Why do I feel so much worse first thing in the morning?

[joannec123]

Im Hypo and I feel absolutely dreadful when I first wake up... gritty, puffy eyes, really tired (even after nine hours of unbroken sleep), headaches and the old "fog" feeling? This seems to gradually improve as the morning and day goes on. Not 100% by any means but bit better...Anyone else worse in the mornings?

[hooper]

Most definitely, yes! Just as you describe. I don't know why it should be like that though. Let's wait and see the responses we may get. Wishing you well....

Jen

[Maggiet]

Oh my goodness YES! I also have diurnal depression which my doc diagnosed and it means my mood is very low in the morning, rises in the afternoon and then takes a dive again. Same goes for my hypo symptoms too.

[Heloise]

Yes, I think the TSH is higher in the morning, that's why they encourage blood testing early in the day. Getting the metabolism revved up is important. Some claim some coconut oil first thing and hydration as well.

[CaliZoe in reply to Heloise]

What do you mean coconut oil and how much?

[Heloise in reply to CaliZoe]

After reading Tegz remarks about adrenaline and lack of good sleep, there may be something to that as well.

Coconut oil is a medium chain (I think) fatty acid and said to be very good for hypos even has some weight loss features. You could Google it. I sometimes put a teaspoon in my hot drink in the morning since I don't really care to fry anything with it even though I love coconut and it's also good for frying since it doesn't burn easily. You could also put a couple of teaspoons in a smoothie if you make those.

[tegz]

This sounds like the Adrenals affecting sleep -and I have it all the time now.

Possibly caused by adrenaline bringing you round [rather than cortisol] during the night.

Thyroid levels [T3] do cycle through the day but lack of proper rest is an added un-bonus to getting life back on track.

Luckily, I can nod off during the day - but it's a bind.

Levo made it worse, too.

Consider a 4x [or 5x including 3am] Cortisol saliva test? {Even though disregarded by GPs]

[joannec123 in reply to tegz]

Hi, but im getting over nine hours of sleep a night, so lots of rest... I hope levo doesn't make mine worse - although i'd be surprised if it can get any worse! x

[Hidden]

Never could 'do' mornings, can't remember it ever being different! Just a zombie until some coffee.

Perhaps I was always Hypo (was always 'lazy') on automatic until afternoon when I awake - surprising I've got through 52 years like this really! (not on Levo, so just a 'natural' control-group Hypo!) J

[joannec123 in reply to Hidden]

Spareribs - I know what you mean, ive always been a bit like it too! What natural things do you do instead of taking Levo then? I am worried as it seems to not agree with everyone from what ive read on here!

[Hidden in reply to joannec123]

Sorry Joannec, by 'natural' I meant I'm not on any medication, 'sub clinical' - not diagnosed despite symptoms and partial thyroidectomy as blood tests within range (last TSH 4.57 (0.3-5.5).

I sleep a lot, I do take vitamin D 'tho and feel much brighter for it. Jane

[Hidden]

Hi, i'm terrible in the morning. I feel drunk, exhausted, often vomit when I brush my teeth, can't think straight, slurred speech. This carries on until 2 hours after taking Armour. I feel almost normal late in the evening. My adrenal stress profile showed low cortisol until 4pm. Explains everything for me.

[lola1956 in reply to Hidden]

Hi im really bad in morning as well..feel sick very tierd almost hungover bump into things and sit in a trance like state ...like that for at least 2 hours takes me ages to get going ....if at all

[Hidden in reply to lola1956]

Hi Lola1956, when i told the endo i just got a bemused look! I know i'm not absorbing the thyroid meds well, it's like starting treatment everyday for me.

Have you improved on your thyroid meds?

[Ayehol in reply to Hidden]

This is similar to what I experience. thank you

[Sam75]

I can understand exactly, feel ghastly when waking for a good hour, every part of me hurts, and I also bump into door frames and feel angry for no good reason....its a good job I now live alone, I would probably have been divorced by now....

