What is Morning Anxiety – 5 Effective Tips To Cope With It [+ Bonus Tip]

Anxiety can present itself in many different ways, but there’s one type of anxiety that some people experience in the morning and find incredibly challenging to manage. If you are one of those people, you are not alone. We all have our struggles from time to time and this is one of them. 

This article will give you more insight into what is called “morning anxiety” and provide you with effective tips to cope with it.

What is Morning Anxiety?

Morning anxiety is the condition where a person wakes up worried, stressed, or overwhelmed.

People with such a condition experience anxiety during day-to-day activities like work, money, family, household chores, and health. 

There’s also another similar condition called generalized anxiety which is more severe. The terms generalized anxiety and morning anxiety are often used interchangeably. But there’s a bit of difference between the two.

Morning anxiety is not a medical term. Whereas, generalized anxiety is a proper medical term and a disorder, commonly called GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

Often, morning anxiety is either one of the symptoms in people having GAD or it’s due to underlying stress that grows over time, making a person feel anxious more than usual.

Research says women are twice as prone to GAD, and hence to morning anxiety, than men. 

Causes and Symptoms of Morning Anxiety

When you wake up in the morning, for the first 30 to 45 minutes, the cortisol levels in the body spike. This phenomenon is called CAR or Cortisol Awakening Response. 

Cortisol is the stress hormone. After you wake up, be it 5 am or 10 am, your body’s circadian cycle or sleep-wake cycle releases multiple hormones, including cortisol.

Cortisol is responsible for making the body alert and active. This is the reason why the body releases it. To get you out of your lazy sleepy state and prepare for the day ahead.

When you have anxiety, this hormone is released in an increased amount than normal, which causes:

• raised blood pressure levels, 
• increase in adrenaline production, and 
• increase in heart rate. 

When someone has anxiety or a condition like GAD, they’re also likely to experience these two symptoms:

1. Interference with the ability to think calmly
2. Interference with the ability to plan for the day ahead 

Adding to this, what you eat or drink in the morning plays a vital role in contributing to morning anxiety. 

Foods and drinks that have refined sugar and caffeine can trigger anxiety too. Also, if you have low blood sugar and skip the meal – your worry can go from bad to worse. 

Next to food habits, sleeping habits are what contribute to anxiety. If you sleep worrying about something, you’ll wake up worried the next day.

You can’t sleep properly because you are stressing over something. You start feeling more stressed because of a lack of proper sleep.

And you get stuck in an endless evil loop!

By now, we have known the causes. It’s time to shed a light upon what symptoms this anxiety shows.

Symptoms of morning anxiety are – 

• Irritability or nervousness
• Restlessness
• Fatigue and weakness
• Profuse sweating
• Racing heartbeat
• Trouble in your breathing
• Difficulty concentrating or focussing on something
• A feeling of the panic mode
• Headache
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Lack of sleeping

5 Tips for Treating and Coping with Morning Anxiety 

Managing morning anxiety is in your hands. How to go about it, we will tell you. 

1. Lifestyle Changes

If you experience low blood sugar levels in the morning, then you must fix it first.

Low blood sugar levels from not eating all night; avoid that. Choose foods that have a good amount of magnesium. 

• Banana
• Fish
• Cereal
• Salmon
• Cashew Nuts
• Hazelnuts
• Almonds
• Wholegrain Toast
• Oatmeal

Certain foods accelerate the anxiety in the morning. Try avoiding them-

• Caffeine 
• Processed foods
• Sugary foods
• Alcohol

You can deal with this condition using timeless techniques that are simple yet works like charm –

• Get enough and proper sleep. (without any disturbance)
• Reduce factors that cause stress at home.
• Avoid taking stress in the workplace.
• Avoid checking the news or social media applications in the morning.
• Try to wake up early. This way, you can give enough time to all your morning chores, and there will be no emergence of morning anxiety. 

2. Meditation 

Anxiety sweeps in when you are unaware of your surroundings, feelings, emotions, consciousness, body, thoughts, and situations. 

We think at least 60,000 thoughts per day. You don’t want them to be about worry, stress, and anxiety, do you? Then you must look for ways that can help control your mind.  

Meditation helps you control your chain of thoughts. It makes you conscious, self-aware, and concentrate on your present moment. 

Not just that, meditation anchors you to pay dutiful attention to your surroundings, feelings, emotions, body, thoughts, and situations. Whenever anxiety tries to knock, you must try the art of deep breathing at least 3-5 times.  

