Whom of you out there think that morning anxiety attacks is worse than nighttime anxiety attacks? Do you ever experience racing thoughts or anxiety in the morning before you even have a chance to get out of bed? If you do, you’re not alone. While some anxiety is considered a natural part of life, excessive worrying about daily tasks or situations others see as nonthreatening can indicate an anxiety disorder.
Although not a medical term, morning anxiety attacks refers to waking up with feelings of stress and worry. You may experience it if you’re going through a stressful time, dealing with changes in your life, or experiencing distress.
But for some people, morning anxiety is more than occasional. And if it’s becoming a regular occurrence in your A.M. routine, then it’s time to face it head on and come up with coping and prevention methods that work for you—like the techniques ahead.
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt
Morning Anxiety Symptoms
What does anxiety nausea feel like? Some people describe the nausea caused by anxiety as a fluttery feeling, but for others, nausea from anxiety may feel a lot like nausea from any other cause. If you experience digestive upset caused by anxiety, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder. Some other symptoms from anxiety in the morning are: shortness of breath, heart racing, and waking up with tight chest every morning.
All in all, when you have anxiety and morning nausea, your brain and digestive system are connected. When your body goes into an anxious state, it triggers some changes in your body, including your digestive system. This can sometimes result in an upset stomach or feeling nauseous.
If you experience a morning anxiety attack upon waking, you may have symptoms that include:
- feeling restless, “on edge,” or “wound up”
- irritability
- fatigue
- signs of an anxiety attack, such as a tight chest, tense muscles, faster heart rate, or rapid breathing
- difficulty concentrating and finding your mind goes blank
- difficulty managing the worry or nervousness
- inability to fall asleep or stay asleep (insomnia)
- digestive issues like indigestion
- headache
Morning Anxiety Causes
The causes of morning anxiety attacks can be the same ones that may contribute to an anxiety disorder. Since morning anxiety is a reaction to excess stress and worries, several potential causes may contribute to your symptoms.
Anticipation and worry about the day ahead or a future event.
Stress about something that occurred in the past. Also, an increase in the “stress hormone” cortisol, which typically happens within the first hour of waking.
Caffeine or sugar intake, both of which may cause or worsen anxiety. If you go to bed worrying or wake up during the night with anxious thoughts, you may also feel anxious and concerned about your day in the morning.
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” ―Helen Keller
Morning Anxiety Treatment
In addition to increasing your mental and physical fitness, physical activity can:
- lift your mood
- reduce anxiety symptoms
- improve your body’s ability to handle stress
- help you relax
- reduce tension
- improve sleep
Aim to exercise regularly — at least 5 days per week for 30–45 minutes each session — to get the full benefit.
Practicing mindfulness and meditation: Mindfulness involves redirecting your thoughts back to the present moment — and you can get better at it with practice. Mindfulness and meditation offer health benefits that may include:
- reduced stress
- improved sleep
- reduced blood pressure
- reduced fatigue
Deep breathing exercises:
Deep breathing done first thing in the morning can help take the focus off negative and anxious thoughts and help turn your focus and energy toward your body. Try to breathe with your diaphragm, making your stomach rise with each inhalation, and then lengthen the time of your exhalations. This can help reduce the body’s anxiety response.
Challenging negative thoughts:
If you wake up with negative thoughts about your day (often called “catastrophizing”), challenge them and focus on what you can control. You may consider keeping a journal by your bed and writing down what you’re grateful for. It can also be helpful to list at least three things you’re looking forward to.
Setting aside a specific time to consider worries:
You can try setting a worry timer to give yourself time to consider what’s causing your anxiety. Give yourself a time limit of 10 minutes to experience those feelings. But when the timer goes off, move on to your self-care strategies. Though you cannot expect to “turn off” your anxiety, this approach can allow you to acknowledge your worry and give you a concrete point at which to move on to self-care.
Morning Anxiety Reddit
Reddit is a social news and discussion website where users can submit and vote on content, as well as comment on posts and participate in discussions. The website is organized into subreddits, which are individual communities centered around specific topics or interests.
Registered users (known as “redditors”) can submit text, links, images, and videos to subreddits for others to see and comment on. Posts are ranked using a voting system, where users can upvote or downvote content. The more upvotes a post receives, the higher up on the subreddit’s page it will appear.
Users can also join and participate in subreddits related to their specific interests, such as hobbies, fandoms, or career fields. Reddit has become a major platform for discussion, debate, and the sharing of information and ideas.
“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” —Michele Ruiz
Conclusion
By all means, if you’re finding that your sleep is significantly affected or you are waking up every day or multiple days a week with severe anxiety, then it may be time to get help to address your anxiety. Obviously, another potential sign that it’s time for help is if you notice that anxiety affects you for part or most of any given day.
By the same token, if you wake up regularly experiencing a morning anxiety attack, you may feel that there is little hope for change and that your anxiety is never going to go away. However, it’s important to know that there is help out there for you in terms of medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes that can enable you to get more control over your anxiety and your life.
“Psychotherapy is very helpful to reframe thoughts about your day and about the stress,” Wallace says. “You’re trying to create a routine that is more sustainable and manageable. Psychotherapy can also teach you to break those thoughts saying you’re going to wake up feeling anxious the next day because you woke up feeling anxious today, which only perpetuates the morning anxiety.
Articles
-Tips for Coping with Morning Anxiety
https://counseling.online.wfu.edu/blog/morning-anxiety-tips/
-Bella Hadid Says She Has Morning Anxiety: What It Is and How to Manage It
-Morning Anxiety
https://www.verywellhealth.com/morning-anxiety-6832586
Have a Good One,
Cindee Murphy, One Voice – Unstoppable
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes―understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” ―Arianna Huffington
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