HANGXIETY Symptoms, Causes and How to Get Rid of it in 2024

The dictionary meaning of Hangxiety

Hangxiety comprises two words, ‘Hangover’ and ‘Anxiety’ that correspond to the feelings of stress, nervousness, panic or worry experienced by an individual after consumption of alcohol (American Psychological Association, 2020).

Unlike the other physical reactions of a hangover, the symptoms of Hangxiety include a general sense of heightened nervousness, excessive irritability, feelings of unease, a feeling of guilt or regret about what happened while being intoxicated, etc. These occur during or after a hangover period.

The Phenomenon

The phenomenon of Hangxiety involves various biological, psychological as well as social factors. All of these elements play a crucial role in understanding the occurrence of Hangxiety.

Biological Factors:

Dehydration is very common after excessive drinking which further leads to headaches and dizziness. Similarly, alcohol disrupts the blood sugar levels causing fatigue and shakiness. All of these fluctuations increase the anxiety in an individual.

Psychological Factors:

Social anxiety is a phenomenon marked by fear of being judged, humiliated or embarrassed in a social setting (Hofmann, 2017). After drinking, the anxiety might increase while trying to recall the events and feeling embarrassed about the behaviour. This often leads to feelings of regret and guilt.

Sometimes, the events during consumption are toll-taking. Dealing with the aftermath can become anxiety-provoking and difficult to handle. Also, if the actions do not match the social norms of the expectations, this can increase anxiety.

Its Impact on Individuals

Hangover Anxiety can alarm an individual both physically and emotionally. One’s body can be impacted in various ways like changes and difficulty in breathing. While feeling anxious, the breathing may become rapid and shallow causing hyperventilation. Furthermore, the feelings of stress might signal the body to release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline preparing the body for fight or flight. It can therefore lead to nausea, diarrhoea and a churning sensation in the stomach.

Furthermore, as consumption of alcohol leads to an increase of dopamine and serotonin, as the alcohol metabolises in the body, these levels significantly drop leading to mood swings. It gets difficult to relax the mind and the body.

What is Hangover Anxiety?

Defining Hangxiety

Anxiety is characterised by worrying, restlessness, uneasiness and/or fear. It is frequently accompanied by bodily symptoms like nausea, breathing difficulties and tightness in the chest. On the other hand, anxiety-like symptoms that accompany alcohol consumption, usually after a night of drinking, are referred to as "hangxiety" or hangover anxiety.

According to studies, people use less quantity of alcohol as a coping mechanism for stress and other emotional problems. Excessive alcohol consumption on the other hand can link to anxiety. In these circumstances, hangxiety could be the reason for your startling awakening at three in the morning after drinking. Hence, having thorough information about the physiological, and emotional effects and solutions can benefit in reducing anxiety (Kim, 2022).

Science behind Hangxiety

Hangxiety is typically caused as a result of three physiological changes: increased cortisol levels, decrease of GABA in the brain and increased heart rate. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is disrupted by heavy drinking by increasing the levels, putting the body in a state of stress and entering withdrawal. Individuals who drink high amounts of alcohol have been proven to have increased stress levels (Addiction Biology, 2019).

The balance between glutamate, our primary excitatory neurotransmitter and gamma-aminobutyric acid, our primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, is maintained by the brain (GABA). Due to drinking, the brain decreases the levels of GABA receptors. It makes calming down difficult and we need an increased amount of alcohol to have the same effect. This causes individuals to panic in the middle of the night and can also increase anxiety for the next several days (Gonzales, 1997).

Alcohol leads to the removal of fluids from your body, in simple words it leads to dehydration. Dehydration leads to a severe decrease in the blood circulation in the body; forcing the heart to beat faster. This is highly anxiety-provoking and can further cause palpitations. A 2020- meta-analysis concluded that even one standard drink is enough to cause heart rate fluctuations (Zamboanga, 2021).

Hangxiety Symptoms

The classification of Hanxiety symptoms can be done on its physical, emotional and cognitive manifestations (Merlo, 2023).

Physical Symptoms:

Headaches
Dizziness or Fatigue
Nausea
Dehydration
Shakiness
Increased Heart Rate
Muscle Cramps

Emotional Symptoms:

Feelings of guilt or shame
Regret about the events
Anxiety
Low mood
Irritability
Mood fluctuations

Cognitive Symptoms:

Difficulty maintaining concentration
Blackouts
Excessive overthinking
Worry about social judgement
Difficulty making decisions due to confusion

Why Alcohol Causes Anxiety?

Alcohol can result in anxiety due to its effects on the body, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, hormonal changes and excessive stress. As the body withdraws alcohol from the system, the brain tries to maintain an equilibrium which results in anxiety-like irritability, tiredness, and mood swings. Alcohol increases urine production and leads to dehydration causing headaches and exacerbating feelings of anxiety. This also causes fluctuations in electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium contributing to physical discomfort.

Elevated cortisol, dopamine and serotonin levels while consumption of alcohol increase pleasure at first but increase distress after a drop in alcohol blood levels. Other behavioural and social consequences of activities undertaken while under the substance influence heighten worry and negative emotions.

Why does alcohol increase anxiety during drinking?

