What is it? And how to reduce the anxious response
Morning anxiety is real and has been the topic of study recently. Most experts belief it is a cortisol release. A stress hormone the brain uses to achieve survival.
What does morning anxiety feel like?
Most of our patients describe it as waking up in a panic or anxious state. Many report wanting to vomit or a sick stomach. Others say they wake up paralyzed with fear, stuck in their minds. Recently, supermodel Hadid did an interview with Laura Williams* on her experience.
Hadid along with others talk of racing hearts, bursts of adrenaline, early morning awakening, and a general sense of fear. It is more than just a few worries; it constitutes a flood of anxiety as you come out of your sleep unconscious.
Read on to learn more ways you can put a stop to the pattern.
How to Manage Morning Anxiety
Most of the time it doesn’t appear there are major stressors in your life. It is important to note whether you might be minimizing the stressors that exist. People often do this to help keep the intensity of their worry down. It could do the opposite; with your anxiety lying in wait and the brain trying to express itself.
Try these strategies to get started.
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- Good Sleep Hygiene
We often think of hygiene related to cleaning our selves or brushing our teeth, but sleep has its own hygiene. Follow a structured routine that leads towards sleep. This could include reducing screen time, then stopping it all together 45 minutes before sleep. Reducing or stopping food consumption right before bed. In addition, turn your bed into a sleep area as opposed to a place to watch movies or play games.
Good sleep hygiene directly impacts your circadian rhythm. The better sleep rhythm, the less your brain will be “sorting” through all of the anxious thoughts.
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- Color Your Diet
Especially in the morning, a colorful breakfast equals more nutrients and healthy sugars. Nutrient dense foods often increase energy, reduce inflammation, raise your glucose levels and add much needed vitamins. Here’s what WebMd says about the connection between glucose and mood, “It pumps out epinephrine (adrenaline), a “fight or flight” hormone that, among other things, tells your liver to make more glucose (blood sugar). Adrenaline also makes your heart race and your palms sweat. And it can make you feel cranky and anxious. These are warning signs that your blood sugar is too low.”
Adjustments like brightly colored smoothies, adding avocado, dates and eggs could already change the health value of your breakfast.
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- Slow Down on Caffeine and Other Stimulants
Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine are found in many areas of our consumption. Energy drinks have increased in our stores and they often are equivalent to 4-5 cups of coffee. Vaping nicotine directly is a powerful dose. Stimulants have direct effects on our anxiety and stress levels. It is only the ritual surrounding them that relaxes us. Keep the ritual but lose the stimulant.
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- Immediate Morning Movement
It may take some discipline, but walking, jogging, yoga, or running in the morning before anything else may help. The cortisol being pushed into the system by your endocrine system is expecting to be used. If not, it triggers both anxiety and fatigue. Start movement to begin to process the cortisol in a way it was intended. If you are able to exercise more than 20 minutes, you could activate your dopamine levels which would help regulate your anxiety and depressive feelings.
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- Be Cautious of Alcohol Before Bedtime
Additional alcohol can increase anxiety due to effects on the hormone functions. These changes could lead to panic attacks and exacerbate morning anxiety. The best way to determine is to track your mood as well as let your family members observe it the day after drinking alcohol.
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- Express Yourself at Night
Often at night, thoughts flood in and trigger a number of feelings. These feelings need to be expressed as best as possible before falling asleep. When those emotions are not heading outward, they can lie in wait, and then burst on the scene during the night or in the morning triggering cortisol to flood the system.
Do you experience morning anxiety? Please review the list below and contact us for counseling and therapy to help.
- A pounding heart unrelated to a heart condition
- Racing thoughts
- Feeling wound up, on edge, or restless
- Feeling overwhelmed by fatigue
- Sweating
- Tightness of the chest
- Numbness or tingling in the extremities
- Tense muscles
- Feelings of dread
- Catastrophic Thoughts
Add’l content provided by David A. Morris, LCSW
*https://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety-disorders/bella-hadid-says-she-has-morning-anxiety-what-it-is-and-how-to-manage-it/
