
Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, it's scary. It's just all part of the way alcohol causes inflammation. Generally, in life, we need inflammation. It's a complex biological response to tissue infections, and it's like the weapon our bodies have to fend off all kinds of infections. But alcohol-induced inflammation, that's an immediate response to alcohol.
It's our body just yelling to our immune system like, hey, something's not right. It's why our noses turn red, our cheeks get flushed. So that warm feeling your drink gives you, it's really your insides in panic mode. And let's not forget, a hangover messes with your sleep. So alcohol suppresses REM sleep, which means even if you do pass out, you're not getting quality rest.
I have definitely woken up feeling terrible from a drink-induced sleep. It's the worst, especially when you wake up at 2 a.m. and you're like, I'm ready for the day, but I might still be drunk. It just feels like you didn't sleep at all.
Exactly. And your body is trying to heal, but the alcohol that's still in your system, it just won't let you. So this is what contributes all that fatigue and irritability. And we don't always connect that to that daily glass of wine with dinner. But science tells us even a few drinks a week will mess up our sleep. So people might fall asleep faster after drinking alcohol, but...
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Chapter 2: Are there any scientifically proven hangover cures?
So I always assumed that booze before beer, liquor before beer, you're in the clear. I thought that was because... Let's say I start drinking booze and then I'm like, oh, I better stop. And then I drink beer. Now I'm drinking less alcohol and more water much more slowly because the beer is much larger. You know, you're drinking a four ounce shot, then you're drinking a 20 ounce beer.
It takes you like an hour. That said, I tested this repeatedly in my 20s and I was never in the clear, like ever, never happened.
Yeah, when you try to bring logic to drinking, you just sound drunk. Here's the thing. Hangovers are nature's way of telling you you consumed poison. Nothing's going to reverse that. Definitely not a late night beer. But drinking patterns can make a little bit of a difference, so... If you've ever drank, you probably realized it hits you differently when you drink on an empty stomach.
The amount of alcohol, of course, matters. The type of alcohol you have and just your overall health. These patterns all influence the severity of a hangover. And in general, the more alcohol a person drinks, the worse the hangover will be. And this is true regardless of if you drink beer, wine, tequila, or any kind of combination. Your Jäger bomb you had earlier.
Oh, God. Even the smell of that now I can't deal with. All right. No magic tricks. But is there any science behind all the remedies that people swear by? Because there's a lot of stuff out there.
There's a lot of stuff. Hangovers are a really tricky study. And there's a doctor, Dr. Jason Burke, who founded Hangover Heaven and is a Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
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