Will Drinking Alkaline Water Help A Hangover?
Many people have woken up the morning after a night of drinking, only to feel terrible. That's right, they are hungover. A hangover isn't any one specific symptom, but rather a collection of symptoms that are the result of drinking excessive alcohol, explains the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Some of these symptoms include dehydration, headache, muscle aches and cramps, nausea and vomiting, sweating, anxiety, and vertigo.The severity of a hangover depends on many factors, including how much you drank.
Alcohol causes a hangover in various ways. For example, it can make you dehydrated and lead to a number of other symptoms, such as irritation of the stomach lining, drop in blood sugar, or trigger inflammation from your immune system, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Luckily, there are dozens of hangover remedies, like drinking lots of water, taking B vitamins, and drinking tea, explains Harvard Health Publishing. But there's one go-to for a hangover that you may not be aware of.
Alkaline water helps your kidneys break down toxins
Water is essential for the functionality of every cell and organ in your body, explains WebMD. In fact, staying hydrated is incredibly important, especially when you're hungover (per Life Ionizers). Yet one type of water may help with hangovers even more: alkaline water. But how is it different from regular water?
H2O, also known as water, stands for two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, according to Cambridge Dictionary. A water's pH level is a measure of how acidic water is and can vary between 0 and 14, according to WebMD. Any number below seven is considered acidic, but if it's above seven it is alkaline. Now, seven exactly is regarded as neutral. Keep in mind, most tap water in the United States tends to be acidic, usually standing between 4.3 and 5.3.
Bottled alkaline water, on the other hand, will be above a seven on the pH scale. How does this help a hangover? Well, when the pH of urine is increased, it helps the kidneys to work more efficiently to break down toxins, according to Life Ionizers. The kidneys also will break down alcohol, explains the National Kidney Foundation. So you drink alkaline water, it could help the kidneys excrete alcohol from your body faster (per Life Ionizers).
Of course, the best way to avoid a hangover? Don't drink so much next time.