What Is Hangover Anxiety
After a night of drinking a little too much, you may experience the pounding headache, the unbearable nausea, and/or an aversion to bright lights. But sometimes when you overdo it on the adult bevs you are also overcome by a feeling of uneasiness and anxiousness, or your minds flooded with panicky thoughts .
The term for a hangover with a side of anxiety has now been dubbed hangxiety, and you can find discussions of hangover anxiety all over the interwebs and forums, like on Reddit. While hangxiety isnt necessarily a new concept, it could be that societys finally started buzzing about the phenomenon because were more open about mental health in general .
Studies show that its a real thing that people are experiencing. A 2019 study published in Personality and Individual Differencesfound that hangover anxiety after a day of drinking was most prevalent in highly shy people, or people with deal with social anxiety.
We talked to psychology and alcohol experts to get the lowdown on the anxiety that often comes with a nasty hangover heres everything you need to know about how to move past hangover anxiety to get on with your day.
Theres a physiological reason you might feel anxious after a night of drinking.
READ MORE:Is There A Way To Stop A Hangover In Its Tracks?
But there are psychological reasons for feeling anxiety post-drinking, too.
Just because youre feeling the hangxiety hardcore doesnt necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder.
The Best Hangover Cures That Actually Work
A wise man once said drinking alcohol is like borrowing fun from tomorrow. He might’ve been right, but here are our tips on how to stop a hangover!
Credit: ShotPrime Studio – Shutterstock
So you got utterly debauched last night, didn’t you? While you may have had a great night out, now it’s time to wade through the motions of regret, self-pity and a heavy head.
Alcohol can take up to 11 hours to leave your system, but these tried and tested tips will help you to recover faster!
We can’t promise an instant miracle cure for hangovers, but we can offer the next best thing. It depends on what poison you chose and how well your body can cope with seeing it off. We can, however, offer some very effective tips on becoming human once again.
beforemorning after
How To Get Over Hangover Anxiety
Start by taking care of your basic physical needs: Rehydrate. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Eat a light meal of mild foods. If youre dealing with nausea, things like broth, soda crackers, bananas, or dry toast can all help settle your stomach. Try to get some sleep. Try over-the-counter pain relief.
Read Also: How To Control Nervous Anxiety
Alcohol And Anxiety The Vicious Circle
If you suffer from anxiety, its important not to be tricked by the temporary feeling of relaxation from drinking alcohol, to avoid being trapped in a vicious circle:
- You drink alcohol
- You initially feel calm as the alcohol affects the brain
- You feel anxious as a symptom of alcohol withdrawal
- You may want to drink again to try to relieve your anxiety
But the last step only starts the process again from the beginning. As the initial calm feeling fades you can feel anxiety as the effects of the alcohol wear off.
The more you drink the greater your tolerance for alcohol – meaning you need to drink more alcohol to get the same feeling. If you rely on alcohol to mask anxiety, you may find you become reliant on it to relax putting you at risk of alcohol dependence.
The Benefits Of Sobriety
In addition to feelings of anxiety, Schuster says drinking alcohol often messes with her sleep patterns and makes her feel physically unwell. In her book, she shares that one of her personal rules about consuming alcohol is that she doesn’t drink alone, so Schuster says she’s barely drank at all during the pandemic.
“I haven’t been drinking this year and I feel the healthiest I’ve ever felt,” she says. “Why am I in this s***storm dumpster fire madness of the world and also the most mentally healthy? I would be very surprised if there wasn’t some kind of correlation between me not making a choice that I know makes me feel bad and feeling the best I’ve ever felt.”
Schuster says when we feel like we “need a drink,” it’s time to pause for a beat and ask which feelings we’re hoping to turn off or self-medicate with alcohol.
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Frierson agrees.
” has been the hardest-fought battle of my life,” says the South Carolina mom of two. “But outside of being a mom, it’s been the most rewarding.”
“I started going to therapy and practicing a myriad of techniques that help me make it through the moments where I feel some of the symptoms are used to when I was drinking,” she continues. ” doesn’t always go away completely, but it grounds me enough that I find myself again and don’t look for alcohol to make me whole.”
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How To Get Rid Of A Hangover + 9 Home Remedies
If youve ever spent an evening overindulging in alcohol, chances are youve experienced the group of unpleasant symptoms known as a hangover. Headaches, nausea, vertigo and abdominal pain are just a few of the troublesome symptoms associated with consuming alcohol to excess. When you awaken, your first thoughts may center around how to get rid of a hangover and if there is a magic cure!
