The dreaded morning anxiety

[Mojo61]

I don't understand how I can go to bed at midnight feeling perfectly calm and at ease and then wake up 4 or 5 hours later wracked with anxiety and nausea. How is that even possible? What happens to my brain in those few hours that can cause so much torture the next day?

[Beckybecks]

The stress hormones our bodies produce are much higher in the morning than at night.

[BikerMatt]

I've no answers but I'm with you on this one!

[Mojo61]

The stress hormones our bodies produce are much higher in the morning than at night.

Thanks Becks. Is there anything I can do to reduce the stress hormones so that I don't feel so bloody awful every morning? It really is soul destroying :weep:

[fishman65]

All I can really say Mojo is that I fully empathise and know your pain...

[rcs]

Hi,
Yes I suffer from morning anxiety and I am just getting over it this morning.
I seem to irrationally worry about the day ahead and phone calls/emails and it gets to me as my evening can be quite relaxed until I go to bed and I feel it can start over again. I try to stay clear of meds in the morning as they can leave you fuzzy and my memory is bad enough as it is. I am a night owl anyway and do most stuff then but I am trying to switch that around maybe that one of the problems.
Sorry to go on about myself but just to say you are not alone and it is a common symptom of GAD, I think we ruminate more in the morning and our body chemistry has something to do with it after sleep.

Take Care :)

[netminder1976]

I totally relate. I feel like all day I climb out of this giant pit that is anxiety and finally reach the top at night and feel pretty good. Wake up the next morning and instantly roll back down to the bottom of the pit. I think if I didn't start out everyday like this I wouldn't have anxiety at all. Waking up feeling like this just makes me panic even more and it snowballs.

[NoPoet]

Probably because you're worrying about another day full of fear. Or maybe you're doing the same things day in day out and need to make some changes to your routine?

[LiveAboveIt]

Ive been going through this every morning for months. I almost always feel better at night nowadays, it used to be the other way around.

[Mugs]

Me too:shrug:

[Fay13]

I get this really badly too. I think part of the reason is that as soon as I wake up, I almost do an immediate "anxiety check" and think, "Ok how anxious do i feel today, is today going to be bad, etc etc" and I think that can spark off my anxiety. Its a really hard habit to get out of though. I try to set my alarm about half a hour before I have to get up, so I have time to maybe meditate for a bit and can get up slowly and always make sure I drink water before getting up. On the other hand, I know some people suggest getting up straight away so you don't lie in bed overthinking things so I guess you need to find a morning routine that works for you. I also make sure I have half an hour or so before bed to make a quick list of things I need to do the next day, so that that is off my mind a bit, and to lie in bed reading. Certainly not a magic cure but I do feel worse in the mornings if I've not relaxed properly before bed.