Here’s a useful fact to quote to any smug relatives who say they went for a run the morning after their Christmas party: you can’t get rid of toxins by sweating. “Toxins” is a broad term, says Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster Medical School, covering anything that can damage the body – from heavy metals to chemicals found in plastics, as well as the normal byproducts of our own metabolism. The liver is designed to process the toxins in alcohol and either break them down into usable units or get rid of them. The waste products are then filtered from the blood and excreted in urine or stools.
Sweat, on the other hand, has a very different job. Although it can contain extremely small amounts of some metabolic byproducts, its purpose is temperature regulation (and, in some situations, to signal stress or fear). “Sweating is not the means to remove toxins,” says Taylor. “Going for a run or sitting in a sauna after a night of drinking won’t reduce the toxins produced by metabolising alcohol, and it won’t lower your blood alcohol level.”
In fact, there is no way to speed up alcohol detoxification. Each person metabolises it at a fairly fixed rate.
So why does hitting the gym or sitting in a sauna feel good when you’re hungover? Both activities are known to boost endorphins – the body’s natural “feelgood” chemicals – and to reduce cortisol, which can leave us feeling anxious or on edge. They also improve circulation, relax tight muscles and stimulate the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system, all of which can make recovery feel easier. But this is about managing symptoms, not accelerating detoxification.
If you choose to do something to make you sweat when you’re hungover, make hydration a priority, says Taylor. “Alcohol depletes water from the body, and sweating increases fluid loss, raising the risk of dehydration and tissue inflammation.”
