Morning anxiety and burning brain, etc.

[SportsGuy17]

Does anyone struggle with anxiety more in the morning than other points of the day? From researching it seems to happen because of the increase of cortisol and adrenaline that your body produces in the morning. I also seem to get periods of intense brain burning or moments where my body seems to be coursing with anxiety and it's difficult to get out of. I try meditation and exercise which seems to help slightly, but seeing if there are any other tips out there. Thank you all kindly.

[Agora1]

Hi SportsGuy17, for most of us, morning anxiety is most prevalent. As the day goes on

the hormone levels drop and we feel more confident that we will make it through the day.

You are right that it has a lot to do with Cortisol and Adrenaline rising early morning,

It was to prepare the cavemen in getting on with the day. The average person can sleep

through it but those with anxious minds tend to wake up 3-4 am. Restless & Fearful.

Meditation and Mindfulness are good but at that time of the morning you may want to

have a quicker fix. Eating a Banana has been known in reducing Anxiety. For whatever

reason, I found that it works lol It could be the properties in bananas or the fact that

when we believe in something, our brain chemistry changes to a more positive approach.

Also SportsGuy, doing some breathing techniques to slow down your inhales and exhale

very long and slow can have an effect on the Adrenaline, allowing you to get a couple

more hours of shut eye. It's worth a try xx

[Hidden in reply to Agora1]

Thank you for the tips. I suffer from this as well.

[Agora1 in reply to Hidden]

You're very welcome. You're certainly not alone with morning anxiety.

Reach out to us if you need more help or support. We are here for each other xx

[Mofro in reply to Agora1]

My primary doctor once told me to eat bananas, because they raise serotonin levels. I'm not sure about that, but I just Googled it and this is what I found:

Bananas contain high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid, which is converted into serotonin in your body.

Also, a medium sized banana has 32 mg. of magnesium. I used to take magnesium because a former psychiatrist told me it might help with my anxiety. For some people magnesium can calm them and lessen anxiety. I can't say that eating bananas helps me, but these are a couple of things I've been told by different doctors.

[Agora1 in reply to Mofro]

Thanks Mofro for the info. So that's what it's about. It has always worked for me.

That's the same thing that Turkey has that can make you sleepy...You're a Gem x

[SportsGuy17 in reply to Mofro]

Thanks Mofro. I am going to try eating more bananas. I have started a magnesium supplement but it seems to bother my stomach sometimes. I will start adding bananas into my daily diet and see if it helps. Thanks so much.

[Mofro in reply to SportsGuy17]

You may have researched magnesium before you started taking it, if not, there are different types of magnesium. Here's just one of many sources you can read that might be helpful. medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

Personally, when I was taking a supplement I always got magnesium glycinate. If you take higher doses, which is often required for issues such as anxiety, it seems to be easier of the system.

I hope something helps.

[SportsGuy17]

thanks so much for the response. It helps knowing I’m not alone in these experiences. The banana thing is interesting, will have to try it out!

Do you all experience the brain burning or feeling like you can’t think or calm down? To me this comes and goes and eventually drops around 4 or 5pm. I’ve been trying to let the sensation come and go but it’s so intense sometimes that it’s hard to concentrate on anything else.

Thanks again for you support and thinking of all who are struggling and hurting. Each day is new opportunity and another day to prove our strength. Hugs to all

[LadyZen]

I'm glad you posted about this. I feel sad when I wake up sometimes. I always thought it was because of my dreams. But the biology of it makes sense. In the mornings, I actually give myself at least 30 minutes to get out of bed. I'll read, write, catch up on some post on here, something to draw my attention away from any lingering sadness. Then I'll roll out of bed and start the day.

[LoveforAll41]

Mornings can be so daggum intense! I have a lot of anxiety around work and evening me (Seinfeld reference) is not nice to morning me often because I love being up alone late and free of any burdens and it is not morning yet... I try to take my meds at night to try to blunt the mornings.

