Help Intense anxiety in the mornings, any suggestions?

[IrishBug]

Hello fine people of SaSu,

I'm in my 40's and have suffered mental illness all my life. In the past few years I've developed a tremor down the left side is my body and I've just been diagnosed with Parkinson's.

The main issue I'm having with the tremor is it has significantly intensified my anxiety particularly in the mornings.

I wake up feeling so bad I'm more or less paralyzed. I can usually drag myself out of bed and get to work although I'm not particularly productive. This will last at least 4 hours but can go on all day.

Diazepam helps significantly but my doctor won't give it to me anymore and I'm well aware I can't take it everyday so only take it when I absolutely have to.

I was taken off my antidepressants to see if it helped with the tremor which isn't helping the situation. I can't go back on them until they work out the medication for the Parkinson's.

Any tips on how I can improve this?

Thank you!

 

[shrobae]

Ashwagandha helped me, you can find them at pretty much any pharmacy or something like a walgreens. theyre otc and you might be able to find them at walmart too. they helped me out a lot with rebound anxiety from substances but they could help with what you are experiencing. i hope you feel better. (also gummy form)

 

[sancta-simplicitas]

Anxiety in the morning typically happens because our stupid bodies are designed in the very shitty way of that the same hormone that's released when we're stressed is also what's released to wake us up. Just before you're awake your body produces a massive spike in cortisol to bring you back to consciousness. If you're already stressed, that extra spike may trigger heaps of anxiety. I'd suggest lowering your stress levels during the day, particularily close to bed time. I know that's way easier said than done, can imagine particularily so when you've just been diagnosed with an illness, but is there anything that calms you down, even a little bit? My personal go-to's are making art, walking, being in nature, weighted blanket, heated stuff like water and wheat cushions, tapping and progressive muscle relaxation. Before bed I take some time to do some free-journaling. Just writing down whatever comes to mind without caring about spelling, grammar, punctiation or flow, it helps quiet my overactive mind to be able to wind down for bed. Green tea is also something that has worked wonders with me. One - three cups per day for a couple of months greatly lowered my anxiety levels. Obviously it works differently on different people, but maybe a cup in the morning could improve the morning anxiety a little?

 

[IrishBug]

Ashwagandha helped me, you can find them at pretty much any pharmacy or something like a walgreens. theyre otc and you might be able to find them at walmart too. they helped me out a lot with rebound anxiety from substances but they could help with what you are experiencing. i hope you feel better. (also gummy form)

hey! thanks for your reply I take 450mg of Ashwagandha at bed time which helps with my sleep. Perhaps I should be taking it in the morning as well, how much do you take?

Anxiety in the morning typically happens because our stupid bodies are designed in the very shitty way of that the same hormone that's released when we're stressed is also what's released to wake us up. Just before you're awake your body produces a massive spike in cortisol to bring you back to consciousness. If you're already stressed, that extra spike may trigger heaps of anxiety. I'd suggest lowering your stress levels during the day, particularily close to bed time. I know that's way easier said than done, can imagine particularily so when you've just been diagnosed with an illness, but is there anything that calms you down, even a little bit? My personal go-to's are making art, walking, being in nature, weighted blanket, heated stuff like water and wheat cushions, tapping and progressive muscle relaxation. Before bed I take some time to do some free-journaling. Just writing down whatever comes to mind without caring about spelling, grammar, punctiation or flow, it helps quiet my overactive mind to be able to wind down for bed. Green tea is also something that has worked wonders with me. One - three cups per day for a couple of months greatly lowered my anxiety levels. Obviously it works differently on different people, but maybe a cup in the morning could improve the morning anxiety a little?

Thank you for your reply and suggestions!

I have read about cortisol and I think you could be onto something here.

I am quite depressed so my bedtime routine isn't the best. I usually lay in bed watching youtube until I feel like sleeping, I know this is probably not helping but if I don't have something to focus on I will just lay there ruminating. I'll have a think about some other stuff I could be doing at night.

I have at times tried journaling but have never been able to stick to it.

Tea is a good idea, do you drink plain green tea or another herbal one? I have some chamomile here somewhere, I'll try and get back into the habit of drinking it.

 

[shrobae]

hey! thanks for your reply I take 450mg of Ashwagandha at bed time which helps with my sleep. Perhaps I should be taking it in the morning as well, how much do you take?


Thank you for your reply and suggestions!

I have read about cortisol and I think you could be onto something here.

I am quite depressed so my bedtime routine isn't the best. I usually lay in bed watching youtube until I feel like sleeping, I know this is probably not helping but if I don't have something to focus on I will just lay there ruminating. I'll have a think about some other stuff I could be doing at night.

I have at times tried journaling but have never been able to stick to it.

Tea is a good idea, do you drink plain green tea or another herbal one? I have some chamomile here somewhere, I'll try and get back into the habit of drinking it.

I take 400mg with some Lemon Balm extract twice a day! There are some gummies that contain L-Theanine, Ash, and the Lemon balm but i cannot think of the name. They have been very helpful for me

 

[Dot]

hey! thanks for your reply I take 450mg of Ashwagandha at bed time which helps with my sleep. Perhaps I should be taking it in the morning as well, how much do you take?


Thank you for your reply and suggestions!

I have read about cortisol and I think you could be onto something here.

I am quite depressed so my bedtime routine isn't the best. I usually lay in bed watching youtube until I feel like sleeping, I know this is probably not helping but if I don't have something to focus on I will just lay there ruminating. I'll have a think about some other stuff I could be doing at night.

I have at times tried journaling but have never been able to stick to it.

Tea is a good idea, do you drink plain green tea or another herbal one? I have some chamomile here somewhere, I'll try and get back into the habit of drinking it.

Thre = thred wth tps & info fr slp if tht wld hlp

Info and tips for better sleep

Thread is written by @Dot, I am just the messenger due to their typing style. Sleep is something that is a common issue for many so some information and tips have been researched online in hopes of helping some users. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average recommended amount...

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[sancta-simplicitas]

hey! thanks for your reply I take 450mg of Ashwagandha at bed time which helps with my sleep. Perhaps I should be taking it in the morning as well, how much do you take?


Thank you for your reply and suggestions!

I have read about cortisol and I think you could be onto something here.

I am quite depressed so my bedtime routine isn't the best. I usually lay in bed watching youtube until I feel like sleeping, I know this is probably not helping but if I don't have something to focus on I will just lay there ruminating. I'll have a think about some other stuff I could be doing at night.

I have at times tried journaling but have never been able to stick to it.

Tea is a good idea, do you drink plain green tea or another herbal one? I have some chamomile here somewhere, I'll try and get back into the habit of drinking it.

Yeah, I totally relate to the need for distraction before sleep. I usually do podcasts, which is easier on the circadian cycle because excessive blue light (screens) is highly stimulating to the brain. I've begun turning off all screens and just prep a podcast an hour before bed and it has helped me a lot.

Just plain green! I've read some studies that showed that there are some amino acids in green tea that seems to decrease symptoms of PTSD, particularily l-theanine. Sadly there isn't a whole lot of it in green tea - more in black but that also has a lot of caffeine which increases stress - but there are also some antioxidants in green tea that also has a calming effect on the nervous system and the combination seems to do the trick for me. Haven't tried chamomille, but I've come to understand that it's a go-to for stress-relief, so it's definitely worth a shot imo!