9 Of Life's Most Important Questions Answered By Science

6. Is There A Cure For A Hangover?

It is estimated that hangovers cost the economy anywhere between $160 - $250 billion per year, so finding a cure for this self-inflicted malady should really be at the top of a lot of lists.

To find the cure for a hangover, first you have to know the cause and, unfortunately, that's where we're a bit hazy on the details.

Dehydration is usually named as the main culprit, but studies show that a hungover person is actually unlikely to be anymore dehydrated than a non-hungover person, so something else must be at play.

Our currently best guess is that a hangover is actually systemic inflammation. It is thought that alcohol allows the bacteria in your gut to pass through into your bloodstream and you body reacts as though you have an infection ... which of course you do.

The best course of action here would be to take an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen and try not to think about the fact that your blood is swimming with poo germs.