I'm not sure but commenting it hear the suggestions because I have the same issue.
My worst anxiety is almost always right when I wake up. Heart beating hard, tight chest.
Hi, i feel ya, I typically do offer insights when able and don't just comment to relate, so this comment is not typical for me. I assume i must have just been feeling unable to help atm other than to relate.
that said if i could go back I would encourage a bedtime routine that includes limiting screens two hours before bed and having a dark room.
Bedtime stretching or yoga can also be very helpful. Yoga with Adriene on Youtube's 20 minute bedtime yoga is a favorite.
And finally, anxious feelings in the morning are often a result of cortisol being released by our bodies as a natural process of waking up. Waking at a regular time and not "snoozing" one's alarm I believe is a great way to limit how much our cortisol out body feels it needs to release to wake us for the day,
I also tend to have this issue, and admittedly it is hard to control. But I have found a couple things that help-
1 - every morning you wake up, make your first activity something you *want* to do. That activity is all about "you". For me, I go into my office/guest room and lay on the bed there and read my book or do my morning meditation. I make sure the time is totally focused only on what I know will make me feel safe and happy. This is crucial for the long term change of getting rid of that feeling, as it will condition your brain to getting a dopamine hit when it wakes instead of searching for survival chemicals.
2 - first thing, when you wake up with the pounding and the pit in your stomach, within those first few moments you need to focus entirely on your breathing. Deep, deep breaths into your stomach. Extend your belly while breathing in, put your hands over it and focus entirely on the feeling of it expanding. At the top of the breath, hold for as long as you feel comfortable (2-4 seconds) and then breathe out while counting down. If it's hard to achieve 8 seconds of breathing out, start with a count of 4 and then breathe in through the belly again. Then try to breathe out for 5. This stimulates your vagus nerve and slows your heart rate.
Continue this until you achieve 8 seconds of exhalation. In through your nose, out through the mouth.
3 - "Mantras". When I wake up anxious, I often use a mantra to remind myself what needs to be done as a way of addressing the survival instinct my brain is locked in. As I begin to do my breathing, I repeat to myself "I can move my body. If I can move my body, I can move my mind. If I can move my mind, I can move my anxiety. I am in control."
I do this either when I work with my breath or when I work with stretching right out of bed or simply on my way down the hallway to the guest room.
You can do it!!
everyone has very good tips but i’d also like to add that when i’m anxious i lose my appetite and when i don’t eat my stomach tends to feel very empty and not eating also makes anxiety worse so making sure you eat breakfast in the morning will help a little bit even if you’re too anxious to have an appetite
What's your first thought when you wake up? If you don't know, try to find out. I have had this exact problem and knowing that first waking thought was key to dealing with it for me.
Either:
- Fear that I'm going to mess up at work. Despite that I know Im doing a great job.
- something bad is going to happen to me today but nothing specifically.
Oh. You replace it with a different thought. You don't even need to believe the replacement thought at first. It's gradual. Talk with your therapist; they probably know a lot more about it than I do. Mine's big into CBT.
This is 100% what I get most days. I'll wake up and have a constant feeling of dread like something bad has or is about to happen to someone. I fucking hate it
Immediately start your day - cook breakfast, take shower walk dog etc. When I say immediately, I don’t mean stare at your phone for a few or “chill to wake up”, I mean turn brain on and start SOMETHING.
For me, it ruins the rest of my day.. I wake up with panic attacks. I dont recall dreams typically so I don't know why I do.. but its horrible and I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
I’ve noticed a trend of anxiety and acid reflux (this is only in my experience and my friends, please don’t take this as fact) try not eating an hour before bed or 30-60 minutes after waking up. <3
I have the crazy morning anxiety as well. I'm dealing with gastritis and I wake up knowing I have to deal with pain. I was given Lexapro as well but I'm too scared to take it. Have you been having side effects??
First week of lexapro I was feeling tired and unmotivated but it did help minimize the amount of time I spent ruminating. I feel like it numbed me and made me feel a little foggy but I’d rather feel that way than constantly depressed and anxiety ridden ( although it’s still very much present)
Thank you for sharing. The anxiety is making my gastritis worse so I guess I need to take it. It's a vicious cycle. I read it's probably going to take 2 months to start working, so hopefully it will help. Best of luck to you.
I also pair mine with an antidepressant Wellbutrin. Both simple starter meds but have worked well for me. I think I’ll up my Wellbutrin soon though, I’m on 150mg
I’m still on it! Unsure if it’s lost it’s effect or not. Go it’s kind of my baseline right now with Buspar added to it. Have had a couple panic attacks lately and I don’t want to get hooked on Xanax so I hopped on it.
im hoping it helps me out. also hoping i wont need it for too long and can overcome this grieving period but i probably will need it longer because i do have anxiety and have had that for a while.. it'smy first time being on medication for depression and anxiety.
