We expect a sore head after a big night out, but the accompanying anxiety is harder to cope with. Why do we get ‘prangovers’, and how do we alleviate them? We ask the experts
You’ve got a raging thirst but you can’t drag yourself out of bed for a glass of water. All you remember from last night is going off on one about a man who “hatfished” you on a date while wearing a cap, only to realise the guy listening to you was heavily receding. None of your friends have messaged you this morning so you assume they must hate you now. You lie in the foetal position and kid yourself into believing you are still asleep so you don’t have to deal with the consequences of your actions. You have “hangxiety” (hangover anxiety) or you are suffering from a “prangover” (pranging out hungover), and it’s the worst feeling in the world.
There’s a scientific reason why drinking makes us feel like this. “Alcohol is one of the most promiscuous of drugs, in that it affects a lot of different types of receptors and hence the majority, if not all, of the neurons,” says David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and author of 2020 book Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health.
