Hangovers Cost U.S. Companies $148 Billion Every Year

Due to "absenteeism" and "poor job performance" caused by hangovers experienced by employees, U.S. companies are losing $148 billion every single year. That rounds up to about $2,000 per worker. Now that's a lot of tequila shots.

According to NBC News, these staggering statistics have probed experts to pressure for more research on the illusive hangover. Alyson Mitchell, a professor, and John Kinsella, chair of the department of food science and technology at the University of California, explain that there are cures to hangovers, but there's not a lot of science to back them up. Mitchell explains that hangovers are a real concern for employee well being:

"The interesting thing about a hangover is that really it is a metabolic storm that is going on. Hangovers involve a variety of systems, causing headaches, stomach discomfort, and immune responses like out-of-control inflammation."

Despite there being a plethora of studies about alcohol, there aren't many about hangovers. PubMed contains more than 700,000 articles on drinking alcohol, compared to only 400 on hangovers.

"We really don’t know much about a hangover and it is an incredibly puzzling response—the symptoms only show up after all the alcohol is metabolized and gone from the body. And that in itself is amazing," explains Alyson Mitchell. "The fact that something is the most toxic after it has been eliminated from the body [is unusual]. Hangovers are so common and prevalent in every society," she continued. "[Yet] I found it to be almost shocking that there is so little real research done on hangovers."

Mitchell is trying to lobby scientists to study the hangover in more depth. Until then, she suggests that you drink lots of water while you're boozing, and eat fatty foods before you go to bed, because it will coat your stomach.

Okay, fine. But only because you say so, Dr. Mitchell.

What are your favorite hangover cures? Let me know in the comment section and on Twitter: @feministabulous