[joannec123 in reply to Sam75]

yeah, ive been bumping into stuff and is like your hung over! I feel moody too, which is not like me at all! I drive for a living and hit the car last week ! nightmare. hoping the Levo starts to kick in soon, do you take anything?

[Yana]

I felt like that when I took my medication at 6 am when my husband got up for work. I would get up at 7.15 and eat at 7.30. I always felt groggy and moody first thing in the morning. I now take my medication at 3 am usually when i get up to go to the loo. I set an alarm just in case. It really works for me. I now get up feeling refreshed and alert it's already in your system when you wake, it's the best thing I've ever done.

Worth a try.

[joannec123 in reply to Yana]

looks like i'm not alone then. Yana that's interesting. I started taking Levo Am and i've swopped to pm now, so I take them about 11pm. but then again im only on day 15 as newly diagnosed. and only on 25mcg at the moment x

[puncturedbicycle in reply to joannec123]

I got a much better night's rest taking t4 at bedtime and felt better in the morning because of it.

[Stourie]

I felt like that after my son was born until I was diagnosed 7 years ago. My son is now 36 and altho I find it difficult to get out of bed I am fine once I do.

Jo xx

[Perri]

I feel exactly like this, cant focus my eyes & my knees wont bend, I bump into everthing & very grumpy & uncoordinated. I take my levo at 6am too, so will try to take it earlier & see if it makes a difference. I did try taking it at night, but that did not work for me, its all trial & error isn't it?

[joannec123 in reply to Perri]

Hi Perri, what happened to you when you took it at night? ive just swopped from taking mine at 7am to 11pm because I was having my breakfast (milk) at 8.30am and they say not to do that. so now I eat by 8 (im a late eater!) and take it 3 hours afterwards..... x

[Perri in reply to joannec123]

when I took it at night, I felt much more tired later in the day & wanted to sleep - not good as I work in the evenings, having said that, I have an appointment myself on monday as think I need a higher dose as only on 50mg & starting to feel like I have lost my mojo again - it is all swings & roundabouts getting things right. Ironically, my Doctor told me it is ok to have my cereal with mild an hour after taking levo - so now I am not sure if I am taking it correctly myself! x

[Beverleyb]

I also felt like this for years,hated getting out of bed ,I could hardly walk felt like an old woman,until I started on t3,no aches and pains in the morning ,clear head,feel great now!

[Hidden in reply to Beverleyb]

How long did it take for the T3 to work for you? I've been taking it a couple of months and still have terrible body pain etc etc. I have one under my top lip all night and still wake uo feeling dreadful.

[Beverleyb in reply to Hidden]

Hi Helcaster,I felt better after a month of taking T3,infact I felt that good I went to a reunion(husband ex forces)with my husband for the first time in 12 years. I take 20mg split throughout the day,I feel great at last after 17 years ,hope your health improves soon!

[Hidden in reply to Beverleyb]

Hi beverleyb, i'm so pleased that's working for you.

I'm taking t3 sublingually at 50mcg split into two. While I can feel that the swelling is improving, it isn't yet helping with other symptoms and my temperatures are still very low.

[Beverleyb in reply to Hidden]

Hi helcaster, after taking t3 for a month,I went downhill very fast,I could hardly move felt worse than ever,it was the following weekend after I had been away,I looked on thyroid uk ,low and behold someone mentioned there was a faulty batch,81171,exp 29.04.2016, I was taking these. Hubby called 111.I got another prescription and it took me a couple of weeks to get back to feeling good again. Been thinking could you have the same batch? Worth checking.

[ellarose1234]

I take mine at night now. Never eat after 7pm and go to bed about 11. Best thing I ever did...thanks Ron! Having said that my sister tried it and it didn't work for her. She only gave it a few days though.

[rosaann52]

I find if I sleep in to long my body takes ages to 'wake up'...so I always set my alarm for 7 hrs after I go to bed ...then when I wake up I take my medication for pain related problems and my thyroxine.....I then give my self a hour and then get up.......if I don't have a disturbed night this seems to be enough time for the old joints to get going and for the thyroxine to start working....but it still can vary day to day.....if I know I have to go out the following day I try to get to bed that bit earlier and wake up at least 4 hours before I'm due to start thinking about going out ....just to get my 'engine' warmed up and get myself ready....what a fun packed life I have.....!!!!!

