Why does drinking cause anxiety

Initially you may feel like it provides relief to some symptoms as it depresses the central nervous system but it can worsen these symptoms in the long-run. Drinking to relieve stress can in the long-term worsen that stress, intensifying anxiety and irritability after drinking.

Alcohol can release pent-up emotions or make feelings of anger and frustration feel more intense, which can cause an impact on your health, friendships, family and work. Similar to its impact on anxiety, not only can alcohol worsen depression, it can actually cause it too.

When the effects of alcohol wear off, it changes our brain chemistry for the worse. In fact, people who drink heavily are more likely to suffer from depression , and alcohol dependence is roughly three times more likely among people with depression. Because alcohol is a depressant it makes you sleepy at times but the sleep you get after drinking is of a much lower quality than the sleep you get when you are not drinking. This is because alcohol can reduce the amount of Rapid Eye Movement REM sleep you get, leaving you feeling drowsy, low in energy and you may find it harder to concentrate the next day.

It is worthwhile to learn healthy coping mechanisms in response to emotions like stress, sadness and anger that do not involve or rely on alcohol. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to get the right support for your individual needs. If a person repeatedly turns to alcohol when their mood deteriorates, they miss out on the opportunity of discovering the other, more effective, ways of dealing with unpleasant moods.

Alcohol causes anxiety because it upsets hormones, brain function, and sleep. If a person is also taking antidepressants, which is not uncommon for people with anxiety, the combination of the two worsens the condition and can trigger a severe panic attack.

Long-term alcohol abuse can not only induce panic attacks but can also lead to PTSD. This becomes even more true if a person has an anxiety or panic disorder.

Alcohol not only contributes to anxiety but rewires the part of the brain responsible for coping with fear. Because of this, a person will hold on to fear-inducing associations longer, and will have a harder time recovering from trauma.

There is also evidence that chronic alcohol abuse can lead to lasting anxiety, even after a person becomes sober. A panic attack, after alcohol or otherwise, is an episode of extreme anxiety where emotions are amplified and terrifying. A person may experience shortness of breath or hyperventilate and feel detached from reality. Their mind is overloaded with worrying thoughts and fears, even of things that do not present any clear and immediate danger.

There are several explanations why alcohol is responsible. If you look at the biological side of things, it is well-known that alcohol causes a number of physiological symptoms such as dehydration, low blood sugar, and elevated heart rate. These may make a person feel uneasy, dizzy, and irritable, and may lead to a panic attack. Too much of some drugs such as, caffeine, or even sugar can prompt a similar response. Because alcohol affects GABA, an inhibiting neurotransmitter in the brain, it does make a person feel calmer at first.

It acts like a depressant and sedative. However, when the alcohol wears off, GABA levels decrease, triggering an anxious, exaggerated and overstimulated state. Serotonin levels go up and down in a similar fashion.

They go up when a person drinks, and crash when they stop. If a person drinks regularly, the natural GABA and serotonin levels can get destabilised, making withdrawal symptoms and anxiety attacks worse.

Although there is no evident source for the anxiety, these symptoms are interpreted by the brain as stress and worry due to biofeedback. Thus, small things may easily upset them, and certain words or actions may be misunderstood. Something that would normally be ignored will now trigger paranoia and panic. If blackouts are involved, the extra stress of the unknown, especially if poor judgement was involved, can increase anxiety levels further. Although even a heavy night of drinking can trigger anxiety, major withdrawal symptoms and bad hangovers make alcohol panic attacks even more likely.

Your brain will think so as well. Although these are typical symptoms of a hangover, via biofeedback, they can trick your brain into having a real one. Because the alcohol and anxiety cycle feeds on itself, and over time causes a person to drink more, eventually it may lead to addiction. If a person uses alcohol as a form of self-medication, it can quickly escalate into a serious problem.

If a person regularly drinks to the point where alcohol panic attacks are the norm, it is a sign of addiction. Alcohol-induced panic attacks are scary and you might feel like cutting down on your drinking.

However, there is no evidence that moderate drinking will cause anxiety. Increased anxiety is also a symptom of alcohol withdrawal. Other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:. Moderate drinking is not the same for all genders and age groups. Ask your doctor if moderate alcohol consumption is suitable for you.

Alcohol affects everyone differently. It can cheer you up after a rough day or make you feel more sedated. Discuss these concerns with your doctor first to see if alcohol is safe for you. Seek help from a mental health professional if you have anxiety. If you think you have a problem with alcohol, seek help from your doctor right away. Treatment may depend on the type of anxiety you have.

If you have social anxiety or a social phobia, therapy may work best to reduce your levels of anxiety combined with a medication such as sertraline, or Zoloft. If you have generalized anxiety disorder GAD , an ongoing feeling of worry or stress without a specific cause, your doctor may recommend learning behaviors or skills to help you stop avoiding activities because of anxiety known as cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT , or talking about your anxiety with a therapist.

Each type of medication treats anxiety in a different way. Antidepressants may be taken every day to help treat anxiety, while benzodiazepines are generally used for temporary relief from uncontrollable feelings of anxiety.

Talk to your doctor to decide which type of medication is best for you. Some of these medications may interact with alcohol. Talk to your doctor about alcohol consumption before taking any of these medications, as side effects can be harmful or fatal. However, you can make lifestyle changes to help you reduce your anxiety as well as learn to cope with it. You can also learn to cope with your anxiety by slowing it and preventing it from increasing and causing panic attacks:.

Buspar is a drug used to treat anxiety. Learn more about how the two can interact. Taking trazodone for anxiety? Beta-blockers are a type of medication that's traditionally used to treat heart conditions.

Sometimes, beta-blockers are prescribed for off-label use…. Here are some alternative treatments to help with anxiety.