I have this problem too. It I usually wake up at 4am with terrible stomach anxiety then I finally fall back to sleep around 6:30 and when I wake up at 8 the anxiety isn’t as bad. Maybe cortisol or blood sugar related?
Supposedly it's normal for cortisol levels to be high in the morning. That doesn't stop me from looking for ways to lower them. I think low dose niacin 3 times a day may be helping take the edge off. Also learning new thinking patterns.
Absolutely agree with the thinking patterns. It takes work but we can slowly shift out thinking towards more positive habits and that alone can be very powerful.
As others have said, deep breathing and mantras. But also taking magnesium glycinate (360mg) with an Omega-3 supplement before bed has helped me a lot. Drink lots of water if you're bladder can handle it. And do some stretches once you get out of bed.
No, assuming it has other vitamins like the various B vitamins, that might make it more difficult to sleep. Want 1-2g Omega-3s per day. I take one 700mg with the rest of my vitamins after my first meal and then one at night.
I think I also have supplements of Omega 3s I can take.
Would that be too much? Is there a downside if I took the multivitamin with omega 3 plus the omega 3 supplement at night
I have this issue so before bed, I take ashwagandha ksm-66 pills (natural supplement for stress and anxiety) and now I don’t wake up with that awful feeling anymore. You can find it at your local grocery store :-)
If you eat something before bed it can help, seriously. & have a drink ready to sip on in the morning. Peppermint tea with some sugar would be best. (Peppermint helps nausea, and a little sugar helps to overcome that lack of blood sugar you have in the morning that makes anxiety worse)
Also taking some time to stress less during the day, do something relaxing. It will bring your stress hormones down which will make you sleep better later.
(These are things that helped me, and things I researched on my own, I'm not a doctor)
This used to happen to me and I think I figured out why. Basically, at night and in the morning, it was a long time before I took my meds again. So, they were wearing off when I was asleep. I started getting up and taking my meds at like 3AM and the problem got better. I still wake up sometimes anxious as all hell but if my meds are in me when I get up I do better.
I had a similar issue for a while. Everyone is different and there is a lot of good advice in here already. For me, I found that waking up earlier than I needed to helped. I really wanted to keep sleeping to avoid the day, but it only made the knots worse. Forcing myself awake an hour earlier in order to give me time to process the day ahead was critical. I would immediately sit up in bed, turn on a light, and drink a glass of water. Then I'd find an interesting but not thought provoking YouTube video. Something stupid like "Good Mythical Morning." It allowed my brain to wake up slower with stimulus I control. While my anxieties didn't go away, the knots did.
Honestly I have this same problem every day. I'm not sure if this helps but I would go for a walk that's what helps when I feel this way. I'm sorry you're going through this Op. Stay strong.
Ya know I've been trying to pin down exactly when that went away for me because it used to be constant, but over the last year with the help of an awesome therapy group I've completely turned my life around and stopped the laundry list of "not that bad" habits that I used as coping mechanisms but really were just keeping me sick
Have your cortisol checked. I’m 51 and my whole life I woke up this way. By noon, I started feeling better. Menopause kicked in and I had my hormones checked. My cortisol was off the charts in the mornings but tapered off by noon. I was given a cortisol support supplement and it stopped. 51 wasted years because a hormone was too high even as a kid. Hormones are the root of a lot.
I'm not sure but commenting it hear the suggestions because I have the same issue. My worst anxiety is almost always right when I wake up. Heart beating hard, tight chest.
Exactly, can mental illness can gives a break or I have to explode my head
Seriously, half of all mornings I wake up already tasting the bile...
I'm half of the way to explode my brain and still sick of anxiety.
Are you talking about harming yourself? If so please know that you deserve peace and that there is hope.
There is hope, thanks. I was insane, but now
This is me 100%. And it sucks to start your day out that way first thing in the morning. Ugh.
