Morning disorientation

  Is morning amnesia/confusion a common thing?  This can last to 5 or 10 minutes of being totally unaware of surroundings or being, and causes panic on occassion.  The person is a 40yr old female.      

[CCF Neuro MD MJD]

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This is quite a general question - but aside from the normal grogginess and disorientation that many have in the morning, true disorientation and amnesia is not a common occurance in the morning.  Unfortunatley, given the description, I can't help you  further. Do they have any other medical problems? How often is this occuring? Every day or once a year?  A wide range of problems could potentially cause cognitive problems in the morning - hypoglycemia is probably the most common.  Does this respond to a glass of juice, for example. If so, a bedtime snack may be all that's needed.  Sometimes medications cause confusion in the morning - Sleep medications can have residual effects in the morning depending on individuals and the length of action. Some other mediacations such as antidepressants taken at night may have similair effects.  The need to take certain morning medications that one is accustomed to might cause such problems.  Does the person drink alcohol regularly or take recreational drugs - these might cause such problems in the morning.  Psychiatric problems like depression or anxiety disorders are sometimes worse in the morning.  Medical disorders like diabetes and neurologic disorders like epilepsy or dementia (though this is uncommon at that age) can have their effects at different times of day.  But you can clearly see that there is a wide range of possibilities ranging from relatively benign to quite serious.  If this is a serious or frequent concern, the person should seek medical evaluation for a full history, physical and perhaps some basic laboratory tests. Hope this was of help.