# High anxiety on waking



## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

Hi

I would like to know how many of you guys experience very high levels on anxiety on waking? When I wake up, whether its from a nights sleep or daytime nap, within about 15 secinds I am flooded with feelings of dread, and all the things that bother me suddenly come flooding into my head at an uncontrollable rate.

Now I know automatic thoughts are a normal part of SA and depression, but what gets me is the INTENSITY of the thoughts as compared with the ones I usually get in the day - the feeling I get is like I've just drunk a pot of acid or something. The fear hits me right in the chest and heart. I am also often short of breath.

3 questions then:

1) Have you, or have you not, experienced this?
2) Have you had any success in stopping it, or learned where it comes from?
3) If you have experienced it, do you also experience bouts where you suddenly wake up 'gasping for breath' with a racing heart, whether you were dreaming or not?

I'd also like to know if losing a few hours sleep drastically alters your personality and deepends your depression?

Thanks guys, a lot of questions I know ... :afr 

Ross


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes. I have the same problem. Waking up always used to be 100 times worse than the rest of the day. Celexa all but eliminated the "panic attacks" upon waking but made me too drowsy during the day. I am on Prozac now which works very well for the depressive feelings upon waking... but not so well with the feelings of anxiety. But the depression is much worse than the anxiety for me. 

I've noticed that before I would get very cranky and depressed if I didn't get 10+ hours. Now I can sleep 8 without too much of a problem. I think this is closer to what a normal person feels.


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## stephanie-s (Jan 16, 2007)

I don't have panic attacks.. but every time i wake up, all those thoughts about the things i've done wrong, all humiliating, wrong said stuff come haunt me. And this feeling is just terrible. Im sure your post had a different meaning, but I experience this ^ when I wake up. Sometimes it's just like, I can't get those horrible negative thoughts out of my head so I can't sleep or I will start hating myself even more.
I have high anxiety before school. About 15 minutes before leaving my digestive system gets totally *insert a bad word here* up, I have to start cleaning my throat after every 5 minutes or often, sweating gets very bad, stomach and head aches and so on.


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## PassTheXanax (Apr 1, 2007)

I have suffered from panic attacks for 18 years, but it wasn't until recently that I woke to panic. I just found out my blood pressure is really high -- 180/100 and that may be a part of it. She put me on Lexapro and told me to stay on Xanax even though I am tolerant of it- combined with the Lexapro she thinks it may start to work again.


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## pdcarpen (Mar 4, 2007)

yes i was just thinking about this lately.......my mind will race about **** that happened in high school, etc. When i get up and shower i feel 100 times better, but i can relate when im still lying in bed. I think dread is a perfect description of the feelings. Also, my dreams correlate with this. For example, if I got up too early, and can go back to sleep, I may have a dream that gives me these feelings.

Pat


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## Speak Easy (Jun 27, 2006)

yea. the best way to deal with this is simply try and think of the most positive thing that the day will bring and focus on this and use it to motivate you to get out of bed.


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## mal (Mar 26, 2007)

I usually feel low on waking :sigh


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## ThirdEyeGrind (Feb 7, 2006)

I have horrible anxiety on waking. Pretty much the first thing going through my mind when I wake up is ****KKK!!! I just think about having to deal with work, even though I know it'll be ok, my mind doesn't want to believe that. Waking up on weekends though, I don't have anxiety unless I know I have to go somewhere.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

I used to feel that way when I was working...as soon as I woke up I'd start feeling anxious, worried, dreading going in to work. :afr Then I usually got stomach problems a few minutes to a few hours later.


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## zolagerminal (Feb 23, 2007)

I feel anxiety and a heavy tension in my chest the instant I wake up, and for as long as I can remember this unpleasant sensation has never gone away. Thought I was the only one to feel like this.


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

Yep.

I can take the edge off it by talking to myself (that 'slow talking' thing from the anxiety institute tapes) and breathing in a deliberate way - but the way I feel colours my perception of EVERYTHING for about an hour and a half. I end up misinterpreting so much sh*t when I feel like that ... not good when you have to wake up and be in 'work mode' within 30 minutes ....

I swear some doctor is going to study this soon and then it'll be like "OOHHH thats OBVIOUS!!" and suddenly all those years of feeling shi**y will be over.

I dunno. Sleep apnea or hypoglycaemia or some cr*p like that ...

Ross


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## SucceedSocially (Apr 23, 2007)

Being worse in the morning and improving as the day goes on is a common symptom of depression. It could be a clue that that's an issue as well.


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## Jean (Jan 18, 2007)

positive thoughts and a glass of OJ first thing. or a tranquilizer.


