So, all of us wake up with a high cortisol level. This is the stress hormone but in the morning, it is what helps us wake up. (some who have trouble waking up may need to raise their cortisol in the morning too). But if we have too much, we can wake up anxious. With a feeling of dread and worry or even physical sensations like chest tightness and those other familiar body feelings of anxiety. I've had that in the morning the past two weeks for no actual reason other than sending my child off to live in his college dorm. Which, for a mom is a big deal. And then a few other ongoing stressors. But this sensation in the morning is really uncomfortable. I'm really not anxious over all right now. And it's all physical with no thoughts to go with it upon waking up. So, working on decreasing my overall cortisol. I'll post what I learn.