Anxiety on waking: symptoms, common causes and solutions

Anxiety when waking up is a problem that can be very harmful. It consists of a psychological and physiological state characterized by accelerated and negative thoughts during the first hours of the day.

In this article we will talk about this symptomatology of this type of anxiety, we will see what its common causes, and we will give some specific recommendations to overcome or prevent anxiety morning.

• Related article: "What is anxiety: how to recognize it and what to do"

What is waking anxiety?

Anxiety is considered pathological when it is frequent and intense, which can affect different areas in the life of those who present it. In the particular case of anxiety upon waking, we find the symptoms of a clinical picture anxious, but only occurs at the time of transition to the waking state and the minutes that follow this. Anxious states can happen to anyone, and to some extent they are normal.

When the day begins and the subject makes the transition from the sleep state to the waking state, this is accompanied by a series of signs and symptoms corresponding to the state of anxiety upon waking. The anxious person will assume that things will go wrong even before they have started to take action.

Signs and symptoms

Let's see what are the signs of anxiety when waking up.

• Excessive sweating.
• Tachycardia.
• Accelerated breathing.
• Tremors.

These symptoms are largely due to an imbalance in cortisol levels, which tend to be higher at the beginning of the day, but when they are too high then that is when the mentioned signs occur. As a consequence of these signs, our mind begins to create catastrophic thoughts, which have their peak more intense in the morning hours, and as the hours go by they decrease, along with the rest of the reactions physiological.

Unlike the signs, the symptoms of an emotional and psychological nature are not directly observable, and in most cases they respond to the subjectivity of the subject. These can be specified through the speech of the person who presents them, when verbalizing their thoughts.

Thus, the symptoms of anxiety upon waking are mainly characterized by a state of negative thought regarding anything that should be done during the day that is beginning. Let's look at some of these thought forms:

• Excessive concern about the signs (sweating, tremors, etc).
• Desire to control everything.
• Excessive planning.
• Intolerance to uncertainty.

Paradoxically, the attempt that the subject makes to reduce his anxiety, what he achieves is to increase it, given that he does not manage to have total control of the situation and that helps keep stress. This ends up being even more frustrating, as a result of which the person spends the first hours of the day in great anguish and cannot make the morning productive.

Causes

As we have already mentioned, excessively high levels of cortisol during the morning hours are a cause of morning anxiety, but they are not the only one. There are also personal and environmental factors. that tend to trigger this type of anxiety in people. The main ones are the following.

1. Procrastination (putting off important things)

When we leave an activity that is a priority for later, we are obtaining satisfaction. immediate by not having to do it at that time, but we are adding a stress factor in the medium term. Eventually we will have to perform that activity, and the longer we put it off, the higher our level of anxiety in the morning may be.

2. Overloading of activities (not delegating functions)

When we have the habit of doing everything on our own, without asking for help of any kind, then it is when we are most likely to have anxiety when we wake up.

The more activities we have to carry out, the higher the level of energy and commitment we have to invest. We will not always be able to do everything by ourselves, and if we can do it, you have to ask yourself: at what cost?

3. Cognitive dissonance

This refers to the fact that when our actions do not go in the same direction as our thoughts and principles, a feeling of contradiction is generated in us, which our mind unconsciously strives to justify logically.

In this way, when we do something despite not considering it correct, we are giving our brain the task to justify it, to avoid feeling that we have gone against our morals and not having the feeling of discomfort. During the mornings, with high cortisol levels, our brain is prone to stress, and the more cognitive dissonances we have, the greater our level of distress in the morning.

Treatment: what to do to solve it?

Now we will see a series of useful recommendations to lower the level of anxiety in the morning. This way you can make the first hours of your day healthier.

1. Sleep schedules: that allow you to sleep between 6-8 hours

Settling into a daily sleep routine that guarantees adequate brain rest (sleep restorative) helps control cortisol levels in the morning, and prevents the signs that usually introduce oneself.

2. Light dinner: Avoid overeating before bed

Heavy meals can cause discomfort at night that prevent us from having a good quality of sleep, which increases our morning anxiety levels.

3. Relaxation techniques in the morning: Breathe before starting the day

At the moment of waking up, before getting out of bed, take a series of guided breaths. Do it in the following way; Breathe in through your nose and into your lungs, hold it there for a few seconds (10-15) and then let it out through your mouth in a calm and controlled manner. As if you were gently blowing out a candle, repeat the procedure several times, until you feel a generalized state of relaxation.

Bibliographic references:

• Iacovou S. (2011). What is the Difference Between Existential Anxiety and so Called Neurotic Anxiety?: 'The sine qua non of true vitality': An Examination of the Difference Between Existential Anxiety and Neurotic Anxiety. Existential Analysis. 22 (2): 356 - 367.
• Rosen JB, Schulkin J. (1998). From normal fear to pathological anxiety. Psychological Review. 105 (2): 325–50.