There are some days that are just rotten from the start. I don’t know what I was dreaming about, but I woke up ruminating in the middle of the night. My memories jump back to the cause of my trauma with no obvious trigger and instead of normal morning grogginess I find myself panicking and crying. For just today, it doesn’t feel like my symptoms are getting better. It’s disheartening to think that all the hard work I put into healing may just be undone. After I got a cup of coffee in me, I decided to investigate the mystery of my bad mornings. To my relief it’s not a relapse of my symptoms, but a common occurrence that many people deal with.
Morning anxiety and the monster in my head
It can be frustrating when you are doing everything in your power to maintain a balanced state of mind, control your anxiety, and be a happy and functioning member of society yet still the mornings start with flashbacks or high anxiety. I wake up every morning around 5:30 AM to a chorus of all my life’s worst moments and my inner voice being a complete $#@%. This morning anxiety takes hours to snap myself out of which destroys large chunks of time that was supposed to be for chores or work. I am sure that I am not alone in my wish to stop waking up in a panic attack, so here I aim to clarify what is happening and ways to possibly stop it.
There are many different reasons why a person can have morning anxiety, but if it happens frequently it can be a sign of an anxiety disorder such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Bi-Polar Disorder, as well as other disorders, and it is very important to speak with your own health care provider if this is causing an issue for you (Fletcher, 2023). In this article I will focus mostly on morning anxiety as it affects those with PTSD as that is my personal experience, and we will look at a few different self-care tactics that may help.
Lets talk about diet
The world we live in can be a confusing place. With the internet we can find a wealth of information, but there is also misinformation and opinions mixed in with cold hard facts. We can find a wealth of articles about a doctor of some kind recommending one thing, and then another article from some doctor recommending the exact opposite. With the internet we can read all about doctors’ recommendations on butter or margarine, red meat or no red meat, and other often disappointing advice for our health. The one thing that I have noticed it seems all doctors agree on is a little tidbit they like to call ‘everything in moderation.’ Now, of course this does not mean that everything is fine if you do it in moderation. Some things will always be bad no matter what like illegal street drugs, tobacco products, asbestos, etc. There has also been a lot of debate on if any amount of alcohol of any kind is good, but all large amounts of alcohol, whether frequently or not, are bad.
The connection between substance abuse and PTSD is well documented, and worth a paper of its own so I’m not going to go into great detail. We are around alcohol so often between sales and advertisements, we forget that alcohol is also a drug. Like any drug, if you are taking medication you should talk to your doctor before consuming to make sure it won’t cause any negative effects. However, even without medication it may not be a good idea to consume alcohol if you have an anxiety disorder. The initial effects of alcohol bring a sense of relaxation, but too much at one time or heavy use over time can make a person more susceptible to alcohol addiction and anxiety (Cherney, 2019). In my experience, even one drink every once in a while seems to coincide with my feeling more anxious the next day, especially in the morning.
About 95% of serotonin receptors are found in the lining of the gut, and gut health is incredibly important for other reasons, it is also important for our mental health. Complex carbs metabolize slower and because of that maintain blood sugar levels helping with anxiety symptoms. This means avoiding simple carbs found in processed food and enjoying a balanced diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants, omega 3, and probiotics all play some importance in our gut health and our mind as well (Naidoo, 2019). Long story short, if you’re eating terribly and suffering from anxiety, amending your diet is a good place to start.
Why is anxiety worse in the morning?
Part of the frustration of having a mental disorder is controlling it and I’m sure most have already learned the importance of diet, exercise, and obstaining from mood altering substances. However, even with taking these precautions and following a healthy diet, those that suffer from an anxiety disorder and subsequently always have an elevated level of stress, can still be prone to waking up with anxiety or a panic attack. This is because our cortisol (stress hormone) levels are always elevated, and due to this they can be most elevated in the first hour after we’ve woken up (Delahanty et al., 2008).
