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Morning Anxiety

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Posted 10/14/2016 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
I get morning anxiety just about every day and I have the hardest time working through it. It just doesn't want to go away!! And when it does, I'm so tired from dealing with it. I have Ativan that I can use but that makes me tired too.

How do you guys deal with morning anxiety?
Posted 10/14/2016 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sara,

I used to really struggle with this as well. There are a couple of reasons this could be happening for you...

Cortisol, a stress hormone is at its highest level in the body first thing in the morning. It is a stimulating agent, which allows is to get up and moving after hours of inactivity. Without it, we would keep sleeping all day...but too much of it, or a sensitivity to it=anxiety in the a.m. (just learning this explanation helped me to recognize this issue and accept it)

The other cause could be low blood sugar. Are you eating breakfast? Not doing so can cause low blood sugar, which may trigger anxiety due to the similar sensations they both cause.

Either way, practicing coping skills will help. Start them just as you awake, and you should see a difference. :)

Peace and progress,

S.C.
Posted 10/14/2016 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
My morning anxiety sucks. It takes until noon or sometimes longer, before I get to my "regular level" of anxiety for the rest of the day.

I just get up and get on with it. Not much else I can do. Work calls and I answer. I try to eat something and drink a lot of water before my morning coffee.
Posted 10/14/2016 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
SC, what coping skills do you use?
Posted 10/14/2016 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
For me, breathing exercises and positive/reassuring mantras are key.

Taking slow, deep breaths helps reverse the physical symptoms of hyperventilation. (rapid/shallow anxious breathing)

The positive mantras challenges the negative fearful thought process that feeds the anxiety.

I find this...along with daily physical exercise to be a winning combination for me.

You can give this a try...see how it works for you...and also check out other skills to find your best plan.:)

S.C.
Posted 10/14/2016 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Try taking the benzo at night before bed, always makes my mornings easier. My pdoc even agreed.
Posted 10/14/2016 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
i am always worse in the morning too, But since following advice from others on here , i have seen some marked improvement, I have put a breathing meditation app on my phone , which i took into work this morning.
Also the same app has a 5 minute rest from work / study on it so instead of working through my coffee break today. I sat in my office and listened to my app and felt pretty calm for most of the day.
Not free completly cos i am just back in work today after taking 4 sick days ☹because of anx,
I have been so sleepy too after 4 full on days high anx but that made me sleep well x

Hope things settle soon x
Posted 10/14/2016 11:46 PM (GMT 0)
i cope by going to work-always makes me feel better +i work alone so if having a bad spell i dont have to hide it from anyone. would be a diff story if i was in an office setting
Posted 10/15/2016 5:08 AM (GMT 0)
I find that if I take any sort of sleeping pill - benadryl or tylenol pm - I feel waaay worse in the morning. I think feeling even slightly groggy really makes it worse.

Do you take any other sort of medication? you could try switching the time of day you take it.
Posted 10/15/2016 1:02 PM (GMT 0)
I take .25 mg ativan before bed so it's out of my system by morning. I don't want to take more in the AM because it makes me so tied. The only other med I'm on is sertraline (day 13) so once that fully kicks in I'll be better with the morning anxiety. I have been off of work since starting up sertraline (I'm a teacher) and I can't go back until I'm more in control of things. Thanks for all the ideas, you guys are awesome!
Posted 10/16/2016 5:04 AM (GMT 0)
Sara, the half life of Ativan is 12 hours, so you could for sure still be feeling affects in the morning, at least a little bit.

Also I know some people feel a bit increased anxiety when starting a new medication, and 13 days in is still fairly new. So hopefully it will settle out soon!!!
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