Has anyone successfully got rid of morning anxiety (Cortisol Awakening Response)?

[WelshPoppy5]

Every morning I wake up with intense anxiety, feeling of dread etc. It doesn’t matter how I feel when I go to sleep, when I wake up the anxiety is there and really intense. It usually goes away after an hour or three, and I have a normal day. But it’s such an awful way to start every day.

I think it’s explained as the cortisol awakening response, and all the info online suggests ways to improve it once it’s there, but since it disappears on its own they all seem a bit pointless! Does anyone know how to prevent it happening in the first place?!

@Fairytoast sorry they didn’t work for you with your IBS. I’ll look into them - thanks for the suggestion 🙂

Regularly practising deep relaxation will help this, though. Before bed and after waking. See also Dr Robert Sharpe.

all the info online suggests ways to improve it once it’s there, but since it disappears on its own they all seem a bit pointless!

The tools suggested can help to shorten the duration of it and eventually they can stop it all together eg breathwork, mindfulness etc - not pointless at all.

I am slightly relieved to find I am far from the only person this happens to waking up angry, worried and pissed off most days. Now I know I can look at getting it addressed.

Oh gosh I get this too OP although similar to a pp for me it’s a sign that I need to go on medication (I see you are already taking meds OP). I’ve actually been on Sertraline for years now & I don’t get the morning anxiety anymore. In the time I’ve been on Sertraline I’ve had some seriously stressful stuff going on inc a stage 4 cancer diagnosis & I still didn’t that horrible morning feeling! So might be worth checking if you could take an SSRI like Sertraline or citalopram on top of your usual meds.

PS. When I had phases of the morning anxiety I tried listening to classical music & doing a progressive muscle relaxation/ mindfulness before bed but I still woke up feeling edgy. But different things work for different people. Solidarity though- it’s horrible!

Citalopram. Plus get out of bed and open blinds/curtains straight away

Solidarity! I have this too although it lifts quite rapidly in my case, once I’ve started going about my day (I start work early on weekdays and hit the gym at 7am at weekends, so it disappears fast because I’m an early bird who’s busy soon after waking).

I found when I took a drowsy antihistamine at night I didn't get the bonkers morning dread.

Thank goodness, I thought it was just me. That awful feeling of dread even if I have nothing planned for the day that could make me nervous. Mine disappears once I'm up and about, but it's the rapid heartbeat that scares me the most.

Is it the electric current feeling? I hate that feeling.

I had no idea this was a thing - just thought it was me being stressy!

Try methylated b vitamins (but don't go overboard with dose) anxiety can be made worse by low b vitamins, especially if you have a very common gene called MTHFR. Google MTHFR and anxiety.

Cut out all caffeine and alcohol
Drink hot water first thing- calms nervous system
Go for reflexology

I used to get panic attacks and morning anxiety but it's really eased off past few years.

Can you have this after being asleep 10 minutes? Every night I wake up after 10 minutes and feel intense anxiety and depression. I'm fine going to sleep, waking up in the morning and go back to sleep fairly quickly. I don't suffer and never suffered from anxiety or depression so it's weird.

Placemarking in the hope that someone has some good advice! The only thing that calms me down marginally is breathwork but it's hit and miss. Solidarity.

Please don't recommend anti-depressants or random herbal supplements to someone with bipolar disorder who is already on meds.

I think you need to speak to your psychiatrist, and if the NHS is being shit about a review then push them on it.

That said, I also have this. I find the best solution is to put an alarm on and get up slightly earlier than I would otherwise have woken. I find it's worse if I wake naturally and slightly late.

B vitamins aren't a bad idea, and magnesium before bed. Have you checked your blood pressure on lying down and then again after standing up? For me this seems linked to postural hypotension.

I used to have this for years! Horrible, horrible feeling. It used to wake me up. But as my anxiety eased in general, it stopped happening. I used Chinese medicine and acupuncture, as well as CBT

I have had this for years and honestly thought it was just me! I feel strangely relieved that others have it too.

More often than not in a morning I am super anxious for no reason at all. Once the day has got going it tends to go but there is the odd occasion where I struggle to bat it off. I have found lately getting up and straight into the shower helps as im not ruminating on all the anxious feelings im having.

I have some Ashwaganda in the cupboard that I bought last year but being an anxious person im too anxious to take them.

Cutting put caffeine completely quashed it for me. It was an awful feeling, I hope those of you experiencing it find a way to sort it.

I have some Ashwaganda in the cupboard that I bought last year but being an anxious person im too anxious to take them
that made me smile @Bluemat .I have a brother very badly affected by this but he's so anxious that he wont take docs advice to switch citalopram to sertraline.

I get this and I’m on anti depressants and HRT.
I find it helps if I get up straight away, shower and go outside.

Have you tried taking magnesium ?

Couple of small things -

Try a sleep cycle alarm - the ones that sense when your breathing / movement shows you are waking up. When it tips you gently into being awake, get up. (Android has a free version called Sleep).

Have just a square of chocolate beside your bed to suck when you wake up, if you like it at all.

I have started doing this, hope it helps 🤞

I did take those last year but they made it worse for some reason! I just take B6 now. I’ve got my blood test results from last year printed somewhere so will look at the B ones as I did get them tested.

I don’t drink alcohol or caffeine so I’m doing something right in that area! I did drink last year and whenever I had wine I didn’t get the anxiety in the morning! Not sure what that’s about, but probably not the best idea to drink wine every night to sort it 🤣

Reflexology sounds nice to do either way so will try that - thanks 🙂