National Hangover Day is a holiday observed on the 1st of January each year. We feel that this is a highly appropriate day for this holiday to fall on since it’s the day that has the highest instances of people with hangovers due to overindulgence in alcohol on New Year’s Eve.

Of course, since many people are going to be hungover on this day, the only festivities likely to be observed are trying to find out which hangover cure works best.

The History of National Hangover Day

Even though we can’t say for sure, the popular origin story of this holiday is that it was created in 2015 at a restaurant in Arkansas. According to the story, some people had gotten together and were talking about holidays when one person realized that while most days of the year had a lot of different holidays celebrated on them, January 1st only had relatively few holidays attached to it.

As these friends talked, they realized that another holiday should be added, and since this day follows New Year’s Eve, National Hangover Day seemed like the logical choice.

Facts About Hangovers

During our research on this holiday, we came across some fascinating facts about hangovers that we thought our readers might enjoy. Having said that, below are some things that people might want to know about the common hangover.

• People who smoke while drinking tend to have worse hangovers the following day than nonsmokers.
• It’s been estimated that hangovers cost the U.S. economy approximately $179 billion due to lost productivity.
• The average person will spend two years of their lifetime hungover.
• Banana shakes can be used to treat hangovers because bananas replenish potassium levels, sugar raises blood sugar levels, and milk helps to coat the stomach.
• Dark liquors cause worse hangover symptoms than clear liquors.
• A person’s genes can affect how severe a hangover they experience.
• As a person ages, their hangovers tend to get worse.
• Starchy foods won’t soak up excess alcohol.
• St. Bibiana is the patron saint of hangovers.
• Women are more likely to get hangovers than men.

Observing National Hangover Day

We were going to title this section “Celebrating National Hangover Day,” but we didn’t think that would be the proper way to describe activities on this day. If someone is hungover, then they’re probably just observing National Hangover Day and are likely looking for a way to ease their symptoms.

While there’s no real way to cure a hangover, if a person takes the time to rehydrate, get some sleep, and eat a balanced meal, then they can overcome the effects of a hangover in no time.