We have all been through an episode of the classic hangover after drinking – the headache, nausea, parched throat and an awful feeling that just doesn’t go away. Sometimes, the worst part isn’t just the pounding headache or the fatigue, it’s the eerie sense of anxiety after drinking, negative thoughts, the guilt and the restlessness. That’s what we call a classic case of hangxiety
In this blog, we will explore what happens after drinking alcohol, why some people feel anxious at night or the morning after, how long it lasts and what can one do to calm their mind and body after a night of heavy drinking.
What Happens After You Drink Alcohol?
Before we dig deeper into the topic, lets clear some basics:
- Your body works in tandem with your liver to break down ethanol into acetaldehyde and then into lesser harmful compounds. But in the process, inflammation and oxidative stress increase.
- Alcohol causes dehydration by making you urinate more, which makes your body lose water and electrolytes which it really needs at that moment.
- Neurochemicals in your brain, which handle calmness (GABA) and excitement (glutamate), get thrown off balance.
- Sleep gets disturbed. Alcohol fragments sleep cycles, reducing the deep and REM sleep that you need to recover from your night out.
- These effects when combined, produce alcohol hangover symptoms like headache, sensitivity to light, nausea, fatigue and bodily stress.
How Long Do Hangovers Last?
This is a question that usually comes from a place of desperation. The duration of how long should or would a hangover or hangxiety has multiple deciding factors.
- The amount of alcohol that has been consumed: the more you drink, the higher the burden on your body to metabolise and clear toxins.
- Your metabolism and liver health. Some people can handle the load surprisingly better than others.
- Hydration, nutrition and rest: if you drink enough water, eat well and get sleep, you can recover faster.
- Underlying mental conditions or anxiety: if you already have anxiety, the rebound effects might last longer.
- In quite a lot of cases, hangover symptoms begin when blood alcohol concentration returns to zero, and they might persist for 12 hours or even the whole day, sometimes even longer depending on how much you had to drink and how well your body recovers.
Why Do You Feel Anxious at Night or the Morning After?
That’s the heart of hangxiety. Let’s understand why it happens (1)
- Neurochemical rebound: while drinking, alcohol boosts GABA, a calming neurotransmitter, and also suppresses excitatory signals. Once the alcohol wears off, GABA levels are dropped and the excitatory signals bounces back. The rebound can trigger nervousness and restlessness.
- Stress hormone changes: Alcohol can raise cortisol, your stress hormone, and disturb hormonal balance. After the ‘high’ drops low, increased cortisol and stress signaling makes you feel on the edge.
- Improper sleep and fatigue: Since you had fragmented sleep, your brain and body get exhausted the next day. Tiredness and poor cognition just make you more anxious.
- Physical discomfort: When everything comes crash, a throbbing headache, stomach churns, dehydration, your body signals distress. The brain might interpret these signals and emotion distress too, which causes anxiety.
- Psychological rumination: After we’ve had too much to drink, we contemplate and regret what we did or said and worry about what others might think of you. These instances makes your more anxious that you already were.
Alcohol and anxiety go hand it hand in the aftermath of a party; one amplifies the other.
Does Alcohol Reduce Anxiety? Spoiler: It’s Temporary
Many drink to unwind or calm down. In the moment, you might feel that alcohol makes you feel relaxed and detached from your worries, but that’s just the effects on the GABA transmission.
But this relief is short lived and comes with a heavy price. When the alcohol washes out, your brain scrambles to restore balance, then the pendulum swings past equilibrium into anxiety.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Hangxiety:
When you take one–part classic hangover, add one – part emotional unease to it, you get hangxiety. Keep an eye out for
- Racing thoughts
- Guilt and an uneasy stomach
- Restlessness and irritability
- Trouble focusing or mental fog
- Physical symptoms like headaches, nausea or palpitations
- It’s not your simple ‘bad mood’s, a lot of people feel hangxieties intensely and sometimes bordering on panic.
How to Calm Hangxiety After A Night Out
We have curated practical and evidence-backed tips you can follow. These might not magically cure your problems, but it’s a way to help your body and mind recover.
1. Restore electrolyte balance
Drink plenty of water or coconut water. Make sure that you’re taking electrolytes. Getting some sodium, potassium, and magnesium into your system helps reduce physical stress signals.
2. Gentle nourishment & antioxidants:
Have a balanced meal that’s light on your stomach. Eat whole grains, fruits or lean protein. Add antioxidant-rich foods like turmeric, berries, and greens to your meal to help counter oxidative stress. (2)
3. Optimal rest & quality sleep:
Though you’re drained, short naps or resting with low stimulation helps. When you do, avoid looking at bright screens and loud environments.
4. Practice breathing, mindfulness & grounding
Slow and deep breathing exercises and meditation calm your nervous system down. When you get anxious thoughts, gently focus on your breath or the surroundings around you.
5. Supplements
- Magnesium: It helps regulate your nerves and can calm excitatory signals.
- B-complex vitamins: It helps support neurotransmitter balance and restores energy metabolism.
- Herbal adaptogens or antioxidants: Turmeric, ashwagandha, or herbal blends help reduce inflammation and stress.
- Hydration: A mix of electrolytes, antioxidants and vitamins support recovery.
When to Seek Help:
If after drinking your anxiety becomes unusually severe and persistent to a point that it interferes with your daily life, its worth talking to a healthcare professional. Consider,
- Patterns of dependancy on alcohol
- Underlying anxiety
- Frequent hangovers with mental symptoms worsening
Final Thoughts
Hangxiety is absolutely real. An uncomfortable crossover of hangover after drinking and anxiety after drinking. Born of chemicals, sleep and psychological shockwaves your body experiences after alcohol leaves your body.
Figuring out why you feel anxious at night after drinking and realising that the calming effects of alcohol are just temporary, gives you more control over the situation. Focus on hydration, nutrition, rest, mindful breathing, and supplementation to help calm your body and mind better.
The next time you go partying or drowning in drinks, keep in mind that the decisions you make before and during the night decides how you feel the next morning.
FAQs:
1. Is hangxiety real or just a thing people made up?
Yes, hangxiety is real. It’s when “hangover” and “anxiety” decide to collaborate. While it’s not any kind of medical diagnosis, it is a very real combination of physical and psychological symptoms that follows after drinking alcohol. Studies suggest that alcohol indeed temporarily alters brain chemicals like GABA and the glutamate, which makes you anxious, restless and makes your mood bad once its effects wear off.
2. Why do some people feel more anxious than others?
Everyone is built different. Everyone’s body and brain chemistry respond differently. People who have higher anxiety levels naturally or are more sensitive to stress hormones experience hangxiety strongly. Dehydration, improper sleep, low blood sugar, and poor nutrition tend to worse it.
3. Does drinking more reduce hangxiety over time?
It’s quite the opposite. Frequent drinking might worsen anxiety over time because alcohol disrupts your neurotransmitter balance. While it feels calming at first, consistent drinking can heighten your brain’s stress response, making your anxieties stronger after every time you go drinking.