If you’ve ever had a hangover after an anxiety attack, here’s why

If you suffer from anxiety, you may know the exhausting feeling that comes after an anxiety or panic attack. You feel foggy and sluggish. You have difficulty concentrating, are less alert, and have pain throughout your body.

During an anxiety or panic attack, the body undergoes a series of chemical changes and begins to release adrenaline. Your heart rate increases and your breathing becomes shallower. Then, when the attack is over and you recover from the intense nervous system reaction, new symptoms emerge and the anxiety attack “hangover” sets in, leaving sufferers mentally and physically exhausted.

“The overwhelm takes a lot of energy and in some ways revs us up, so of course we feel very tired and exhausted afterwards,” Jessica Stern, clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health, told HuffPost.

What are the causes of these after-effects?

It is important to know that panic attacks and anxiety attacks, although often used synonymously, are two different things.

A panic attack is a physiological reaction in which the body’s fight-or-flight response is activated to prepare a person for something dangerous. People often say that a panic attack feels like they are having a heart attack or dying – it can trigger intense fear along with a mix of physical symptoms, including racing heartbeat, sweating, shaking, and shortness of breath.

Anxiety attacks, on the other hand, typically occur when people feel they no longer have control over their fear. “The fear crosses a threshold where it is no longer comfortable or controllable for someone,” says David Klemanski, a psychologist at Yale Medicine and assistant professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.

Both types of seizures cause adrenaline to pump throughout the body. When you come down from that adrenaline rush, you may feel light-headed because you have just been through an intense emotional experience and, in certain cases, a strenuous physical reaction.

“When you come down from that, there are going to be a lot of consequences. Your body is actually going to feel physically exhausted because you’ve been through a pretty big event,” Klemanski said.

After a seizure, people often feel off-kilter and exhausted. And if you’ve been hyperventilating, you may even feel pain — especially in the chest muscles. Some may experience nausea, gastrointestinal issues, headaches and migraines, as well as a flare-up of symptoms associated with chronic conditions, Stern says.

Klemanski said the aftereffects of a panic attack are likely to be more intense than those of an anxiety attack. And depending on the person, the aftereffects can last a few hours or a day or two.

How to deal with an anxiety or panic hangover

If you have regular anxiety or panic attacks, Stern recommends educating yourself on what you’ll need during and after the attack so you have a plan. Klemanski said treatment methods like cognitive behavioral theory can help you learn how to manage the anxiety and panic when they start so you don’t have to deal with such severe “hangover” symptoms afterward.

But if the attack is already over and you’re feeling pretty out of sorts, there are a few things you can do to ease the symptoms.

The first step is to stop and take a breather to slow down your system. “If possible, make your environment comfortable,” says Stern. Turn off the lights, put on some calming music – do whatever you need to calm down and feel grounded.

Klemanski recommends practicing mindfulness. Put yourself in the present moment and notice whatever you are feeling physically and emotionally. Using some deep breathing techniques – such as diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing or rhythmic breathing – to regulate your body can also help.

Practice all the traditionally healthy behaviors — like making sure you get enough sleep and eat right — and find someone to process your emotions with, whether it’s a close friend or a mental health professional. Stern said it’s crucial to turn to someone who grounds and calms you, not someone who riles you up even more. Stern also suggested getting some exercise when possible — whether it’s taking a walk or doing some light stretching.

Be patient with yourself. It will take time for the aftereffects to wear off. “Realize that the worst is over and that as long as I do my best and am compassionate with myself, I can get through this in time,” Klemanski said.

This article originally appeared on ^ “HuffPost: The Return of the Veterans”.