There is no magic cure, but there are natural hangover remedies that will help lessen some of the symptoms. The challenge with finding a cure for a hangover is that there are so many underlying processes affected by alcohol. Dehydration, low blood sugar and exhaustion stem from separate issues. Dehydration comes from excess urine production the alcohol causes low blood sugar and a lack of food and exhaustion is brought on by poor sleep quality.
Thats why multiple natural hangover remedies must be employed. Of course, the best way to never have to wonder how to get rid of a hangover is to never drink alcohol in excess. Binge drinking, common on college campuses, can lead not only to hangovers but to a serious, life-threatening condition known as alcohol poisoning. If you ever see anyone experience a loss of consciousness or turn blue after drinking, call 911 immediately.
How Much Alcohol Causes A Hangover
Having more than one drink per hour can cause problems. Your body needs about an hour to metabolize, or process, one drink, which is:
- 12 ounces of regular or light beer about one can .
- 8 to 9 ounces of malt liquor or many types of craft beers approximately half a pint glass .
- 5 ounces of table wine about one glass .
- 1.5 ounces of liquor approximately one shot .
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As A Mental Health Booster
Theres some evidence that full body, cold water submersion can help with anxiety and depression, says Allison Young, MD, a practicing psychiatrist and adjunct professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and medical reviewer for Everyday Health.
One study, for instance, found that winter swimming was linked to less tension, fatigue, and negative moods, as well as improved self-reported energy and vigor.
Dr. Young isnt aware of evidence that just dunking your face in ice water has benefits because it hasnt been formally studied, but it could share some of the same effects that cold water submersion has on the body.
Submerging in cold water causes the body to release noradrenaline and beta endorphin, two feel-good hormones, says Young. This triggers your parasympathetic nervous system. Its the same effect that other relaxation techniques, like deep breathing practices, have on the body, she says.
Why Do I Feel Anxious The Day After Drinking
Feeling anxious after a night of drinking, also known as hangxiety, is a common symptom of a hangover. If you have anxiety, this experience can be even more intense and it can even affect how well you function.
When you drink, your brain produces dopamine, a chemical that makes you feel happy. You want to drink more as a way to hold onto that feeling, but this happiness is short-lived and this chemical reaction slows down and increases your levels of anxiety. Although your brain may be producing happy chemicals, alcohol is actually a depressant, which can ultimately make you feel much worse.
The feelings of anxiety usually take shape while you are asleep, and you might wake up in a panic. You might go over everything you remember saying the night before. You might find yourself rushing to see if you sent any embarrassing texts or uploaded any photos or videos online. If youre struggling to remember what happened, it can make your anxiety even worse.
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The Anxiety Of Confusion And Memory Lapses
Both confusion and memory lapses are common for people with hangovers. The confusion may initially result from feeling terrible and not remembering why. After the initial confusion, you may still find yourself unable to think clearly, either due to physical pain or dehydration, and fatigue due to poor sleep quality. This inability to think clearly may lead you to jump to conclusions .
Confusion can also be caused by lapses in your memory. Not being able to recall what happened prior to waking up with a hangover and all its accompanying symptoms can cause a great deal of stress, causing you to speculate about every bad thing that might have happened to you. The list is essentially endless, particularly after a blackout, when you dont remember a period of time – almost anything could have happened. More reasonable concerns include saying things you didnt mean, while more intense fears can come from imagining that you were attacked or abused by someone.
How Common Is Hangover Anxiety
Hangxiety is common but is not universal like the hangover. Hangxiety, however, can happen to anyone but is more prevalent among people who have depression or anxiety and for individuals who are shy. Individuals with anxiety experience temporary relief of their symptoms when drinking, however, they will experience much worse feelings of anxiety once the effect wears off.
Studies also show that people who experience shyness and anxiety may be at greater risk for developing alcohol use disorder . It has also been shown that these individuals are also more likely to relapse and may experience more withdrawal symptoms.
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Is It Time To Rethink Your Drinks
Theres nothing inherently wrong with booze. Moderate drinking might even have its benefits.
But moderation isnt always easy. If stopping yourself after a drink or two feels like its getting trickier or impossible, consider rethinking your drinking. And if booze has become your Rx of choice for bad days, its probably time to hit pause.
Theres no harm or shame in evaluating your drinking habits. Its a great way to boost your self-awareness and potentially improve your overall health.