You can get started with a 4-7-8 deep breathing technique. All you need is a quiet place in or near your house and a mat.

1. Sit down comfortably in a cross-legged position.
2. First, exhale normally.
3. Now, begin to breathe in slowly, like a snail’s speed, for 4 seconds. You can keep counting in mind.
4. Next, hold your breath calmly for 7 seconds.
5. Then, breathe out slowly, within 8 seconds.

In the beginning days, repeat the 4-7-8 breathing cycle 4 times and take it to 10 repetitions.

The practice of mindfulness goes a long way. It breaks the habit of your mind staying in past regrets, avoids distraction, and keeps you calm from within. That’s what you need to win over anxiety.

3. Physical Exercise 

When your body does physical activity, the central nervous system gets activated. This activation gives rise to mindfulness. Mindfulness, in turn, keeps the morning anxiety under control. 

You got the chronology?

The best time to exercise is in the morning. But if you are a night owl or an evening bird, you must indulge in physical activity whenever suitable.

Exercising only for a day, or once every two days, will not do good for your morning anxiety. Only if the physical activity is regular can you benefit from it. 

Regular physical activity not only relieves you of your morning anxious thoughts but also lifts your mood, improves your body’s ability to manage stress, and assists you with relaxation. 

If the lockdown has turned you into a couch potato or phone addict, try brisk walking only for ten minutes and observe the change in your thinking pattern and behavior. 

4. Take the Talk Therapy

Usually, anxiety steps in when you have too many emotions bottled up inside your head, heart, and mind. 

These emotions got repressed. These emotions have been eating you from the inside. 

You do not have the guts to tell someone that you are hurting. And you lack the courage to fight it out. That is when the morning anxiety intensifies its imprints inside you.

Therefore, connect and communicate with the people you love and trust. The people who are your safe space for anything and everything.

If problems still persist, take professional help. Never hesitate to go for expert counseling or psychotherapy. 

Studies show Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can teach you newer ways of thinking, acting, and reacting to conditions that cause morning anxiety. Therapies might be expensive but anxiety will cost you even more — your mental peace.

5. Medication

Medication is the last thing we prefer. Natural remedies are the best as they don’t have little to no side effects. 

However, some medicines prove beneficial for a person looking to overcome morning anxiety. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines like Benzodiazepines have shown significant success in this case. 

These medicines act as soothing agents, relax muscles, and help you unwind. But remember, you should only go for these medications after consulting with experts.

Bonus Tip: Make Things Easier, With Eyva

From the moment we open our eyes in the morning till the time we close them again for sleep, we feel a cesspool of emotions. Anxiety is one of them.

Every emotion affects your body in a certain way. This effect of your emotions is reflected in your body’s key vitals.

If you can know how your vitals are behaving, you can have better control over your anxiety and other emotions.

But can you know how your vitals are behaving throughout the day with your changing emotions?

Guess what? You can.

Eyva helps you easily measure and track your 6 key body vitals with one touch. It is a lifestyle gadget to bring you the joy of holistic wellness with comfort, fun, and fascinations.

Along with following the remedies to cope with morning anxiety, you can track in real-time, how effectively these remedies are working for you.

Ditch what doesn’t work. Double down on what does. 

As deep breathing is the best antidote for anxiety, Eyva smarty assists you with this. 

The LEDs on Eyva’s sensors are timed to light up and dim down at ideal breathing durations. When the LEDs light up, breathe out all the concerns and stress, gradually. While the LEDs go dim, inhale the peace and gratitude, at a gentle pace.

Eyva enables you to connect to your inner self. Something we badly need but totally forget in the hustle and bustle of today’s fast-paced lifestyle. 

This bionic health and wellness gadget takes you into a whole different world, the Anthea Realm, a world of wellness and wonders. Anthea’s remedial powers will help you heal as well as guide you with custom insights for managing your health better.

Only 60 seconds and a touch is what it takes. Breathe, pause, and get your health status at your fingertips.

No more guesswork. Make informed decisions. 

The Wrap-Up Note 

Life comes with many challenges. While these challenges are inevitable, there’s always a way to overcome them. 

The same goes for morning anxiety. You can overcome this challenge with the right knowledge and solutions. Be strong and willing enough to look for and implement them. 

A peaceful and anxiety-free life awaits you. Embrace it the easy way with Eyva!