Morning Anxiety: The Uninvited Guest and How to Banish It From Your Mornings

By Dana P. Rowe, PCC, CPCC, CPQC

Morning is the time when we are often at our most vulnerable. The world hasn’t woken up yet, and often the only company we have is our thoughts. This can be a great thing—you can get in touch with what’s really on your mind before the distractions of life start to take over. But it also means that you’re more likely to experience anxiety than at any other time during the day. If this sounds like you, know that it doesn’t need to be this way! Here are some pointers for retraining your brain and evicting morning anxiety from your mornings so you can wake up feeling refreshed, relaxed, and ready for a great day!

Reasons for Morning Anxiety

Before we dive into solutions, it’s essential to know why you’re experiencing morning anxiety in the first place. Let’s look at some common reasons you might be waking up with a case of the jitters.

How well are you sleeping? Sleep is so crucial for your mental health and wellness, yet many people don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis. If you’re not getting seven to eight hours per night, it will impact how you feel when you wake up in the morning.

Is your mind replaying the day or anticipating upcoming events? Active brain and intrusive thoughts as you’re falling asleep can also contribute to a restless night’s sleep. If you’re going through significant changes or experiencing major life stressors, your mind could be racing with thoughts and your body working overtime to regulate itself, leaving you feeling drained when it’s time to wake up.

Even though it might not apply to you, studies show cortisol levels are higher in the morning. Basically, it’s a stress hormone. Those with anxiety may experience anxiety almost immediately upon waking due to the increased cortisol levels in the morning. There could be other hormonal issues causing this anxiousness too. To figure out if medical issues are contributing to morning anxiety, talk to a doctor.

How much exercise do you get during the day? When we move our bodies through physical activity, it sends good messages throughout our bodies that help us feel more balanced over all. Exercise helps bring down depression levels, improve concentration, and can even be an effective treatment for anxiety. As a bonus, exercise increases hormones linked to happiness. In short, exercise is good for us in a million different ways—it’s no wonder that when we don’t get enough of it, our minds and bodies start acting up!

Unsettling dreams in the night and intrusive thoughts before you go to sleep can also cause morning anxiety. Negative dreams stick with you long after you wake up, and if they’re particularly vivid, your brain may still be processing them when it’s time for bed. As a result, you may be in a vicious cycle of anxiety.

 

Possible Ways to Reduce Morning Anxiety

What can you do about all this anxiety in the morning? Here are some tips:

Wake up at the same time every day, including weekends. One of the best ways to train your body is by using a consistent sleep schedule. If you’re regularly sleeping in until noon on Saturdays and Sundays, for example, it will throw off your entire week!

Try a short guided meditation before bed. If you’re someone who struggles to get your mind off of things before bed, meditation might be helpful for you too!

Exercise during the day. It’s good for your body, and it will help reduce anxiety levels overall by balancing out hormones and promoting feelings of happiness. But don’t exercise right before bed because, without a proper warm-down, this can actually increase cortisol levels and keep you awake.

Don’t drink too much caffeine or alcohol at night, as both can interfere with sleep. Alcohol might make it easier to fall asleep, but the quality of your sleep will be poor; plus, if you drink a lot and then need to get up early (like for work) the following day, your body won’t have time to flush the alcohol from your system.

Have a cup of herbal tea before bed. Chamomile, lavender, and passionflower are all great options because they help promote relaxation without interfering with sleep quality or disrupting hormonal levels too much. Whether you choose chamomile, lemon balm, jasmine, valerian, or another tea, herbal teas are a great way to help you unwind at night.

Don’t go to bed hungry but don’t eat too much either! A light snack before bed might sound tempting, but it’s actually better for your sleep if you have dinner earlier and allow yourself time between eating and sleeping (at least three hours).

Enjoy meditation or deep breathing when you wake up. Whether you prefer to use an app like Headspace, a YouTube video, or even just some relaxing music on Spotify, make sure you do something that will put your mind at ease and help you feel more focused when it’s time to get moving.

Try journaling first thing in the morning. What you write doesn’t have to be anything profound or poetic; it can just be a list of things you’re grateful for, your top three priorities for the day, or even something as simple as “I am alive.”

Final Thoughts

What can you do if morning anxiety is better but still present? Again, make sure you talk to a doctor and rule out any medical issues and contemplate what changes you could make in your sleep routine to reduce morning anxiety. The more consistent and healthy your bedtime habits, the better quality of restful sleep you will get and, therefore, less anxious feelings upon waking up.

We know that we’re not going to wake up with zero anxiety every day. But by taking steps to improve both our sleep and the quality of that sleep, we can significantly reduce how often we wake up with anxiety in the morning.

Finally, working with my creative clients on this subject and helping them reframe those early morning moments and challenge negative thoughts has been some of the most rewarding work I’ve done. If you’re struggling with anxiety or other mental health issues, please know there are resources out there to help you make positive changes.

I hope this article has been helpful! Find me on social media, and let me know what worked best for you!

If you don’t know where to start or just want someone to talk through these ideas with, then get in touch today with the link below.

If you’re looking for more posts like this one, be sure to check out the rest of my blog posts for Creative Artists and Entrepreneurs here.