Hangxiety & Booze-Blues
Hangxiety? Booze-Blues? Why do we feel so bad after drinking too much?
Over indulging in alcoholic beverage is something many people can relate to - especially with social events, or around holidays. You may have wondered what is really going on the day after over indulging, and why you might be experiencing changes in mood, digestion and energy.
What is a hangover?
Symptoms of a hangover can be wide ranging - with over 47 different ones being identified in studies. The most common (and consistent!) are fatigue, headaches, nausea, and impaired attention. The symptoms of a hangover are similar to those of chronic alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be more severe - and even deadly - and may also include severe anxiety, negative mood, sweating and seizures.
Many people can also relate to what is often called “hangxiety” or the “booze blues” - feeling anxious or down after overindulging (or even just indulging a little bit).
Why does this occur? Alcohol impacts our body, and subsequently our brain in a variety of different ways, which can all play a role.
Neurotransmitters, Alcohol and Anxiety
Alcohol impacts many of our neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, GABA, glutamate and BDNF. In terms of anxiety - we are most interested in the relationship between alcohol, GABA and it’s receptors. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter - meaning it helps slow down signals. This is very helpful in heightened stress or anxiety responses, where we want some element of slowing down our central nervous system to promote feelings of calm and sedation. Alcohol has a similar effect on our body - binding GABA receptors and producing the same effect of calming our central nervous system. This may be part of the reason why there is a correlation between anxiety disorders and drinking. We feel less anxious when we drink because of the chemical mechansims occuring.
Drinking, over time, makes our GABA receptors less sensitive to both alcohol and GABA. This is true both over the course of one evening as well as with chronic alcohol abuse and use. Our brain, in an attempt to keep us in a balanced state (homeostasis) will down-regulate our inhibitory system and up-regulate our stimulatory system. Meaning, the next day after drinking (or after stopping chronic drinking) we feel jittery, irritable and anxious - giving us hangxiety.
Inflammation, Alcohol and Mood
Alcohol can lead to inflammation throughout our body and in our brains. Alcohol exposure can impact proper signalling of our immune system, causing responses in some areas to be amplified (increased immune activity and inflammation), whereas in other areas offering a decreased response to foreign antigens (bacteria or viruses). This may predispose us to getting sick, or feeling depressed (inflammation is thought to be one of the contributors to low mood!).
Alcohol also contributes to dysbiosis in the gut, which can increase inflammation and oxidative stress in our nerve cells. All of these inflammatory changes can impact our mood (making us feel more depressed or low). Increases in inflammation, changes to the gut microbiome and alterations to our proper immune function can each impact mood negatively.
How do we prevent experiencing these booze blues or hangxiety?
The solution is often very simple - drinking less. If you are feeling as if your drinking has become too much, or problematic, there are a variety of resources you can contact.
The current low risk drinking guidelines (as of 2023!) are there is a continuum of risk associated with drinking alcohol, and there is no amount or type of alcohol that is beneficial for health. This is across the board for wine, beer, spirits and cider.
The Canadian recommendations now stratify risk into the following categories of use; with every increase in alcoholic drinks per week we increase our risk for various health outcomes.
0 drinks per week — Not drinking has benefits, such as better health, and better sleep.
2 standard drinks or less per week — You are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others at this level.
3–6 standard drinks per week — Your risk of developing several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer, increases at this level.
7 standard drinks or more per week — Your risk of heart disease or stroke increases significantly at this level.
Each additional standard drink radically increases the risk of alcohol-related consequences.
In addition to this, consuming over 2 standard drinks in one setting is associated with increased risk of injury, harm to self and others and violence.
There is no known safe level of alcohol when trying to get pregnant or while pregnant, and it is recommended to not drink alcohol if breast feeding.
These guidelines are in stark contrast to our previous guidelines from 2011, which indicated low risk drinking as 10 drinks a week for women (and no more than 2 in one sitting), and 15 drinks a week for men (and no more than 3 at once).
How do I cut back on drinking?
Evaluate your current drinking and set yourself a new goal
To begin cutting back on drinking, first count how much you are drinking in a week and set yourself a new goal. Try to stick to this goal, and when you do drink, try to not have more than two drinks in one day.
Consume alcohol with water, meals and non-alcoholic beverages
For every alcoholic drink you have, try to have a non alcoholic drink or water.
Drink lots of water, and drink your alcoholic beverage slowly.
Eat before and while you are drinking.
Try non-alcoholic beverages
There are many great (and local) non alcoholic beverages these days. Some of our favourites include:
Beer
Bellwoods Brewery Stay Classy Non Alcoholic IPA
Heineken 0.0 Non Alcoholic Beer
Check out Soberlicious for wine, spirit and beer options
Or just try switching your regular cocktails to something virgin or a sparkling water!
Plan alcohol-free days or activities
Often our activities and social life can become intertwined with drinking, as part of your evaluation of how much you are drinking in a week, take into account the settings in which these occur (social, work).
Plan alcohol free days in your week
Often our patients find a good first step is to keep drinking just to social situations, or just on the weekend, giving them alcohol free days during the work weeks.
Plan alcohol free activities
Try moving social activities to something active (hard to drink if you are busy doing something!). You could meet a friend for a coffee and walk or work out class.
Manage mental health concerns & stress
Drinking can be a coping mechanism for some to manage mental health concerns and stress. Reach out to health care providers for support and healthy coping strategies to manage your mental health
What else should I know?
Wanting to re-evaluate or redefine your relationship with drinking is a common experience for many patients. At Crafted Balance we can support you across a variety of health services, including Naturopathic Medicine and Psychotherapy. Book a complimentary meet and greet appointment with our NDs or Psychotherapist to learn about how we can support you with shifting your habits around alcohol to achieve your lifestyle goals, in a non judgemental way.