Is Pooping Good for a Hangover? The Lowdown on Hangover Poop

The morning after one too many drinks, you wake up feeling like you got run over by a stampede of elephants. Your head is pounding, room spinning, and stomach churning. As you stumble to the bathroom for some relief, you wonder – is pooping the magical cure for a hangover?

We’ve all been there. You overindulge in alcoholic beverages, and your body makes you pay the price with a wicked hangover the next day. Pounding headaches, overwhelming nausea, and gastrointestinal distress are just some of the dreaded symptoms.

In desperate times, could pooping be the savior that relieves your post-party woes? Does Emptying the contents of your bowels help expedite recovering from a hangover? While pooping can alleviate certain symptoms, it is not a full-proof hangover healer.

Let’s explore what causes the dreaded hangover poop and if riding the porcelain pony can help you bounce back after a boozy bash. From digestion changes to dehydration, we will break down the complex science behind how alcohol hijacks your system.

While popping a squat provides some symptom relief, there are better methods for curing the overall hangover headache. But first, let’s dive into why a night of drinking often leads to a morning of pooping.

Why You Get Hangover Poop

First, why does drinking often lead to dramatic digestion changes and poop problems the next day? Here are the main factors:

Dehydration

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more leading to dehydration. The fluid loss constricts your blood vessels and slows digestion.

Dehydration can cause constipation since the large intestine absorbs more water from the stool, making it hard and dry. However, some people experience urgent diarrhea instead from irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal lining.

Rehydrating by drinking water, broth, or electrolyte drinks can help get your fluid levels back on track and relieve constipation or diarrhea.

Irritation of the Digestive Lining

The ethanol in alcohol can directly irritate the mucosal lining of your gastrointestinal tract. Disrupting this protective lining impairs your ability to absorb nutrients.

The irritation also changes gut motility, causing food to move through either too fast or too slow. This leads to urgent, frequent diarrhea or painful constipation.

Stomach Muscle Changes

Alcohol affects the smooth stomach muscles that contract to break down food, move it into the small intestine, and regulate gastric emptying.

It can decrease contractions in your small intestine and increase pyloric sphincter pressure. This delays gastric emptying and causes bloating, distension, nausea, and reflux.

Alcohol also reduces contractions of the muscles that hold stool in your rectum. This speeds up “transit time” and causes loose, urgent stool.

Gut Microbiome Disruption

Drinking alcohol alters the balance of good and bad gut bacteria. An overgrowth of harmful bacteria can produce toxins that irritate the GI lining and cause inflammation.

This “leaky gut” allows toxins and undigested food particles to enter the bloodstream, potentially leading to diarrhea and nausea.

Pooping for Hangover Relief

So while alcohol wreaks havoc on your digestive system, can pooping help relieve your post-party woes?

Pooping Minimizes Nausea

One of the worst hangover symptoms is persistent nausea and vomiting. Pooping can minimize nausea in a couple ways:

• Eliminates bile and stomach acid – Getting rid of excess bile decreases nausea and chances of vomiting bile.
• Empties the bowels – Pooping eliminates irritation from stool rubbing against an inflamed bowel lining.
• Relieves built up pressure – Releasing stool reduces uncomfortable bloating and pressure in the abdomen.

So while pooping won’t cure a hangover, it can temporarily minimize that queasy, vomiting feeling by emptying the bowels.

Pooping Rehydrates

Pooping helps the body rehydrate by reducing fluid loss from diarrhea. The quicker you can stop on-going diarrhea, the less dehydrated you’ll become.

Replacing fluids is key for bouncing back from a hangover. Pooping returns your fluid levels closer to normal so you can rehydrate efficiently.

Pooping Restores Regularity

Alcohol-related constipation can leave you feeling bloated, sluggish, and backed up. Having a productive bowel movement helps get things moving again so your digestive system can reset.

Pooping restores regularity after alcohol zapped your body of fluids and electrolytes. Get those bowels back on track!

Pooping Isn’t a Hangover Cure-All

While pooping can provide a few relief benefits, it has significant limitations in curing hangovers:

• Doesn’t hydrate on its own – You still need to drink extra fluids.
• Doesn’t replenish electrolytes – Sports drinks or broth can restore sodium, potassium, etc.
• Doesn’t heal the GI lining – Recovery takes time for the irritation and inflammation to subside.
• Doesn’t rebalance gut bacteria – Probiotics and prebiotics promote growth of healthy gut microbes.
• Doesn’t cure headaches – Over-the-counter meds like acetaminophen are necessary for headache and body aches.

So pooping can minimize certain symptoms, but other interventions are needed to fully recover after a rough morning following drinking.

Top 10 Hangover Remedies

Ready to feel alive again ASAP after a night of bad decisions? Here are 10 strategies beyond pooping to cure a hangover:

1. Rehydrate

Drink plenty of water and electrolyte drinks like Gatorade to restore fluids, electrolytes, and minerals lost from all that peeing and pooping.

2. Eat easy-to-digest foods

Go for bland foods like toast, crackers, plain oatmeal. Avoid heavy, fatty, or spicy foods which can further irritate your stomach.

3. Take anti-nausea medication

Over-the-counter anti-nausea meds like Emetrol help calm your upset stomach.

4. Choose hangover-specific formulas

Look for supplements with Dihydromyricetin (DHM), milk thistle, prickly pear, and other ingredients specifically targeting hangover symptoms.

5. Consume ginger

Ginger can ease nausea and calm gastrointestinal distress. Enjoy ginger ale, tea, or candied ginger.

6.Peppermint

Peppermint helps relax intestinal muscles and also battles nausea. Use peppermint tea, essential oils, or hard candies.

7. Try activated charcoal

Activated charcoal absorbs toxins from alcohol that contribute to your misery. It can provide relief from diarrhea and bloating as well.

8. Use pain relievers wisely

For headaches, body aches, and sensitivity to light and sound, OTC meds like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) can help. Avoid excessive use.

9. Get rest

Sleep allows your body time to heal and recover. Nap it off or hit the hay early.

10. Stay hydrated when drinking

Prevent hangovers by drinking a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage. Eating while drinking and limiting overall alcohol intake also helps.

Don’t Trust a Fart After Drinking

If you’re battling a hangover on the toilet, here’s one final warning – don’t trust any farts! With bowel irritation and loose stools, you may end up pooping your pants. Either camp out in the bathroom for a while or put a diaper on that booty.

While pooping can offer some relief, heed these other hangover recovery tips too. Remember the best cure is preventing hangovers in the first place by drinking in moderation. But after an inevitably rough morning here and there, these pooping and non-pooping remedies will have you back on your feet in no time!