Good night last night? Drink a bit too much? Feeling a bit worse for wear? Ready to reach for the water? Well, I’ve got some bad news for you.

A new Dutch study has claimed that water does nothing to prevent a hangover.

According to the research, downing pints of water after a heavy night, or drinking water in-between drinks, has no positive effect on reducing hangover symptoms.

The international researchers, from the Netherlands and Canada, surveyed students’ drinking habits to find out if hangovers could be eased, or whether some people were actually immune to them.

Daily Record

They found that the people who claimed to not get hangovers weren’t actually drinking enough booze ‘to develop a hangover in the first place’.

Dr Joris Verster from Utrecht University, lead author of the study, said:

The more you drink, the more likely you are to get a hangover.

Drinking water may help against thirst and a dry mouth, but it will not take away the misery, the headache and the nausea.

And according to Dr Verster, scientists don’t actually know what causes a hangover:

Research has concluded that it’s not simply dehydration – we know the immune system is involved, but before we know what causes it, it’s very unlikely we’ll find an effective cure.

Rex

So according to the study, the only way to be less hungover is to drink less booze. Sounds like a cynical attempt by a bunch of Dutch killjoys to get us to stop drinking.