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Hangxiety: The Link Between Hangovers and Anxiety

Hangxiety may sound like a made-up term. But is it a real thing? Find out why hangovers may actually feel worse to some people.

Sara Novak
BySara Novak
Credit: Pearl PhotoPix/Shutterstock

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If you’ve ever woken up the day after having had too much to drink, you may be familiar with the feeling. And no, we don’t mean a hangover; we mean a hangover laced with anxiety. One that causes you to ruminate over everything you said and did the night before. You relive conversations and chew the cud of every interaction that might have gone south.

You might get anxious or feel guilty about other things, like the fact that you drank too much and the next day feels wasted. It’s been called hangxiety, and with good reason, because for some people drinking too much results in elevated anxiety that feels almost like panic.

Experts contend that some people are more prone to hangxiety than others, and it may have something to do with your state before you hit the bottle, says clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly. There’s an association between ...

  • Sara Novak

    Sara Novak

    Sara Novak is a science journalist and contributing writer for Discover Magazine, who covers new scientific research on the climate, mental health, and paleontology.

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