What Is Hangover Anxiety? How to Prevent and Manage “Hangxiety”

If hangover anxiety is getting in the way of your day-to-day function or doesn’t go away along with other hangover symptoms, a mental health professional can help. Other factors found in classic hangovers may also make understanding alcohol and anger’s connection you more likely to experience anxiety. Dehydration, for example, has been linked to increased feelings of anxiety. If you find that anxiety is a frequent occurrence, consider cutting back on your alcohol consumption.

1. A type of emotional withdrawal can also occur, according to Turner.
2. Focus on what you need to feel calm, whether that’s curling up in a blanket or texting a friend, and remember that you’ll feel better soon.
3. A term that is the combination of the words hangover and anxiety, hangxiety is the feeling of anxiousness that may accompany a hangover.
4. Some products, like the one Nutt helped develop, contain herbs that enhance the GABA system and therefore increase relaxation without putting alcohol into the body.
5. Eventually, this chemical is further broken down into acetate, the main ingredient in vinegar, which is harmlessly excreted.

Before you start drinking, set a limit and maybe tell a friend to keep you accountable. Consider alternating between drinks and cups of water, sipping slowly or eating while drinking. It’s important to remember that alcohol can significantly impact your mental health, and it’s OK to say no to drinking if it’s not serving you.

Hangxiety and the brain

While excessive alcohol use can lead to a surge in serotonin, a sharp decline follows. Though they tell us that hangxiety is a relatively common phenomenon, the good news is that there are steps you can take in order to manage it. Another great way to manage anxious feelings after a night of drinking is to engage in exercise, which can help get your blood moving and can ultimately produce a relaxing effect on both your body and your mind. “[Exercise] is a great help for most mental disorders, including anxiety — whether it’s anxiety from an inherent disorder or whether it has to do with something provoked by alcohol,” says Dr. Koob.

These neurotransmitters play a major role in regulating our mood, and after they initially generate euphoria, sudden changes to their levels may be a major trigger for later symptoms of hangxiety. “There is an increase in proinflammatory cytokines [a class of inflammatory older adults national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa molecules] and cortisol [stress hormone] levels,” he said. “In addition, the physiological effects of a hangover, such as an increased heart rate, can mimic those seen during anxiety. Together, these could lead to increased feelings of anxiety for certain individuals.”

How is “hangxiety” different from general anxiety?

If your anxiety is too high to drift off, at least lay down for a while. Dim the lights, turn on some white noise, and diffuse some lavender oil in your bedroom. Maybe you let loose on your BFF and said something you wish you could take back. Heck, maybe you finally kissed your crush and just wish you’d been a little less sloppy! Research from 2005 (throwback to “Wedding Crashers”!) links insufficient sleep with anxiety.

Why do I experience anxiety after drinking?

Try moving into a state of mindfulness, or doing a short guided meditation to bring yourself back into your body. Focus on what you need to feel calm, whether that’s curling up in a blanket or texting a friend, and remember that you’ll feel better soon. The simplest way to avoid the troubles of a hangover, anxiety included, is to not drink. But that’s not a reasonable alternative for many people, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be. We all deserve to let loose and have fun–the point is simply that you’ll be best served, and feel the best later, if you do so moderately and conscientiously.

Those bad feelings can make a hangover seem even worse than one with physical symptoms alone. Although we don’t tend to think of it this way, a hangover is basically a form of withdrawal from alcohol. “What goes up must come down—alcohol makes you feel good—and it tends to reduce tension. But when the alcohol wears off, the brain and the body have a ‘rebound’ process,” explains George Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

What is hangxiety?

But for some folks, a booze sesh also unleashes a jumble of next-day nerves and anxiety. Many people find relief with the right combination of therapy, support groups, and lifestyle changes. USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day.