Heart Palpitations After Drinking? Expert Reveals Which Type of Alcohol Is Worst for Anxiety

If you wake up after a night of heavy drinking with a pounding heart and feeling anxious, you’re not alone.

“Hanxiety,” “the anxiety,” or even “the beer blues” are often used to describe the horrors of overwhelming anxiety after drinking too much booze.

While there’s no single drink proven to be good for your mental health, there are certain beverages that experts say are more likely to make you anxious than others.

According to experts, some drinks not only contain a higher alcohol content, but also other chemicals that can increase the risk of symptoms such as heart palpitations.

‘Hanxiety’, ‘the anxiety’ or even ‘the beer blues’ are often used to describe the horror of waking up with overwhelming anxiety after drinking too much booze

Lisa Gunn, head of mental health prevention at Nuffield Health, warns that anxiety is a common side effect of drinking too much booze.

She told HuffPost UK that while alcohol is a depressant that can initially have a calming effect, it eventually leads to a ‘rebound effect’, where anxiety levels skyrocket.

“That’s partly because alcohol disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters and chemical messengers in the brain,” she said.

More specifically the substance disrupts your fight or flight response: how we naturally respond to danger.

Alcohol can also cause feelings of panic because it affects the production of GABA, a chemical in the brain that normally has a relaxing effect.

Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist and author of unprocessed your life, explains: ‘As the alcohol wears off during a hangover, GABA activity decreases, leading to increased arousal and anxiety.’

But Ms Gunn suggests that some drinks may be worse than others.

The higher the alcohol content, the more intense the effects of anxiety appear to be, experts say

She says ghosts can cause your blood alcohol levels to rise, which “can lead to greater rebound anxiety.”

Cocktails, which often combine spirits with sugar, can also make matters worse, as they can cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall throughout the evening, leading to extreme energy spikes, she adds.

Red wine is perhaps the worst, she says, containing tyramine and histamine, which can cause anxiety in those who are sensitive to them.

Beer’s lower alcohol content and larger quantities mean it poses a low risk to your mental health the next morning, provided you drink a small amount.

But no matter what we prefer to drink, when we drink we often become ‘carefree’ and do things we otherwise wouldn’t do.

Ms Gunn stresses that if you wake up after a period of alcohol-induced amnesia, you are likely to feel a little worried about what might have happened.

She adds that people with social anxiety are more likely to drink to reduce their worries when they go out, which has been known to worsen symptoms.

Alcohol can also cause feelings of panic because it affects the production of GABA, a chemical in the brain that normally has a relaxing effect.

It calms the nervous activity associated with reduced anxiety and also inhibits the stimulating neurotransmitter glutamate, further promoting relaxation.

While alcohol in small amounts can boost GABA, making you feel relaxed, heavy drinking can cause feelings of panic, according to Drink Aware.

Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist and author of unprocessed your life, told MailOnline: ‘As the alcohol wears off during a hangover, GABA activity decreases and glutamate activity increases, leading to increased arousal and anxiety.’

‘Alcohol also temporarily improves mood by increasing serotonin and dopamine, but levels of these drop after drinking, which can contribute to ‘hangover anxiety,” he added.

Dehydration can also contribute to anxiety. Mr. Hobson explains that because alcohol is a diuretic, people can become dizzy and tired from dehydration, which contributes to feelings of discomfort and panic.

“The electrolyte balance can also be disturbed and this can worsen the anxiety symptoms due to an irregular heartbeat, depending on how much alcohol you have consumed,” he said.