If that seems a bit too dry, you can try a few weeks or stick to some of the tips and tricks meant to dull the effects of hangxiety, like increased hydration. Ticking off items on your to-do list ahead of time can also help. “When you have nothing else to do that day, and you’re just resting … it does make your anxiety a little bit better.  You can just do self-care,” Adnand suggests. That means exercise, healthy food, lots of hydration, and setting yourself up for better sleep hygiene the following night. Hangxiety is the mash-up term pop culture has given to that feeling of anxiety or sadness that can follow an evening of heavy drinking. Years ago, I shared a drink with a friend who was leaving the city.

Drink smart

Even if you’re on your best behavior — chugging H2O between beers or noshing on healthy snacks between sips — a night out can leave you a little high and dry. And research from 2011, 2014, and 2018 all found ecstasy addiction and abuse that dehydration can exacerbate anxiety and depression. The anxiety comes roaring back in full force — and it might be compounded by worries about what you might’ve said or done when the drinks were flowing.

How can you beat back hangxiety if you feel it coming on?

Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it can increase the production of urine and can lead to dehydration, exacerbating the symptoms of hangxiety. To counteract this, drink plenty of water before, during, and after consuming alcohol. Here are a few factors that may impact the likelihood that you’ll experience hangxiety.

Try mindfulness meditation

Given how alcohol messes with the production of your feel-good chemicals, if you are some who has anxiety, it would makes sense that a hangover would worsen that. Alcohol also might reduce the effectiveness of your anxiety medication, a review on alcohol: from the central action mechanism to chemical dependency if you take it, further leading to anxiety after drinking. “Alcohol slows down brain activity, and your brain will release neurotransmitters that speed up brain activity to counteract all the alcohol you drank,” she says.

Alcohol-related actions

Exercise can also be a great way to boost your mood and reduce anxiety. Additionally, your hangover and accompanying anxiety may be more intense if you weren’t well hydrated and fed prior to drinking. Eating processed foods high in sugar, which can also mess with your mood and production of feel-good chemicals, and not having consumed enough water while drinking can both intensify hangover and hangxiety symptoms. Anyone can suffer from hangxiety; but different people have different levels of resilience, as well as tolerance to alcohol, says Sandler. There are many folk remedies for hangover symptoms that include anxiety, including weird ones like drinking pickle juice or downing chicken soup, but none of them has been proven effective in research.

It could be alcohol intolerance

While not every drinker who experiences a hangover will experience a mood disturbance, post-drinking anxiety is considered a hangover symptom. As for the reason this happens, there are a few different theories. One is that people often turn to alcohol to deal with their already present anxiety. The physical symptoms of a hangover can then exacerbate these feelings.

1. The combination of physical discomfort and psychological turmoil can create a difficult array of emotions, making it even more difficult to shake off the lingering effects of the night before.
2. Try moving into a state of mindfulness, or doing a short guided meditation to bring yourself back into your body.
3. Medibank acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of this nation.

“You just really have this rebound feeling that you just dread,” he said. You’ve probably noticed that different types of alcohol make you feel differently. For example, maybe wine makes you sleepy while vodka makes you want to cry about your relationship with your mom.

“At first, alcohol elevates the GABA system — the brain’s natural calming neurotransmitter — and this leads to its relaxing and sociability effects,” Nutt said. “Then, at higher doses, it blocks another neurotransmitter called glutamate. Glutamate has opposite effects to GABA; it excites the brain and lays down memories. Blocking it leads to sedation and amnesia.” Getting rid of hangxiety involves resting, avoiding anxiety-provoking challenges during the episode, staying with a supportive person, getting something to eat, and staying hydrated.

That’s one way to avoid future bouts of hangxiety, but there are other things you can do to reduce your risk of experiencing alcohol’s less desirable effects. Not getting enough of the right nutrients can also affect mood symptoms. A 2011 study on adults with depression or anxiety suggests a link between low levels of folic acid and these conditions. Talk with a doctor or a mental health professional if you’re struggling to reign in your alcohol consumption. Yes, a hot cup of coffee might sound delicious when you wake up hungover, but when feeling anxious, trying to avoid stimulants is essential. Chances are, coffee will make you feel even more on edge or exacerbate other anxiety symptoms.

Additionally, I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, people who already struggle with anxiety and anxiety disorders are more susceptible to experiencing hangxiety after drinking. If you’ve experienced anxiety while nursing a hangover after a night out drinking, there’s term for that – hangxiety. The experience of hangxiety can vary from person to person, but it generally involves a sense of unease or dread coupled with the physical discomfort of a hangover.

The good news is there are things you can do to stop it happening again. Impaired judgment and inhibition due to alcohol consumption can lead to situations that provoke anxiety upon reflection. Individuals may experience regret, embarrassment, https://sober-house.org/alcohol-withdrawal-symptoms-treatment-timeline-4/ or shame over actions or decisions made while under the influence, contributing to heightened anxiety levels. The weird times we’re living in have caused some of us to lean on the bottle a little more than we normally would.