The brain’s neurochemistry is the fundamental way of understanding the reasons for anxiety during the consumption of alcohol. Due to alcohol's ongoing effects on the central nervous system (CNS), mood swings and increased anxiety may result from variations in serotonin and dopamine levels during consumption.

Alcohol's effects on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) can also cause physical side effects, such as sweating and an elevated heart rate, which intensify anxiety even when drinking. Small amounts of alcohol stimulate GABA receptors and might cause feelings of relaxation but heavy amounts deplete GABA resulting in tension, distress and feelings of panic.

Why do people get anxious the day after drinking?

Alcohol usually might make us feel good and give pleasure but its effects are detrimental. As alcohol starts to wear off, our brain starts to return to normal hormonal functioning. It does this by reducing the brain’s GABA (lessening calm feelings) and increasing glutamate (making us feel more anxious). Together this has the opposite effect compared to alcohol consumption.

Hangover symptoms including anxiety are more on the next day of drinking. This happens when the body’s blood alcohol levels return to zero. Depending on the quantity of the alcohol, liver capacity, health, stressors, etc. these last for approximately 24 hours or more.

Preventing Hangxiety

Reducing the likelihood of anxiety post-drinking can be achieved by following these recommendations.

Have spacers: Consuming non-alcoholic drinks in between.
Do not mix different types of alcoholic drinks.
Drinking loads of water to stay hydrated.
Eating before and during drinking
Drinking slowly in sips rather than sculling.
Setting limits on the number of drinks.
Sleeping properly after drinking.

How long does Hangxiety Last?

Hangxiety usually lasts up to 24 hours or more after taking high amounts of alcohol. It starts when the blood alcohol levels return to zero and the body tries to get back to normal functioning. Factors that contribute to the duration of hangxiety include amounts and type of alcohol consumed, tolerance levels, emotional state, hydration, sleep cycle, etc.

Strategies to shorten hangover anxiety

Staying hydrated
Eat food
Relaxation Techniques
Improving the sleep cycle
Not drinking more alcohol while recovering
Easing your mind by talking to someone

Seeking Professional Help for Chronic or Severe Hangxiety

In cases when anxiety symptoms are getting difficult to manage and cause excessive distress, it is important to receive professional intervention. This is crucial when hangover anxiety is disturbing the day-to-day functioning and lasting for very long durations.

Persistent anxiety could be a salient feature of anxiety disorder, furthermore, regular alcohol anxiety could be related to any alcohol-related disorder. To get a clear reason for the distress it is crucial to talk to a professional and seek support to avoid further complications.

Hangxiety Relief and Treatment

Some immediate relief strategies include:

Hydration
Eating properly
Sleeping well
Avoiding substances while recovering
Exercising and physical activity
Meditation
Breathing exercises,etc.

To address the underlying causes of Hangover anxiety, a few steps can be made:

Seeking professional help
Drinking in moderate quantities
Recognise situations leading to excessive drinking
Support from friends and family

Is Hangxiety Real?

Yes, Hangxiety is a real and common phenomenon experienced by many individuals. Alcohol hangovers can have severe cognitive and psychological effects on an individual and cause emotional dysregulation and negative thought patterns (Tellez- Monnery, 2023). In his research, he investigated the underlying factors associated with anxiety caused due to hangovers.

Furthermore, studies give empirical data on the physiological effects of drinking on the brain’s GABA receptors and hormonal imbalance which is the pivotal cause of anxiety. Many individuals have expressed similar symptoms, feelings and difficulties after drinking alcohol. Mental health professionals have addressed this as a significant experience affecting an individual’s day-to-day functioning and overall physical and emotional well-being.

Thus, recognising, sharing and tackling these issues is very important to deal with hangover anxiety in a structured way.

Conclusion

Hangxiety is a term that describes hangover and anxiety, an experience of anxiousness, distress and nervousness that occurs after you’ve been drinking alcohol.

Even though not everyone develops hangxiety, it's fairly common. Alcohol’s effects on your brain in ways like classic hangover factors, dehydration, guilt and worry about the night’s events can all increase anxiety after drinking.

While some people may be more prone to experience hangxiety than others, focusing on your physical health, practising mindfulness and focusing on overall wellbeing can all help when hangxiety hits.

References

Erickson, S. Why You Get “Hangxiety” After a Night of Drinking.

Tellez-Monnery, K., Berghoff, C. R., & McDermott, M. J. (2023). Investigating the effects of emotion dysregulation and repetitive negative thinking on alcohol hangover anxiety and depression. Addictive Behaviors, 140, 107619.

Terpstra, C., Verster, J. C., Scholey, A., & Benson, S. (2022). Associations between mental resilience, mood, coping, personality, and hangover severity. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(8), 2240.

D'Aquino, S., Kumar, A., Riordan, B., & Callinan, S. (2024). Long-term effects of alcohol consumption on anxiety in adults: A systematic review. Addictive Behaviors, 108047.

Kim, A. J., Sherry, S. B., Nealis, L. J., Mushquash, A., Lee-Baggley, D., & Stewart, S. H. (2022). Do symptoms of depression and anxiety contribute to heavy episodic drinking? A 3-wave longitudinal study of adult community members. Addictive behaviors, 130, 107295.