Those feelings of relaxation and confidence during that first and second glass of wine or scotch are often counter-balanced the next day when you don’t feel quite so sure of yourself.

If you’re coming to earth after a big binge – along with the physical symptoms of a hangover – the mental health downside can be a full-blown dose of anxiety.

In the past couple of years alcohol researchers have started calling this swing-about mood “hangxiety”.

As a recovery guide from the Australian Drug and Alcohol Foundation describes it:

“After a night out drinking you might wake up feeling anxious or worried about what happened the night before. This could include feeling on-edge or irritable and being unable to sleep or relax.

“If this is you, you’re not alone – ‘hangxiety’ is a common post-drinking experience, along with physical hangover symptoms like a headache, nausea or trouble concentrating.”

The science of drinking’s ups and downs

The health benefits of alcohol – red wine being good for the heart – have been shot down in recent years. This is largely because these benefits are over-shadowed by alcohol’s cancer-causing profile.

However, for people who have one or two drinks most nights of the week, the benefits of sipping a relaxant at the end of a demanding day outweighs this risk.

For these moderate drinkers, booze tends to hold anxiety at bay, at least for a while with no visceral downside.

To understand this, we need to look at what’s happening in the brain. There are two key chemicals at play.

The first is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that slows down your brain by blocking specific signals in your central nervous system.

GABA produces a calming effect by controlling nerve cell hyperactivity associated with anxiety, stress and fear.

That first little glow you get from a sip of scotch is the alcohol prodding GABA to life, so to speak.

Then, as drinking continues, your brain shuts off glutamate – an excitatory neurotransmitter that stimulates nerve cells and makes you anxious. Switching off glutamate increases the feelings of calm and being uninhibited.

A useful piece from The Conversation explains:

“Together, this interaction affects your mood, emotions and alertness. This is why when we drink, we often feel more sociable, carefree and willing to let our guard down.”

But, there’s a price to be paid:

“As the effects of the alcohol wear off, your brain works to rebalance these chemicals by reducing GABA and increasing glutamate.

“This shift has the opposite effect of the night before, causing your brain to become more excitable and overstimulated, which can lead to feelings of anxiety.”

This is especially the case when you’ve had a big night. Those feelings of excitement and happiness – along with the downward swing– are dose dependent.

The more booze you drink, the harder the crash. A common consequence of waking up after a big night is worrying what you did and said during the binge.

“Maybe you acted in ways that you now regret or feel embarrassed about,” the Conversation authors write.

“You might fixate on these thoughts and get trapped in a cycle of worrying and rumination. This cycle can be hard to break and can make you feel more anxious.”

Dr Blair Aitken is a postdoctoral research fellow in psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, and co-author of The Conversation piece.

In an email responding to questions, he told The New Daily that for people who tend to worry about their regular behaviour – and how they are perceived – “alcohol can act as an amplifier for those underlying anxieties”.

Aitken pointed to a 2019 study that found “hangxiety was much more pronounced in people who already tended to be shy or anxious”.

For these individuals, said Aitken, “alcohol might initially ease social anxiety or shyness, but the next day can bring amplified self-doubt or regret”.

For example, such people may already feel anxious about an upcoming work event, “which in turn, can lead a difficult cycle where they rely on alcohol to feel comfortable but feel worse after because they are more likely to ruminate on conversations and behaviour”.

What about moderate drinkers?

What about people who routinely have one or two drinks every night and don’t get hammered? Might they experience a low-level form of these mood shifts?

They don’t appear to be doing themselves or anyone else much harm, but could this brain chemistry rebalancing itself be enough to give them a nudge for the next evening’s bubbles or chardonnay?

Aitken said: “Research shows that even small amounts of alcohol can affect specific brain receptors sensitive to low doses.

“Regular, low-level drinking, like a nightly glass of wine, might subtly condition the brain to expect this effect, making it easier to reach for that next drink the following evening.”

While this may seem harmless, “over time, it can change brain chemistry slightly”.

These effects “can vary depending on individual differences in how people metabolise and respond to alcohol”.

How to avoid and recover from hangxiety

In the Australian Drug and Alcohol Foundation’s recovery and survival guide, the first piece of advice is to reduce and slow your pace of drinking.

If you wake up with hangxiety, “the first thing to do is remember to be kind to yourself”.

Tips to help manage post-drinking anxiety include:

• Get hydrated – drink water or something with electrolytes if you have it on hand
• Eat something – even if you don’t feel hungry, eating something will help your brain and body recover
• Rest up – whether it’s sleeping or just laying on the couch watching TV, take the time to rest
• Distract yourself – watch your favorite show/movie or listen to a podcast. Choose something you find relaxing
• Try mindfulness – try an app or free meditation online
• Don’t drink more alcohol – this will likely just delay the anxiety
• Avoid stimulant drugs – stimulants, including caffeine, tend to increase anxiety
• Reach out to a friend – chatting to a good friend can help ease your mind.