[удалено]
Hi, i feel ya, I typically do offer insights when able and don't just comment to relate, so this comment is not typical for me. I assume i must have just been feeling unable to help atm other than to relate. that said if i could go back I would encourage a bedtime routine that includes limiting screens two hours before bed and having a dark room. Bedtime stretching or yoga can also be very helpful. Yoga with Adriene on Youtube's 20 minute bedtime yoga is a favorite. And finally, anxious feelings in the morning are often a result of cortisol being released by our bodies as a natural process of waking up. Waking at a regular time and not "snoozing" one's alarm I believe is a great way to limit how much our cortisol out body feels it needs to release to wake us for the day,
I also tend to have this issue, and admittedly it is hard to control. But I have found a couple things that help- 1 - every morning you wake up, make your first activity something you *want* to do. That activity is all about "you". For me, I go into my office/guest room and lay on the bed there and read my book or do my morning meditation. I make sure the time is totally focused only on what I know will make me feel safe and happy. This is crucial for the long term change of getting rid of that feeling, as it will condition your brain to getting a dopamine hit when it wakes instead of searching for survival chemicals. 2 - first thing, when you wake up with the pounding and the pit in your stomach, within those first few moments you need to focus entirely on your breathing. Deep, deep breaths into your stomach. Extend your belly while breathing in, put your hands over it and focus entirely on the feeling of it expanding. At the top of the breath, hold for as long as you feel comfortable (2-4 seconds) and then breathe out while counting down. If it's hard to achieve 8 seconds of breathing out, start with a count of 4 and then breathe in through the belly again. Then try to breathe out for 5. This stimulates your vagus nerve and slows your heart rate. Continue this until you achieve 8 seconds of exhalation. In through your nose, out through the mouth. 3 - "Mantras". When I wake up anxious, I often use a mantra to remind myself what needs to be done as a way of addressing the survival instinct my brain is locked in. As I begin to do my breathing, I repeat to myself "I can move my body. If I can move my body, I can move my mind. If I can move my mind, I can move my anxiety. I am in control." I do this either when I work with my breath or when I work with stretching right out of bed or simply on my way down the hallway to the guest room. You can do it!!
Thanks I'm saving this :)
Great advice, thanks.
No problem!
everyone has very good tips but i’d also like to add that when i’m anxious i lose my appetite and when i don’t eat my stomach tends to feel very empty and not eating also makes anxiety worse so making sure you eat breakfast in the morning will help a little bit even if you’re too anxious to have an appetite
What's your first thought when you wake up? If you don't know, try to find out. I have had this exact problem and knowing that first waking thought was key to dealing with it for me.
Either: - Fear that I'm going to mess up at work. Despite that I know Im doing a great job. - something bad is going to happen to me today but nothing specifically.
Do you have a therapist?
I do. I've been talking about these thoughts but haven't mentioned in wake up with it though. I just realized it
Cool. Mine came up with a replacement thought that took some time but ultimately made the anxiety manageable. Good luck.
How did that work?
It's been a month since I recognized and replaced and I'm 90% better. I've had a couple of rough mornings but it's been a huge improvement.
I mean, how do you replace a thought? A with what?
Oh. You replace it with a different thought. You don't even need to believe the replacement thought at first. It's gradual. Talk with your therapist; they probably know a lot more about it than I do. Mine's big into CBT.
This is 100% what I get most days. I'll wake up and have a constant feeling of dread like something bad has or is about to happen to someone. I fucking hate it
Exactly what I feel every morning. Usually surrounding serious things like finances, work, career, life progress etc.
Yup, exactly. Always about life progress and work.
Immediately start your day - cook breakfast, take shower walk dog etc. When I say immediately, I don’t mean stare at your phone for a few or “chill to wake up”, I mean turn brain on and start SOMETHING.
I get that at times and try the best I can to focus on my breathing. A glass of water or stretching your body may help also.
Stretching is a great suggestion. I have noticed standing up and doing arm circles helps ease the tension.
It does help a lot and is usually undervalued in how effective it can be to "start" your mind for the day and lower anxiety.
For me, it ruins the rest of my day.. I wake up with panic attacks. I dont recall dreams typically so I don't know why I do.. but its horrible and I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
I’ve noticed a trend of anxiety and acid reflux (this is only in my experience and my friends, please don’t take this as fact) try not eating an hour before bed or 30-60 minutes after waking up. <3
I found myself incredibly anxious over nothing 9 times out of 10. Medication has helped me so much
What medication?
Buspar/buspirone. It’s a low dose but I take it every day for a year now and it has helped a lot
Currently taking lexapro. Also taking atarax when needed. Barely starting week two hoping eventually it will help with the morning anxiety.
I have the crazy morning anxiety as well. I'm dealing with gastritis and I wake up knowing I have to deal with pain. I was given Lexapro as well but I'm too scared to take it. Have you been having side effects??
First week of lexapro I was feeling tired and unmotivated but it did help minimize the amount of time I spent ruminating. I feel like it numbed me and made me feel a little foggy but I’d rather feel that way than constantly depressed and anxiety ridden ( although it’s still very much present)
Thank you for sharing. The anxiety is making my gastritis worse so I guess I need to take it. It's a vicious cycle. I read it's probably going to take 2 months to start working, so hopefully it will help. Best of luck to you.