What may help reduce morning anxiety
Personally, as a survivor and proud owner of an anxiety disorder, I am tired of doctors attacking my coffee intake. Unfortunately, I know they are right that too much caffeine is bad for your anxiety. If you hop out of bed and jump to grab a large coffee with a delicious sugary donut you are doubling your chances of success for a terribly anxious morning or day. I say this because caffeine increases anxiety and the sugars in your breakfast will raise your blood sugar and crash it a while later which we now know is bad for anxiety. Sugar is bad for everyone, and we should try to limit it in our diets, but it is especially bad for those trying to manage their mood (Lindberg, 2023).
In my journey on this topic, I have seen advice from medication to medication that is usually suggested to help lower anxiety, and not a lot that is specific to morning anxiety. As our bodies and diet are so closely connected, looking closely at our diets when we aren’t feeling top notch is likely the best place to start. A certain amount of stress in our lives is normal and just because you wake up feeling anxious sometimes does not mean that it is a disorder. And not having a disorder doesn’t mean that your experience isn’t important. Listen to what your body is trying to say.
Aside from monitoring your diet and trying to limit caffeine and sugar intake, it may be helpful to change your morning routine to include things that are physical or mindful. Mindfulness meditation has been recommended to PTSD and CPTSD sufferers often, but we laugh because we’re basically being asked to sit with our flashbacks and intrusive thoughts. I used to meditate a lot, but as things got worse it became impossible. I have found that Yoga is helpful both for exercise and reflection since it is guided and even if my thoughts slip away, I still have the movement to bring me back. Maybe others can find this helpful, or maybe writing a morning gratitude, or deep breathing. There is still a lot of information in my cited references on these helpful techniques and I encourage the reader to take a look for more information.
In Conclusion
Morning anxiety is something experienced by many people both with anxiety disorders and without. All of us go through change, turmoil, and suffering as much as we have our wins and joy in life. There are times when even the calmest people probably wake up feeling a little anxious in the morning. For those who do suffer from an anxiety disorder such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), PTSD, CPTSD there is a higher chance of having morning anxiety or panic attacks due to the higher cortisol levels right after waking.
There is a lot of research that links our diet with our mental health as much as our physical health and a good start to lowering your panic is to treat your body better. Following a diet that is low in sugar, high in complex carbs, fruits and vegetables is the recommended diet. Substances such as alcohol and caffeine can make anxiety worse and the overwhelming advice is to limit your intake, if not cut out completely.
Recovery is a tough journey, but there are always ways of managing symptoms. There is no one person who can tell us exactly what to do or what to eat to feel better, so we all must find what works for us. Not everyone has to completely cut caffeine out of their diet, and not everyone can use mindfulness meditation. It’s important to find what feels right for you and pay attention to how your body feels.
References
Beyer, A. (February 17, 2022). Rise and Stress: Why Do I Wake Up with Anxiety? http://www.Greatist.com https://greatist.com/health/why-do-i-wake-up-with-anxiety
Cherney, K. (September 26, 2019). Alcohol and Anxiety. http://www.Healthline.com https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol-and-anxiety#alcohol-effects
Fletcher, J. (January 24,2023). What to know about waking up with anxiety. www.medicalnewstoday.com. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325808
Naidoo, U. (August 28,2019). Nutritional strategies to ease anxiety. www.health.harvard.edu https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-strategies-to-ease-anxiety-201604139441
Lindberg, S. (February 18,2023). Why DO I Have Anxiety in the Morning? http://www.healthline.com. https://www.healthline.com/health/morning-anxiety
Johnson DM, Delahanty DL, Pinna K. The cortisol awakening response as a function of PTSD severity and abuse chronicity in sheltered battered women. J Anxiety Disord. 2008 Jun;22(5):793-800. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.08.006. Epub 2007 Aug 22. Erratum in: J Anxiety Disord. 2012 Jun;26(5):633. PMID: 17890049; PMCID: PMC2414257. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2414257/
Neither Diary of a Flopping Fish or the author are affiliated in any way with the cited references or any other website or reference on this site. The author and Diary of a Flopping Fish is not a licensed professional anything, and nothing on Diary of a Flopping Fish has been reviewed by any kind of medical professional.
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