People use all sorts of weird recipes to cure a hangover.

• The Ironman cure: a masochist method of literally running away from your hangover. You get your running shoes and sweat out your toxins in a 5km run (3.1 miles).

• The Omega-3 slam: for those brave enough to eat sardines on toast to settle the storm in your stomach. No better way than to slap your hangover with a wet fish.

• The Comfort food fusion: mix a confused grandma giving you chicken soup with a can of Coke that will get you an unexpected kick for the rest of the day.

But here’s an unexpected contender that has proved to help with migraines, sleep quality, memory, and even the feeling of nausea.

Here’s what makes a soothing sip of tunes a good remedy for the poor choices from last night.

A musical antidote

Whether you’re 21 and bouncing back like a rubber ball, or 40 and rebounding like a bowling ball, hangovers remind us we’re only human…usually the morning after.

We all need to deal with its symptoms somehow.

And if people have tried all sorts of crazy things (i.e. see above), why not try with one more like music?

Sadly, no psychological studies have gathered hungover subjects and hooked them to physiological devices while listening to music. However, there are proxy studies that show music’s therapeutic effects on several forms of pain (post-operative pain, labor pain, chronic pain, etc.).

It’s not a long stretch from there to a hangover.

A study at the University of Edinburgh identified four key elements that make a certain song suitable for alleviating pain and nausea:

1. The song or group of songs has to be familiar and of the person’s liking to have any effect on them.

2. Songs should evoke a sense of contentment and positivity.

3. Songs in the major mode (i.e. considered traditionally as “happy”) and that feel brighter (i.e. having more high-frequency notes).

4. Songs with fewer changes in pitch notes (i.e., less tonal variation) and a more consistent pitch or tone throughout are optimal.

In other words, select pieces that you find personally enjoyable and emotionally engaging, and you’ll have a better chance of surviving the next day.

Why does music help?

When focused on music, your hungover brain pays less attention to pain signals. It’s like when you’re immersed in a good movie and don’t notice a mild discomfort.

Music also improves your mood. And when you’re in a better mood, usually pain and discomfort are felt less intensely.

In parallel, engaging in a pleasurable activity like listening to music you like, releases endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. These chemicals help reduce the perception of pain and help you forget those questionable life choices.

At least for a while.

But let’s be real.

Music isn’t a miracle cure, so don’t come at me in the comments if it doesn’t magically fix everything.

As the director and founder of the New York Headache Centre, Alexander Mauskop, wisely says,

Next time you’re in this unfortunate situation

SUCK IT UP!

Okay, I won’t shout, I know it hurts.

Put your headphones on.

Find the “Morning-After” playlist you assembled when you were sober.

And please drink a lot of water.

See if there’s any improvement after a while, and if not…drink even more water.

But if it works, there might be a bonus side effect.

Music will not only soothe your hangover but also gently drive away your regrets.

So press play and let music’s healing power turn the hangover, regrets, and everything in between into just another forgotten track in your life’s awesome playlist.