Research shows these are the worst alcoholic drinks for hangxiety
Avoid the cocktail of dread
Ever wondered what causes hangxiety? Here’s what experts chalk up the dreadful morning-after feelings to, and how your drink choice plays a role.
In the grand scheme of things, there are two gruelling human experiences that will test the physical, emotional and psychological endurance of anyone: Anxiety and hangovers.
Combined, the two form a classic case of ‘hanxiety’, an overwhelming feeling of unease following a night of drinking alcohol.
With some people being far more familiar with the phenomenon than others, experts are determined to understand how and why hanxiety manifests after a big night of drinking, and what we can all do to avoid it in the future.
What causes hangxiety?
In short, drinking more alcohol than your body can comfortably tolerate leads to significant changes in your brain’s chemical makeup.
When alcohol enters our system, our brains begin to shut off the production of glutamate – the chemical responsible for anxious feelings – leaving us quickly feeling more relaxed and uninhibited. Adrenaline and dopamine increase as we drink more and as most of us will attest, a night of heavy drinking can often lead to uninhibited decision-making.
“This is why people feel more relaxed and disinhibited, and their racing thoughts reduce when they drink,” Yale School of Medicine professor Stephen Holt tells National Geographic.
But the next morning, as the effects of alcohol gradually wear off, our brains desperately try to restore themselves to their regular chemical balance, focussing on increasing glutamate levels once again.
This overnight drop in alcohol-induced feel-good chemicals (such as serotonin and dopamine) leaves many feeling unusually sad, regretful and anxious the next morning.
What drink choices are the worst for hangxiety?
So, are only those who experience anxiety (without the influence of alcohol) at risk of developing the cocktail of dread, or are we all at the mercy of hangxiety after a few too many?
As Neuropsychopharmacologist David Nutt explains to National Geographic, avoiding the phenomenal entirely is difficult, given the chemical makeup of the average human brain.
“Almost anyone who drinks any alcohol will experience alterations in their brain when they’re coming off the alcohol,” he says. “With a small amount of drinking, that may manifest as confusion, but after larger quantities, you can have anxiety.”
However, while every form of alcohol has the potential to trigger hanxiety, there are a few common drinks particularly prone to encouraging morning-after dread.
For those looking to proactively pick their poison in order to avoid hangxiety, experts recommend keeping cocktails high in sugar and spirits to a minimum, given the category of booze known to heighten anxiety by spiking blood sugar and blood alcohol.
Another favourite to be mindful of is red wine, a form of alcohol high in tyramine and histamines – both known to “Trigger anxiety in susceptible people,” says mental health expert Lisa Gunn in an interview with HuffPost UK.
Though any alcoholic drink will contribute to the chemical reaction responsible for hangxiety, experts note beers with low alcohol by volume (ABV) offer a reduced risk – as long as they are drunk in moderation.
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Originally published as Research shows these are the worst alcoholic drinks for hangxiety
