So always check your medication and supplement labels before drinking alcohol with them. This could help you avoid hangxiety, but it could also prevent bigger issues like ulcers or organ damage. Hangover-related anxiety — or, hangxiety — is a significant increase in anxiety experienced the day after heavy drinking. There are many different forms of anxiety, but in general the word is used to describe when you feel afraid or worried without a specific reason to. Daily drinkers sometimes experience this effect before they down their first drink of the day. A brain anticipating the alcohol may temporarily reduce GABA levels proactively.
Identifying Anxiety
First of all, only a small amount of people who get hangovers experience feelings of anxiety along with them. That’s because everyone’s body chemistry is different, and is impacted differently. Just think of how some people get nauseas from one drink, while others can drink many without getting queasy. The more you drink, generally the more likely you are to experience the anxiety-like effect of alcohol. Hafeez adds that if you already deal with anxiety, you’ll likely feel the effects of hangover anxiety even more than people who do not have an anxiety disorder. Koob adds that whether or not you feel hangover anxiety may also depend on whether you have a family history of anxiety.
Mind & Body
But you probably don’t feel up to taking a walk, doing yoga, or journaling about your feelings if you’ve got a pounding headache or the room spins when you move. During this time, you might feel restless, anxious, nervous, or jittery, just as you might if you were dealing with more severe alcohol withdrawal. If stopping yourself after a drink or two feels like it’s getting trickier or impossible, consider rethinking your drinking. And if booze has become your Rx of choice for bad days, it’s probably time to hit pause.
Treatment for Anxiety, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Co-Occurring Issues
Although researchers are unsure why some people experience this hangover symptom while others do not, there is evidence that certain risk factors make post-alcohol anxiety more likely. For many people, this means an uptick in feelings of anxiety and the familiar hangxiety experience. Adnand suggests a dry January, starting off the year with a full 31 days of alcohol abstinence.
How to get rid of hangover anxiety
While anyone can feel anxious after a night of overindulging, folks who deal with anxiety on a day-to-day basis are at an even higher risk. According to a 2019 study in Personality and Individual Differences, hangxiety is most prevalent in highly shy people and those who deal with social anxiety. “These tips are similar to how to deal with a typical hangover.” While tackling your headache or nausea may not alleviate your anxiety altogether, doing so can help you feel better equipped to handle your emotional well-being. Try to rest and catch up on sleep, while drinking plenty of water to rehydrate.
What Does Hangxiety Feel Like?
“Hangxiety“, or hangover anxiety, is a buzzword to describe the debilitating anxiety that comes after a night of heavy drinking. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, mental health challenges, or both, contact Clear Behavioral Health to learn more about our treatment programs. Your choice is Clear—give us a call and let’s explore how to begin the recovery process together. Having a breathwork exercise, practicing some mindfulness, and spending at least 10 minutes in daylight are three easy ways Dr. Naidoo says can help manage your hangxiety symptoms.
It might seem very straightforward that the cause of hangxiety is a hangover. Anxiety can be anywhere from mild—where you just feel a sense of unease but you’re ok to function through it—to crippling, in which you may have frequent panic attacks and an inability to go about life like “normal.” The term “hangxiety” is now fairly widely used, though the official origins of the verbiage are unknown.
- You can also use over the counter medications like ibuprofen or Tylenol to relieve symptoms like headache, nausea, or muscle aches.
- You might want to check in with a friend that was with you when you were drunk to put your mind at ease.
- This is a form of mindfulness meditation, and Firstein recommends doing it for at least ten minutes to truly feel the benefits.
- Another key component that can drum up hangxiety is faulty memory, Andand says.
- They can rule out other medical conditions, write you a prescription if needed, and can recommend a mental health professional to address anxiety symptoms.
Beverages high in congeners (chemical byproducts of alcohol fermentation, found in larger amounts in dark liquors like whiskey and red wine) may increase the likelihood and severity of hangxiety. Opt for https://sober-house.org/what-are-whippits-and-how-can-they-be-abused/ lighter-colored drinks like vodka or gin, as this may reduce the risk. People who experience regular anxiety during hangovers may wish to check experts’ guidance on whether they are drinking too much.
If you’re prone to hangxiety (or bad hangovers in general) be cognizant of what types of drinks your body responds best to and try to stick to those. That might mean giving up your beloved cosmo, but we’re willing to bet the alcohol-depression connection your anxiety-free self (or at least less anxious self) will thank you for the sacrifice. Hangxiety is a term that describes hangover anxiety, an experience of anxiousness that occurs after you’ve been drinking alcohol.
Anna Gora is a health writer at Live Science, having previously worked across Coach, Fit&Well, T3, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide. She is a certified personal trainer, nutritionist and health coach with nearly 10 years of professional experience. cbt for alcoholism and drug addiction She is passionate about empowering people to live a healthy lifestyle and promoting the benefits of a plant-based diet. However, Gunn stressed that “the link between sleep quality and hangover anxiety has not yet been established.”
Woe to the person with the unfortunate fate of experiencing all these at once (been there). AUD can range from mild to severe, and it can affect anyone regardless of age, background, or gender. It’s important to recognize the signs and seek help if you or someone you love is struggling with alcohol use. When anxiety is overwhelming, relaxation techniques can help pull you out of thought rumination. Hangxiety is common, but it doesn’t happen to everyone, and experts aren’t clear as to why.