What Is Hangxiety And How To Get Rid Of It Immediately
A good evening may be had by sharing a few drinks with friends on a night out or at a party. But the hangover and headache that occurs the next day is not very enjoyable. The classic physical symptoms of a hangover are certainly recognizable to you: nausea, pounding headache, and the need to wear sunglasses at the first sign of dawn. However, hangovers can cause psychological symptoms as well, particularly worry. This behavior has risen in popularity over the past few years, and it is now known as hangxiety.
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Depression And Mental Health After Drinking
Not everything related to the development of anxiety is going to be easy to understand. One of the things we know about the brain after alcohol use is that it’s not uncommon for depression and anxiety to feel worse. This is related to neurochemical changes, combined with some of our thoughts after a heavy night of drinking – making it feel even worse.
If you feel depressed and anxious after drinking, you have plenty of company. The surest remedy for the physical changes during alcohol withdrawal is time, but you can do some things to lessen the anxiety and ease some of your symptoms in the meantime.
Sweat In An Infrared Sauna For Quicker Recovery
Did you drink a lot last night? And are you asking about “how to get rid of hangover anxiety?”
Well, I’ve just given you three great tips:
Unfortunately, a lot more research is needed on many of these topics right now.
But, the currently available research, especially for people already using these strategies, is very promising.
In Finnish culture, where drinking alcohol is very common, saunas are used as a means to reduce the intensity of hangovers, for instance.
And yet, I think the very gentle and relaxing infrared saunas we offer can massively improve the benefits you get.
With an infrared sauna you do get the heavy sweating, and therefore the detoxification, without the stress response.
So sitting in a very hot and humid traditional sauna can create further stress in your body, added on top to the hangover stress – that risk is dramatically lowered in an infrared sauna.
So, even though the science is not yet 100% clear, it’s probably best to spend 10-15 minutes sweating in an infrared sauna, cool down, sweat some more, and call it an easy day.
If youâre ready to get relaxing in the comfort of your own home, to discover our full range of Infrared Saunas.
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When Is Hangxiety A Problem
Because our bodies have chemicals that react differently to different experiences on different days, its likely that hangxiety can happen to anyone who overdoes it, said Fong. But if your hangxiety doesnt resolve after a day, and continues onto day two or three, that might be cause for concern. Its an issue when it interferes with your daily behavior, he said. Id also be really concerned if the hangxiety prevents you from doing something you plan to do that day. If you have it on a Saturday, nothing is going on and you’re just going to hang out until it wears off, that’s not really a problem. But if you develop hangxiety on Monday and you’re supposed to report or log on to work and be present all day and you can’t, then it becomes a little more of a problem.
It Could Be Alcohol Intolerance
Yep, some peeps are allergic to alcohol. And some of the physical signs of an allergic reaction look and feel like hangxiety:
- general jitteriness and anxiety
Alcohol intolerance can vary in intensity. If youre experiencing signs of a serious allergic reaction hives, throat constriction, or trouble breathing get medical help ASAP.
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What Do People Get Hangovers
What causes hangxiety? And is there a way to prevent such feelings after a night of drinking? Let us investigate first why alcohol gives people a hangover. More often than not, a crazy night out with friends ends in a crazy miserable morning. Even when people enjoy their evening, they can still hate their hangover. The morning after, people may claim that they will never drink again or ask themselves why they would consume something that would make them feel so sick.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are several factors that contribute to hangovers. When alcohol is consumed, the human body, mostly the liver, metabolizes alcohol. In the midst of this alcohol metabolization, the body releases the chemical acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is toxic and causes inflammation throughout the body, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver, and of course, the brain. Inflammation is the cause of all sorts of illnesses, and it is likely the culprit of a hangover too.
When Hangxiety Could Indicate A Problem
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders used by mental health professionals lists 11 criteria that could lead to a diagnosis of AUD, defined by the NIAAA as problem drinking that becomes severe. One of those is continuing to drink even though it makes you feel depressed or anxious. According to the DSM-5, AUD can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe depending on how many symptoms you’ve checked off.
A red flag for someone who may be wondering whether or not they have an alcohol use disorder, Koob says, is if they self-medicate anxiety with more alcohol. who drink and then get anxious, and then start using the anxiety as an excuse for drinkingyou’re beginning to get in trouble in my view, Koob says.
If you have enough alcohol-induced anxiety that it affects your functioning, and you continue to drink despite knowledge of this effect, then it does become a basis for being diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, Dr. Naqvi explains.
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