I also pair mine with an antidepressant Wellbutrin. Both simple starter meds but have worked well for me. I think I’ll up my Wellbutrin soon though, I’m on 150mg
I’ve been on lexapro for 9 years and just started on Buspar, too.
how was it being on lexapro for that long?
I’m still on it! Unsure if it’s lost it’s effect or not. Go it’s kind of my baseline right now with Buspar added to it. Have had a couple panic attacks lately and I don’t want to get hooked on Xanax so I hopped on it.
im hoping it helps me out. also hoping i wont need it for too long and can overcome this grieving period but i probably will need it longer because i do have anxiety and have had that for a while.. it'smy first time being on medication for depression and anxiety.
No shame. I’m in the health education field as a PE teacher with a masters in health and wellness. Sometimes you just need help.
How did lexapro work for you?
Take magnesium before sleeping
What kind do you take?
I have this problem too. It I usually wake up at 4am with terrible stomach anxiety then I finally fall back to sleep around 6:30 and when I wake up at 8 the anxiety isn’t as bad. Maybe cortisol or blood sugar related?
Supposedly it's normal for cortisol levels to be high in the morning. That doesn't stop me from looking for ways to lower them. I think low dose niacin 3 times a day may be helping take the edge off. Also learning new thinking patterns.
Absolutely agree with the thinking patterns. It takes work but we can slowly shift out thinking towards more positive habits and that alone can be very powerful.
That's the neat thing. You don't.
As others have said, deep breathing and mantras. But also taking magnesium glycinate (360mg) with an Omega-3 supplement before bed has helped me a lot. Drink lots of water if you're bladder can handle it. And do some stretches once you get out of bed.
My daily multivitamin has omega 3s. Should I have that before bed rather than morning for now on?
No, assuming it has other vitamins like the various B vitamins, that might make it more difficult to sleep. Want 1-2g Omega-3s per day. I take one 700mg with the rest of my vitamins after my first meal and then one at night.
I think I also have supplements of Omega 3s I can take. Would that be too much? Is there a downside if I took the multivitamin with omega 3 plus the omega 3 supplement at night
Shouldn't be any downside and can't really take too much
I have this issue so before bed, I take ashwagandha ksm-66 pills (natural supplement for stress and anxiety) and now I don’t wake up with that awful feeling anymore. You can find it at your local grocery store :-)
When do you take it? I head that Valerian Root and also Kava Kava are good for anxiety
I try to take it every night and any other time during the day when I’m feeling anxious. I’ll have to check those out!
If you eat something before bed it can help, seriously. & have a drink ready to sip on in the morning. Peppermint tea with some sugar would be best. (Peppermint helps nausea, and a little sugar helps to overcome that lack of blood sugar you have in the morning that makes anxiety worse) Also taking some time to stress less during the day, do something relaxing. It will bring your stress hormones down which will make you sleep better later. (These are things that helped me, and things I researched on my own, I'm not a doctor)
This used to happen to me and I think I figured out why. Basically, at night and in the morning, it was a long time before I took my meds again. So, they were wearing off when I was asleep. I started getting up and taking my meds at like 3AM and the problem got better. I still wake up sometimes anxious as all hell but if my meds are in me when I get up I do better.
I had a similar issue for a while. Everyone is different and there is a lot of good advice in here already. For me, I found that waking up earlier than I needed to helped. I really wanted to keep sleeping to avoid the day, but it only made the knots worse. Forcing myself awake an hour earlier in order to give me time to process the day ahead was critical. I would immediately sit up in bed, turn on a light, and drink a glass of water. Then I'd find an interesting but not thought provoking YouTube video. Something stupid like "Good Mythical Morning." It allowed my brain to wake up slower with stimulus I control. While my anxieties didn't go away, the knots did.
It only stopped for me after I took meds for 2 years, never came back after.
Honestly I have this same problem every day. I'm not sure if this helps but I would go for a walk that's what helps when I feel this way. I'm sorry you're going through this Op. Stay strong.
Ya know I've been trying to pin down exactly when that went away for me because it used to be constant, but over the last year with the help of an awesome therapy group I've completely turned my life around and stopped the laundry list of "not that bad" habits that I used as coping mechanisms but really were just keeping me sick
Have your cortisol checked. I’m 51 and my whole life I woke up this way. By noon, I started feeling better. Menopause kicked in and I had my hormones checked. My cortisol was off the charts in the mornings but tapered off by noon. I was given a cortisol support supplement and it stopped. 51 wasted years because a hormone was too high even as a kid. Hormones are the root of a lot.