Brits Spend Over Four Years Hungover, New Study Reveals

New research reveals that individuals in the United Kingdom spend more than four years of their lives recovering from hangovers. According to data from the mobile cocktail bar service spinandshake.co.uk, the average Briton experiences around 26 days of hangover symptoms each year. This accumulates to an astonishing total of four years, two months, and 16 days over a typical lifespan of 64 years in adulthood.

Sundays and bank holiday Mondays were identified as the peak times for hangover recovery. The report highlights the substantial hidden costs associated with excessive drinking, including missed gym sessions, cancelled social plans, and lost weekends. It noted that nearly half of all employees admitted to taking sick leave due to hangover-related issues.

A significant portion of respondents reported suffering from “extreme tiredness” after a night of drinking, with four in ten feeling nauseous and one in five experiencing dizziness. According to the report, “Some Brits throw in the towel and stay in bed all day. Others try to push through, showing up to work or logging in from home despite feeling awful, but as many admitted, very little work actually gets done.”

In an interesting trend, some individuals resort to drinking alcohol the following day, commonly referred to as “the hair of the dog,” to alleviate their hangover symptoms. A representative from spinandshake.co.uk commented, “It’s one thing enjoying a drink, but it doesn’t take much to tip you over the edge and leave you nursing a headache the next morning. Millions of Brits lose valuable time to hangovers—whether that’s turning up to work and getting nothing done, skipping work entirely or wasting the day in bed.”

The report also offered practical advice for drinkers to mitigate the aftereffects of alcohol. Suggestions included alternating alcoholic beverages with water, consuming meals before drinking, and stopping alcohol intake well before bedtime.

In a related incident, an Edinburgh resident, Graham Barnfield, reported feeling “nauseous and hungover” after discovering his tap water had an unusual yellow tint on July 9, 2023. This bizarre occurrence took place at his residence in Wauchope House on Greendykes Road, where the discolored water left a “grainy sediment” in his bathtub. After experiencing nausea from the smell of the water, Barnfield noted an oily residue on his hands that was difficult to wash off.

With both hangovers and unexpected water quality issues impacting daily life, the findings serve as a reminder of the potential consequences of drinking habits and the importance of maintaining awareness about health and safety in everyday environments.