Alcohol affects your brain activity by suppressing the release of glutamine (which normally enhances brain activity) and increasing the release of GABA (a neurotransmitter that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain and works to reduce brain activity), so We find this relaxing. Unfortunately, your body will then try to correct the balance. Instead of returning to pre-drinking levels, however, there can be a rebound effect, resulting in low GABA levels and increased glutamate that cause feelings of nervousness. “Anguish [hangover related anxiety] it is a scientific fact, although it is not called that in the literature. You’re not just worried about what you said last night, it’s the clinical version of anxiety,” says Piper. “And in the long run: “the relationship between alcohol and stress is proven. If you suffer from even mild anxiety, alcohol can make it massively worse.” Even those of us who are generally stressed can start to feel jittery after a hangover, she says.

“A drink helps me sleep”

Maybe, says Piper, but: “the negative effects on your subsequent sleep go far beyond that. When we run Dry January, people tell us they join because they want to regain control, lose weight or save money. At the end we ask them how they benefited and everyone says: sleep!’ The sedative effect of alcohol can reduce the time you spend in the important, restorative, REM stage of sleep. Its diuretic action can also keep you up at night. It’s also a muscle relaxant, so you could end up surprising yourself with your own snoring.