Terrible morning anxiety.

Every morning I wake up early with terrible morning anxiety.  Until two months ago, I never had any trouble with sleep or anxiety.  Then I had a bad anxiety attack out of the blue and have been suffering from anxiety and depression ever since.  I've been working with a psychiatrist to find the right antidepressant.  She had me stop Lexapro 30mg cold turkey and start Zoloft 100mg immediately.  Its been a tough two weeks and I am having really bad morning anxiety.  Does anyone else experience and is there anything I can do to ease it?  Thank you.

[cyb3rd00d]

I find that my anxiety is always worse in the mornings especially when I just wake up and have to get ready for work. I think I've read that other people experience this as well.

[Mav1977]

i am in the same boat. my anxiety is worse in the morning and tapers off as the day goes by....

[jakegorzen]

The reason why your anxiety is worse in the morning is because Humans create more Cortisol in the morning, to prepare us for the day.
Cortisol is one of the main Hormones that is responsible for the "Fight or flight" or "Anxiety" that you go through.
Orange Juice/  Vit C, is a good natural way to reduce the Cortisol.

Good Luck

[soupy616]

I have the same problem - morning anxiety.  i will definitely try the OJ. Thanks.

[peggy64]

sounds like an adrenal problem, as this is where the cortisol is produced. You might want to research on that some.

[4Maddie44]

Me too.  Always have anxiety in the mornings.  Happens to some of us.  Don't know what to do about it.

[morninganxiety]

I had a similiar problem and eventually determined that that cause, for me, was excess production of a hormone called cortisol.  Cortisol is naturally released as part of the body's reaction to stress, but chronic stress can result in too much of the hormone being produced.  Cortisol production is at its highest point in the morning in order to prepare the body for the day.  It is at its lowest point in the evening so that the body can prepare for sleep.  If you experience severe anxiety in the morning but feel mostly normal in the evening, that might be a sign that cortisol is the problem.  

The solution I found was to take an over the counter supplement called Phosphatidyl Serine or PS.  Research indicates that PS helps to counter high cortisol levels and helps to repair the cause of the hormone imbalance.  I took 300mg of PS before bed every night and started to notice an improvement after about four days.  Within a week and a half my sleep pattern was mostly back to normal and I was able to wake up naturally without feeling severe anxiety.  The PS upset my stomach the first night I took it, but otherwise I experienced no side effects.  I was able to purchase the Phosphatidyl Serine at a health food store and it was somewhat expensive.  Theoritically the supplement should only be needed for a short time until the hormone imbalance is fixed.

I'm not a doctor and all the information presented here is from my own research as a layman.  In my personal experience the PS supplement seems to have helped with the severe anxiety I felt in the mornings.  This may not be the case for everyone, and I would encourage everyone to do their own research and consult with their doctor.  

[anxiety321]

I had the same problem and eventually discovered that it might be caused by a magnesium deficiency.  I felt a little better after a few weeks of taking magnesium supplements.  When I added a dose of vitamin B-6 100mg (taken in the morning to avoid vivid dreams) it was like flicking a switch.  I woke up normally for the first time in seven months after adding the B-6 (which helps cells absorb magnesium).

I suggest looking up the symptoms of magnesium deficiency to see if that might be the cause.  Apparently no one gets as much magnesium in their diet as they should, but there are factors such as stress that can drain magnesium from the body.  For a more thorough explanation you might want to check out a book called The Magnesium Miracle.

Magnesium can be supplemented with over the counter pills.  It comes in several forms that all work fairly well.  "Chelated" magnesium is the best absorbed but more expensive.  Don't take magnesium oxide as it is poorly absorbed.  There is also "magnesium oil" which can be absorbed through the skin.  Supposedly it is absorbed more easily than oral supplementation and helps restore magnesium reserves faster, but I haven't tried it out yet.

The correct dosage of magnesium is different for each person and can be anywhere between 200mg-1000mg a day.  It's difficult to overdose on magnesium, but too much magnesium can cause diarrhea (which exacerbates the deficiency) so start with a low dose and work up.  Vitamin B-6 can be toxic in high doses, so don't take more than the recommend amount if you decide to try a b-6 supplement.

Other mineral deficiencies such as potassium or calcium can cause similiar symptoms, but magnesium deficiency seems to be far more common.  You may also want to look into Hyperventilation Syndrome, which can also be caused by a magnesium deficiency.