Morning After Dread: Understanding Hanxiety and What Helps
A clear guide to navigating post-drinking anxiety, body signals, science-backed coping tools and the products that can help
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Photo Credit: womenshealth.com.au
Your pounding headache and rising nausea jolt you awake long before your alarm.
Your chest feels tight, a knot of dread coils in your gut and a single thought crawls in: did I say or do something embarrassing last night? Is it as bad as I think?
This experience — a signature blend of hangover and anxiety, now lovingly referred to as hanxiety — is familiar to many, especially after nights of heavy drinking, when physical and psychological distress overlap.
Hangxiety symptoms can include the obligatory nausea, shakiness, headaches, etc. paired with racing thoughts, shame, regret and fixation on what could have gone wrong the night before, often worsening as blood alcohol drops and brain chemistry rebalance begins.
It doesn’t help that, even on a good day, anxiety disorders are common with over 359M people worldwide affected and counting according to the World Health Organization. Adding stressors such as sleep loss and dehydration to a possibly already-anxious foundation can be challenging.
If you find the morning after harder than the night before, you are far from alone — here is what to do next.
Mindset Hacks to Manage Hanxiety
Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold for two, then exhale for six seconds. Slow breathing increases parasympathetic activation and can reduce early anxiety.
Mindfulness Grounding: Identify five things you see, four things you hear, three things you can touch. This sensory method interrupts anxious rumination and shifts focus to the present moment.
Scheduled Time to Have a Worry: Set aside 10 minutes early in the day to think about concerns. This containment strategy holds space for and validates concerns while not allowing them to monopolize your entire day or hold your mindset hostage.
Physical Hacks to Manage Hanxiety
Hydrate: Electrolyte-rich fluids can support recovery after dehydration from alcohol use.
Gentle Movement: Go for a walk to increase blood flow, reduce muscle tension and support mood regulation.
Strategic Nutrition: If/when you can stomach it, choose balanced carbs and protein to stabilize blood sugar, which can influence mood and energy.
Now, if you are feeling bold, try:
Cold Face Immersion: According to Everyday Health, submerging your face in cold water in (5-20 second increments, repeating 4-5 times as tolerated) can trigger the "mammalian diving reflex," which is a biological response that conserves energy for survival and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, or the body's "rest and relax" system.
In the article, Dr Young is cited to explain that submerging your body in cold water causes a release of noradrenaline and beta endorphin, two “feel-good” hormones. This triggers our parasympathetic nervous system, consistent with recovery protocols for hangover symptoms and anxiety physiology.
Hanxiety Product Arsenol
Electrolyte Solutions (Pedialyte, Liquid I.V.) — replace fluids and minerals lost overnight. These products help with dehydration, one contributor to both hangover and anxious sensations.
Herbal teas (Peppermint, Chamomile) — soothing warmth can reduce tension and support digestion.
Mindfulness Apps (Headspace, Calm) — guided exercises support structured breathing and grounding during acute episodes.
Magnesium Supplements (Energy Bird) — some evidence suggests magnesium may support nervous system regulation.
A High-Quality Water Bottle (Vita Juwel) — tracking hydration can help meet fluid goals after alcohol while Black Tourmaline and Clear Quartz can help to ground your energy, dissolve negativity and renew your inner balance
Comfy PJs or a Lounge Set (Foxblood, Black Craft Cult) — Soft, non-restrictive loungewear signals safety to the nervous sytem, helping the body downshift when cortisol is elevated.
Functional Mushroom Blend (Alice, Om) — Adaptogenic mushrooms like reishi and lion’s mane support stress regulation and cognitive clarity, making them useful during post-celebration depletion.
Vitamin B12 (Energy Bird) — Alcohol can deplete B vitamins, and replenishing B12 supports energy, nervous system function and (much needed) mental steadiness the next day.
Crystal-Infused Candle — Maison Rose’s crystal-infused candle adds calm, encourages slower breathing and intentional grounding during recovery.
Lavender Aromatherapy (Saje’s Natural Wellness) — lavender clinically supported calming properties help ease tension and support relaxation when the body feels overstimulated.
What You Absolutely Should NOT Do When Plagued with Hanxiety
Make panicked “are you mad at me” calls or texts.
Anxiety distorts perception, seeking immediate reassurance can amplify rumination rather than resolve it. Please please please take a nap before reaching out to anyone. This will save you added apologies later on. Probably, no one is mad at you. And, worst (highly unlikely case), if anyone is, are you in a place right now to have a difficult conversation wherein you take accountability for your actions and propose and elegant atonement?
Binge low-quality, ultra-processed food.
Blood sugar spikes and crashes can intensify your anxiety symptoms and prolong the horrible feeling your experiencing.
Replay the night in a distorted funhouse mirror mental loop.
Rumination keeps your nervous system in a threat mode, preventing the physiological reset that recovery requires. Distraction is your friend here.
Scroll or overshare online for validation.
This falls into the rumination category as well. Revisit photos and posts in a few hours when you feel yourself again; now is not the time.
Stack caffein to “push through” the day.
It’s fighting fire with fire; the last thing you need is a racing heart and jitteriness, which mimmick anxiety signals and worsen the feedback loop.
Hanxiety is real, it can feel sharp and uniquely personal.
It is also a temporary physiological and psychological response that will pass as your body restores balance.
Breathe, care for your body and know that this moment, too, shall pass.