[KLR22]

Me too. I wonder if it's just a 'thyroid thing' but would love to know.

[JanW]

And me I feel like a zombie in the morning terrible brain fog usually improve after tea, coffee and after 11a.m. I'm hypo and have got use to it tried vit d have no effect on me or other minerals so given them up.

[thechickenlady]

where have you guys been for the last 8 years of my life????

I was diagnosed hypo in 2005 and given virtually no information about how to manage my condition other than take the pills forever. I take my pills in the morning and now leave 45 mins before having my breakfast (although I only found out about leaving a gap after about 2 years). I have never been told not to take the medication before having my blood tests (which is usually first thing in the morning on the way to work) and no-one has ever really explained the significance of the numbers. I'm wide awake at midnight, and sluggish until lunchtime, my legs ache when I stand up after sitting down for more than 10 mins and I suffer from constant low mood.

Going to start taking meds in the evening when I go to bed and save this forum as a favourite.

[mistygrey]

I struggle with exactly the same symptoms as these above. Waking up feeling like I have been hit by a Train is the best way to describe it, bad sugar lows and feeling like my eyes are blurry sometimes and my head feels quite groggy - having to hold a job down feeling like this isn't ideal by any means!

I have recently since November added T3 to my T4 so on a T4/T3 Combo however the T3 dose I am on is very minimal - trying to adjust it slowly as I don't seem to do well on high doses of T3 I am very sensitive to the drug it seems.

I wonder if taking my T4 during the night might help stable me out for waking up? as I wake up usually around 6.30 am but I am useless until about 10 am, would taking in the night help at all? I tried taking it before bedtime a few years back and I felt even more tired doing it that way?

[Dee8686 in reply to mistygrey]

Hey I get this feeling too. Has it eased now your meds are better?

[DippyDame]

It's not just me then.....so glad you posted this. Thank you!

I too feel dreadful in the morning (it does ease a little during the day and then I flop by late afternoon) so... I'm now going to settle down and closely read all the replies.

Good luck and improved health everyone, and much appreciation for advice and info posted.

Best...

DD

[DippyDame in reply to DippyDame]

Just realised this is an old post!

[Dee8686 in reply to DippyDame]

Hi dd, I know this post is old but I see you are improving now! Has the morning/daytime grogginess gone? I hate it!

[DippyDame in reply to Dee8686]

Pleased to say I am improving slowly now but I still start the day feeling groggy. This does mainly clear though...after an hour or so. After several months of titrating T4/T3 with scant success, and following confirmation that I have a faulty Dio2 gene which impairs T4/T3 conversion I slowly changed to T3-only about 6 weeks ago and feel a change is now kicking in.

My brain is clearer, pain levels are less, fatigue is slightly reduced and so on. I'm 73 so turning cartwheels is maybe a dream!!

After decades of depletion it was always going to take a long time before the (trillions of) cell's T3 receptors 'woke up" and allowed T3 to work at cellular level ....which is where it is needed.

I think this is the reason that the awful groggy feeling is decreasing....but, becacuse we are all so different I hesitate to suggest it may be the same for everyone.

When do you take your thyroid hormones?

Do you split the dose?

Are Vit D, Vit B12, Ferritin and Folate at optimum levels?

Hang on in there, I used to despair of ever experiencing any improvement....baby steps as the saying goes!

Follow advice from the wonderful experts here....that was what changed things for me.

Best of luck

DD

[Dee8686 in reply to DippyDame]

Thank you. Not optimal on thyroid meds yet or folate and ferritin.

Hopefully I will improve when they do. My grogginess seems to last all day most days at the moment

[Dee8686 in reply to DippyDame]

And yes I split dose of t4/t3 but as I said, currently not on an optimal dose as yet. I take on waking and at lunch