Hangxiety: What It Is and How to Sip Your Way Through It

You know that feeling the morning after a night out, the one where your head’s foggy, your mouth’s dry, and your brain insists on replaying every single thing you said like a badly edited highlight reel? Yeah… that’s hangxiety. Short for “hangover anxiety,” it’s that creeping sense of unease that can hit after a few too many drinks and a lot of questionable dance moves.

It’s more common than you think. As conversations around mental wellness grow, more people are realising that it’s not just the headache and dehydration that make mornings after rough, it’s the mental load, too. And while we can’t go back in time to stop you from telling that elaborate story about your cat’s skincare routine, we can talk about ways to make those mornings less brutal.

One of the easiest swaps? Rethinking your drink in the first place. Trading in booze for something tasty, bubbly, and functional means you can still enjoy all the social sparkle without inviting the unwelcome morning-after guest that is hangxiety.

Hangxiety: More Than Just a Hangover

Hangxiety isn’t just the result of a bad night’s sleep and a suspicious late-night takeaway. It’s a combination of biology, chemistry, and the way alcohol interacts with your brain.

Here’s what’s actually going on:

• Dehydration & Electrolyte Loss – Alcohol is a diuretic, which is a fancy way of saying it makes you pee more. This leads to dehydration, and your brain doesn’t particularly enjoy running on low water and minerals. Cue the fogginess, headaches, and that “walking through treacle” feeling the next day.

• The GABA/Glutamate Rebound – Alcohol boosts the activity of GABA (a neurotransmitter that helps you feel calm) while suppressing glutamate (which keeps you alert). When the booze wears off, your brain goes into overdrive, glutamate spikes, GABA drops, and suddenly you’re wired, restless, and maybe overthinking those dance moves from last night.

• Blood Sugar Rollercoaster – Alcohol messes with your blood glucose levels. A drop in blood sugar the next morning can make you feel shaky, irritable, and a bit “doom and gloom,” even if nothing’s actually wrong.

• Sleep Disruption – Even if you pass out quickly, alcohol stops you getting enough restorative REM sleep. Less REM = less emotional regulation, which is why you might wake up feeling fragile for no clear reason.

So, hangxiety isn’t “all in your head” in the dismissive sense, it’s quite literally in your head, thanks to the cocktail (pun intended) of chemical shifts your body is going through. And while a greasy fry-up might feel comforting, it’s not exactly a magic reset button.

How Changing Your Drink Changes the Morning After

Here’s the blunt truth: the easiest way to avoid hangxiety is to cut back on alcohol or skip it altogether. We’re not saying you have to go teetotal forever, but swapping out a few boozy rounds for something alcohol-free can make a big difference to how you feel the next morning.

Think about it:

• No Chemical Rollercoaster – Without alcohol flooding your system, you skip the GABA/glutamate rebound, the blood sugar crash, and the “did I accidentally offend that stranger at the bar?” spiral.

• Better Sleep – Alcohol messes with your REM cycles; a good soft drink doesn’t. That means you wake up feeling more rested instead of running on fumes.

• Steadier Energy – No big spikes or crashes means your mood is less likely to swing wildly before lunch.

• Hydration Intact – Swapping in alcohol-free drinks, especially ones that aren’t packed with artificial sweeteners or unnecessary additives, helps you stay hydrated instead of undoing all your water intake.

That’s where drinks like Hip Pop come in. Our sodas and kombuchas aren’t just “placeholders” for booze, they’re drinks you’ll actually want to order because they taste great on their own. The Pink Grapefruit Soda is crisp and tangy with a refreshing citrus kick, the Tropical Peach is sweet, sunny, and smooth, and Berries & Cherries packs a juicy punch that can hold its own against any cocktail on the menu.

And because they’re naturally low in sugar, free from artificial sweeteners, and made with real ingredients, you’re not swapping alcohol for something that’s just bad for you in a different way. You’re upgrading your drink entirely.

What a Hangxiety-Free Night Looks Like

Imagine this: it’s 11pm, the music’s good, you’re laughing with friends, and your drink is in hand, but it’s not booze, it’s something you actually like the taste of. You’re not nursing it to “keep up appearances,” you’re sipping it because it’s genuinely delicious.

Fast-forward to the next morning. No pounding headache. No four-hour mental debrief where you replay every sentence you said. No desperate reach for a litre of water and a bacon sandwich the size of your head. Instead, you’ve slept well, you’re hydrated, and you can remember the entire night without cringing.

That’s the beauty of swapping out some, or all, of your alcohol for Hip Pop. Whether it’s the tangy hit of Pink Grapefruit, the sweet-meets-tropical vibe of Tropical Peach, or the deep, juicy taste of Berries & Cherries, you still get the buzz of a night out, just without the chemical chaos that comes with it.

Hangxiety-free nights don’t have to be boring. In fact, you might find they’re more fun, because you can focus on the conversation, the dancing, and the fact that your drink tastes exactly how it says it will.

Tips for Dodging Hangxiety (Without Becoming a Hermit)

You don’t have to skip every pub trip or party to avoid hangxiety, you just need a game plan. Here’s how to keep the good times rolling without waking up in the worry zone:

• Mix in Alcohol-Free Rounds – Swap every other drink for something non-alcoholic. Bonus points if it’s a Hip Pop, you’ll still have something in your hand, but it won’t set off tomorrow’s overthinking.

• Hydrate Like You Mean It – Alternate your drinks with water or sparkling water. Your brain and body will thank you.

• Eat Before You Drink – Not just a bag of crisps. A proper meal helps your body process alcohol more steadily.

• Know Your Limits (and Stick to Them) – Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to get carried away. Pace yourself and you’ll enjoy the night and the morning after.

• Pick Your Drinks Wisely – Some alcohol hits harder in the hangxiety department (hello, strong cocktails). Stick to lighter options or swap in a good soft drink when you can.

The more you treat your night out like a marathon, not a sprint, the easier it is to cross the finish line without the next-day mental crash. And if you can swap in drinks that actually taste like something you want to drink, rather than something you’re tolerating, you’ve already won half the battle.

Enjoy a Night to Remember With Hip Pop

Hanxiety isn’t inevitable. It’s not a mysterious curse, it’s just the aftershock of what you put in your glass the night before. Change the drink, and you can change the morning, simple as that.

That’s why we make proper good pop. Drinks with big, real flavours, made from natural ingredients, without the artificial rubbish that makes you feel worse. Whether it’s Pink Grapefruit, Tropical Peach, or Berries & Cherries, there’s a Hip Pop for every vibe, every playlist, and every night out.

So next time you’re out, skip the chemical chaos. Grab a Hip Pop, enjoy the fizz, and know tomorrow’s going to be just fine.