Local Rehab Shares the Impact of Morning Anxiety

New Port Richey, FL – Clean Recovery Centers is a local rehab that recently published a blog sharing the impact of morning anxiety. Their program not only treats substance use disorders but also mental health conditions and co-occurring disorders.

“Morning anxiety is waking up with feelings of dread or intense fear or worry, sometimes without any obvious reason. ‘Morning anxiety’ is not an official medical term, but it is a real experience that can affect your quality of life and your productivity.

Symptoms of morning anxiety differ from one person to the next, but the most common experiences include racing thoughts or feelings of panic. Your emotional symptoms may also be accompanied by physical symptoms such as tightness in your chest, heart palpitations, or a stomach ache,” the blog reads.

People with morning anxiety may experience mental symptoms including intense fear or worry, feelings of panic, feeling jittery or on edge, feeling overwhelmed, racing thoughts, and feelings of doom, dread, or uneasiness. Physical symptoms of morning anxiety include racing heart or heart palpitations, tightness in the chest, stomach ache, headache, tense muscles, lightheadedness or dizziness, and rapid breathing.

The most common causes of morning anxiety include sleep deprivation and stress. Those who have sleep disorders have a higher likelihood of waking up with morning anxiety. Alcohol use, unresolved trauma, grief, genetics, and stress levels can also affect sleep negatively, leading to anxiety after waking up.

“If it seems like morning anxiety is worse than anxiety you experience at other times of the day, you’re not imagining things. Cortisol levels, for people with anxiety, can make the first hour of the day exceptionally challenging.

Cortisol is a hormone that plays an important part in our daily lives. It normally helps regulate stress, control your body’s use of things like proteins and carbohydrates, regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and help your sleep-wake cycle stay in balance. In healthy people, cortisol levels rise in the morning to help our bodies make the transition from sleeping to being awake. However, when you’re already managing anxiety, this morning surge in cortisol can intensify those feelings because your body is already in a state of high alert.

Sleep disorders or disturbances can also raise your cortisol levels, adding to the severity of anxiety symptoms you experience. Cortisol is not usually the cause of morning anxiety. However, your body’s natural spike in cortisol levels during the first hour of the day can intensify symptoms of anxiety. Fortunately, morning anxiety doesn’t have to be a permanent condition. There are things you can do to help avoid or calm morning anxiety. And plenty of help is available if it negatively affects your daily life,” the blog continues.

There are many ways to handle morning anxiety. Limiting caffeine intake can help by not increasing heart rate. Grounding techniques such as the 3-3-3 rule help keep the person in the moment and calm irrational thoughts. Set tiny goals for the day to keep anxiety in check. Go for a walk especially in the sun as natural sunlight can reduce cortisol levels.

Clean Recovery Centers has helped hundreds to get clean, live clean, and stay clean. Their mental health experts can diagnose and treat anxiety at any phase of their treatment process. Clients who also have a substance use disorder can receive care all in one place for both conditions.

To learn more about Clean Recovery Centers, call (888) 330-2532 or visit their website.