Why Do I Wake up with Anxiety? 7 Reasons Behind Morning Anxiety

Why do I feel anxiety when I wake up? Why do I wake up nervous in the morning? Discover the reason why you experience anxiety in the morning and how to eliminate it.

Although it is not strange wake up with anxiety from time to time due to stressors or certain situations in our lives, if this is experienced frequently, it is very likely that we have an anxiety disorder. This disorder can cause people to have anxiety upon waking up due to the difficulties sleeping that suffering from it can cause. But why does it happen and what can we do about it?

Waking up with anxiety: What does it mean?

Although it is not a medical term per se, morning anxiety It involves waking up with feelings of stress and worry.

If you are constantly dealing with anxiety upon waking up, you could be dealing with generalized anxiety. This is characterized by excessive and uncontrolled worry that permeates all aspects of daily life and occurs for at least more than six months. People with generalized anxiety disorder often worry about daily activities related to administrative or daily management issues, simple activities at work, excessive worry about money, concerns about family or health.

Sometimes, it is simply that we have dreamed about something that worries us. We may not remember the dream, but we still maintain the disturbance. However, if this happens very frequently we could be facing an anxiety disorder that must be taken seriously.

Anxiety upon waking up: Symptoms

This disorder is experienced in many different ways, so wake up anxious It may be one of its symptoms. People who have anxiety when waking up often end up seeing many aspects of their day affected because of it. Mainly, this morning anxiety has the following symptoms:

• Racing thoughts: People who experience anxiety when waking up They tend to be more concerned about the tasks and responsibilities of the day.
• Tachycardia upon awakening: They often experience a rapid heart rate or a feeling that their heart is beating very hard.
• Muscle tension: Feeling distress when waking up It is also related to more tension in our muscles. This is because waking up with anxiety involves being in a state of alert for any imminent danger (whether physical or mental).
• Trouble concentrating: The anxiety in the morning It also causes many problems to be able to concentrate on any of the tasks that we must face in our daily lives.
• Nervousness: Getting up with anxiety It implies being in a nervous state, where neither the mind nor the body is rested. This can also translate into feeling tired despite having slept enough hours.

These are some of the symptoms that could tell you that you are experiencing a morning anxiety In these cases, if anxiety when waking up becomes a habit, it is important to go to a professional psychologist to be able to deal with this disorder.

Why do I wake up with anxiety?

The possible morning anxiety triggers are the following:

1. Stress: Stress is a natural response to unpleasant stimuli that may be around us. When experiencing stress, our body releases cortisol, a hormone that produces many of the responses associated with this state, such as nervousness, restlessness, among others. The body can release a lot of cortisol during the mornings when a person is under too much stress. This is how the morning anxiety
2. Drug or alcohol use: People who experience anxiety should avoid the use of both alcohol and other drugs. Consuming these types of substances can worsen anxiety symptoms causing anxiety when waking up.
3. Problems in a relationship: Relationships can affect our sleep patterns, which also means experiencing anxiety in the morning
4. Life events: There are some stressful situations in life that can trigger anxiety upon waking For example, moving, changing jobs, experiencing abuse, marital separation, or the death of a loved one. All of these cases can involve waking up with anxiety.
5. Economic problems: Many people may have a concern about the financial problems they experience. This may be one of the reasons why you suffer from anxiety in the morning
6. Physical health problems: Chronic physical illnesses can contribute to people feeling more anxious. In fact, an ongoing medical problem can lead to the development of an anxiety disorder that involves experiencing anguish upon waking up
7. Mental health disorders: The anxiety in the morning It may also be linked to other additional mental health disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder.

How to eliminate morning anxiety?

In order to face the anxiety when waking up It is vital that you go to a professional psychologist. In addition to this, there are some self-care strategies that you can use to relieve these symptoms in the morning.

• Examine your habits and stressors: If you are aware that you experience anxiety upon waking This can help you recognize what is causing these types of feelings in you. In this way, it is important that you take note of what causes or worsens your anxiety. Once you have analyzed the habits that increase your anxiety, you can change them for others that help you relieve these feelings.
• Get enough sleep: Maybe the anxiety when waking up It is reflecting to you that you are not having good sleeping habits. You can improve your sleep by trying relaxation techniques for sleep or meditating before going to bed.
• Take care of your body: Starting your day with exercise can help you reduce anxiety if this is done regularly. Therefore, taking care of your body either through exercise or diet can help you experience less anxiety when you wake up.
• Be more aware: To end the anxiety upon waking You can try practicing more awareness in the moment during your mornings. This will allow you to let go of obsessive thoughts around different concerns and focus on the here and now.
• Practice letting go: Normally, people who experience anxiety in the morning They tend to think about ‘what if’, which fosters anticipatory anxiety. To control these loops of anxious thoughts, it is important to let go of the ‘what if’, that is, to challenge the negative thoughts associated with it. To do this, instead of trying to eliminate them, it is better to counteract these thoughts with more positive ones.

If you morning anxiety ends up feeling overwhelming and regularly affects the rest of your day, you should consider contacting a professional psychologist. Recognizing that we are facing a problem is the best way to overcome these feelings of anxiety.