How to Deal with & Prevent "Hangxiety"

Have you ever experienced anxiety after a night of drinking? Waking up the next morning with a pit in your stomach and your hear rate elevated? If so, you've likely experienced "hangxiety." This term refers to the anxious feelings that can sometimes accompany the physical symptoms of a hangover. For those of us that have experienced this, we know it can be unpleasant especially when it accompanies a bad headache and all of the other hangover symptoms.

Here are some of the causes of hangxiety:

• Alcohol detox

• Social anxiety

• Dehydration

• Poor Sleep

• Alcohol intolerance

• Folic acid deficiency

• Medication

• Worry or regret for actions/behaviors from the night before

Those of us that may experience social anxiety are more likely to experience hangxiety. So if you find yourself experiencing this after a fun night out, here is what you can do to combat the symptoms:

• Manage physical symptoms of your hangover: hydrate, eat well, rest, & manage pain

• Engage in light exercises, stretching, or grounding yoga poses

• Try a mindfulness technique or meditation

• Dress comfortable

• Check in with a loved one

• Reframe the night knowing that you likely were not the only one that said or did things they regretted

• Reach out for support if needed

So now that I've discussed ways that you can ease hangxiety the morning after, it is important to explore ways that you can prevent it. Here is what you can do:

• Make sure that you eat a full and balanced meal before drinking

• Drink a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage that you consume

• Space out time between your drinks

• Set a limit for yourself

• Drink with people that you feel safe with

• Don't mix your alcohol