Taking a few drinks with friends on a night out makes for an evening of excitement. However, waking up with a hangover the following morning is not fun at all.
It’s highly likely that you’re already familiar with the physical hangover symptoms, like nausea, headaches, and sensitivity to light. But, a hangover can also have psychological symptoms as well, particularly anxiety feelings. The phenomenon occurs frequently and is known as hangover anxiety or, “hangxiety.”
What Causes Hangover Anxiety to Happen?
Hangover anxiety is a relatively new concept, and researchers have not yet discovered the exact cause. However, some theories have come up, including:
1. Social Anxiety
A lot of people take alcohol to overcome their social anxiety. A drink or two helps one to relax and alleviate feelings of nervousness or anxiousness before a social occasion. However, as the alcoholic effects start to wear off, the feelings of shyness or anxiety tend to come back. Physical symptoms of a hangover may compound the emotional distress and cause a person to feel worse.
2. Alcohol Detoxification
Regardless of the number of drinks you take, your body will eventually need to eliminate alcohol from your system. The detox period can take a maximum of eight hours, during which you may feel anxious, jittery, or restless.
3. Emotional Withdrawal
When the body releases endorphins in response to traumatic occurrences, the levels of the feel-good hormones naturally reduce for several days. Alcohol consumption also triggers the production of endorphins, which eventually go down. Therefore, at first, consuming liquor may appear to help numb existing physical or psychological pain. However, it will not make it disappear.
How to Cure Hangover Anxiety
If you’re suffering from hangover anxiety, you can try to overcome it through the methods below:
1. Manage the Physical Symptoms
Improving your physical status will help you in tackling your anxious feelings.
Ensure to drink plenty of water all through the day to rehydrate your body. Also, if you’re experiencing nausea, eat some of the following foods to settle your tummy;
- bananas
- crackers
- dry toast
- broth
Additionally, try to take adequate rest. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you can take a shower or play some soothing music. If you’re suffering from muscle aches or headaches, you can take some over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen. Just ensure to take the correct dose.
2. Do Breathing Exercises
Taking a couple of deep breaths can help to ease feelings of anxiety. Breathe in as you count to four, and then breathe out as you count to four once more.
3. Try Meditation
Lie down or sit back, shut your eyes, and concentrate on your feelings and thoughts. Avoid judging, avoiding, or unpacking your thoughts. Just take notice of them as they pass through your mind.
4. Put Things into Perspective
Many times, a huge portion of hangover anxiety is fretting about the things you probably said or did while drinking. However, you might not be the only person who said or did regrettable things. It’s highly likely that nobody took notice of what you said or did. Focusing on what may have occurred will only make you feel worse.
Hangover Cure
Are you in need of a quick and effective hangover relief? The Hangover Hospital has a solution that works in just 45 minutes to get you back to your usual self. In this post, we take a look at how to cure hangover anxiety.
For more details on how to cure hangover anxiety, please contact the Hangover Hospital at (305) 912-4911