I mentioned to my therapist that I don't like mindfulness because it doesn't get me out of the feelings but she told me that I was doing it wrong and mindfulness was to experience the sensation more. Huh, that makes sense. I get brain buzzing and almost dizzy and it gets really really hard to focus. I kind of press on and can get into work or am not productive and spend time feeling crappy about that. Eh, life is something ain't it.

[Mofro in reply to LoveforAll41]

I'm the same as you when it comes to mornings vs. evenings. Sometimes I hate to go to bed, just because of the fear of how I might feel the next morning.

[SportsGuy17 in reply to LoveforAll41]

Have you found any medications or supplements that have helped with morning anxiety? I am going to discuss with my therapist tomorrow. Glad I am not alone, but definitely not something I would wish on my worst enemy. Take care of yourself and thanks for the response.

[LoveforAll41 in reply to SportsGuy17]

I am not a huge advocate of meds, but they are something that is good for me and I am not opposed to staying on them for the next 10 or 20 years so that I can try to be stable for my kids. I think that if I keep progressing in therapy I will likely be able to get off of them entirely but it is not something I have to do. Anyway, I was on fluoxetine for a few years and did pretty well then got married and ditched it for the sexual side effects. It was a bit blunting but a tired feeling was very preferable to feeling suicidal. Now I am on venlafaxine (effexor) and got up to a decently high dose and am now working down to the minimum effective dose. Taking either of those at night helped with the mornings.

The best thing for me is exercising in the morning, most of the time I enjoy it but it can turn bad if I beat myself up for not exercising. I think if you can do something that you get excited about in the morning it really helps. I am not a big mindfulness guy so movement is my best thing. As far as supplements go the only thing that I have liked much is a greens supplement. Usually generic brands of AG1 or whatever. My anxiety makes my intestines feel like they are being wrung out often and the probiotics and stuff in that seem to smooth things out a bit. Journaling is something I might be able to handle in the mornings. Sorry, not super helpful, mornings are the the pits😁☮️

[bonkers65]

My anxiety is also worse when I first wake up too. While I'm drinking my coffee, I count and also practice mindfulness. If I don't, I start worrying and ruminating. Anything to distract me. But whatever works for you.

[Mofro]

In short, yes. I can usually tell how my day is going to go depending on my level of anxiety when I wake up in the morning. Sometimes I think it's brought on by dreams I had during the night. It usually subsides as the day progresses, but not always. I've always felt "safer" at night for the most part, probably due to the fact I feel I've made it through another day.

[SportsGuy17 in reply to Mofro]

That's how I feel too. I'm always relieved when I make it to 4pm/5pm, knowing the sensations will subside somewhat.

[Cavalierrubie]

Go to AnxietyCentre.com There is an extensive list of all symptoms. You will be amazed.

[brendahol in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Oh my a thousand thank you’s! You recommended AnxietyCentre.com, I just went on there, I recommend it to everyone. Why don’t our doctors tell us these things? What a great website!

[Cavalierrubie in reply to brendahol]

Yes it’s so helpful and everyone should go there and read. It’s so good to know we are not crazy. Happy Christmas xxxx

[Ace2011 in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Thank you for recommending AnxietyCentre.com , very interesting & useful information.

[SportsGuy17 in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Thanks for this reference. I have spent a little time on there and it seems very helpful so far. I think my hypersensitivity has been a big part of this. I need to give myself grace and time to come down from it.

[Cavalierrubie in reply to SportsGuy17]

I am pleased to pass this on. It is a daily battle and to know that these weird feelings are not something seriously wrong helps us to win. Wishing you well.

[Teaching]

U do experience it every morning. What I do is to stretch a little bit and go my way. It can be very draining and scary but I just go to work and feel better after sometime.

[punkster]

When I was younger, exercise first thing in the morning helped. My body can't get going first thing in the morning anymore. I see that others have suggested eating a banana. I find that eating anything, particularly if it has protein in it, helps. My anxiety tends to ramp up when I'm hungry and I am hungriest first thing in the morning.