For most people, a long night of drinks will come with some ugly effects. Usually, there will be some bad headaches and nausea, but there are some other effects that are less known. One of them is anxiety. Of course, everyone can feel nervous after drinking too much, especially the night before is kind of hazy, but for some drinkers this feeling is more intense. And as it turns out, it can be just another symptom of hangover.
It is a common symptom for hangovers
“I think of a hangover as, more or less, a mini-withdrawal from alcohol, and anxiety is one of the components,” George F. Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says. When you drink alcohol you will get a rush of dopamine, but the effect will soon wear off and you will soon be in a bad mood. Scientists have also discovered that drinking affects your sleep cycle as well, and, as a consequence of sleep deprivation, your anxiety will get worse.
People with anxiety disorders are more vulnerable
While many people get anxiety after hangover, the feeling is worse for people who already have anxiety. “People who already have a pre-existing anxiety disorder, even if it’s a small one and kind of underlying everything, whatever they have quieted by drinking the alcohol, that can come back full force or even worse,” Iyer, M.D., a psychiatrist and assistant professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center explains.
The feelings that you have after you drink alcohol, or even the day after, can result in a whole range of feelings and moods and anxiety symptoms. It can range from panic to feeling depressed to feeling impulsive to feeling agitated and irritable,” she adds.