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## Razorblade Kiss (Oct 29, 2006)

Little Miss Scare-All said:


> I used to feel that way when I was working...as soon as I woke up I'd start feeling anxious, worried, dreading going in to work. :afr


This is exactly how I feel now when I wake up to go to work. It's my worse nightmare.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

I think there is something chemically that helps wake people up. Depending on the condition of sleep, the effects can change. I have this from time to time, even with Paxil. I just have to reassure myself that everything is okay. I imagine a happy tune or upbeat song to help me direct my thoughts.


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## foxtrot (Feb 17, 2007)

listen to some 'khanate' upon waking. thatll ease your nerves :b


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

*Re: re: High anxiety on waking*



Little Miss Scare-All said:


> I used to feel that way when I was working...as soon as I woke up I'd start feeling anxious, worried, dreading going in to work. :afr Then I usually got stomach problems a few minutes to a few hours later.


"Used to" .... What stopped it, Little Miss?

Ross


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## srschirm (Jun 25, 2006)

yeah_yeah_yeah said:


> Hi
> 
> I would like to know how many of you guys experience very high levels on anxiety on waking? When I wake up, whether its from a nights sleep or daytime nap, within about 15 secinds I am flooded with feelings of dread, and all the things that bother me suddenly come flooding into my head at an uncontrollable rate.
> 
> ...


I know exactly what you mean. It's not as bad anymore, but for a while, I felt those same things. I'm not really doing much differently, though...


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

I got a few theories about this thing. 

1) Hypoglycaemia. I'm doing an experiment. I've ordered a diabetic blood glucose monitor and am going to check my glucose levels in the morning against baseline. If I'm off into hypoglycaemic land then I'm on the warpath to my old doc who said I was imagining it.

2) High epinephrine or cortisol levels. I am going to try popping a beta blocker an hour before I properly get up (I always wake throughout the morning anyway) and see if it staves off the anxiety. If it does, then its adrenaline related and possibly to do with 'waking epinephrine' (a phrase I stole from a website to look clever)

3) Dunno how to test the apnea theory - I need to somehow analyse how much CO2 is in my blood. Hmmmm

I like being my own lab rat. Not sure about puncturing holes in myself, but hey ho.

Ross


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## Strength (Aug 12, 2006)

hey succeedsocially
that's interesting about what you said in the mornings. I do tend to get happier as the day goes on, and the best mood at night time. Mornings are always worst, especially if it's early in the morning.

And Yeah_yeah_yeah, i'll msg you back, I've just been brainstorming a lot about it. Anyway that's cool you use yourself as a lab rat lol....it forces you to take chances in life.


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## invisiblegirl101 (Mar 18, 2007)

Its weird because i also have extreme anxiety when i wake up. Its very uncomfortable, i get palpitations, sob, my hands begin sweating. It really sucks. And the thing is that im not thinking about uncomfortable situations, or bad experiences, it just automatically happens. I just went to the doctor a couple of days ago because of my anxiety. He doesnt think its sa but i do have some form of anxiety. He thinks i might have hormonal imbalance and he might be right because my anxiety started around puberty with me and just kept getting worst over the years. He recommended me to go get a pap smear and start on birth control pills. :um So far what has helped me: when i use to be on paxil, it decreased my anxiety symptoms to some level. Showering when i wake up also helps me decrease my anxiety symptoms.


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

Hi Invisible

Seems odd your doc said about puberty - in much of the literature I have read, it says that SA mostly begins around teenage time, preceded by a lot of feelings of loneliness or difference during the younger years.

My first major panic attack came when I was 16 and it totally broadsided me. I had to leave the class I was in and take up something else.

I've bought the blood glucose meter. I'm just too scared to stab my finger with it :afr I go all groggy at the thought of needles ... :lol 

I've been thinking about this Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I notice I remember lots of things I haven't done or think about upcoming events and worry about them, which could be thought of as 'general' - but when I trace it deeper, I'm always worrying about someone else's reaction to what I have or haven't done - so it comes down to having to face disapproval or rejection or underperforming in someone else's eyes - so, SA. Dunno if thats informative or not ...

Ross

EDITED TO ADD: Hahaha I used a different word for 'stab' beginning with 'p' and the board auto-censor kicked in. LOL.


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

It ends after 15 seconds? Does it subside? If so, can you think what you do to make it go away, cos mine lasts 3 hours!! (not that its a competition :lol )

Ross


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## davemason2k (Feb 11, 2005)

Ross, the 20 seconds after I wake up are the best 20 seconds of my day. Seriously, I'm too tired to worry about anything. It's great!


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## katelyn (Jul 11, 2006)

I get this very bad. It started over a year ago when I was woken up to receive some bad news, but now it's become generalized so that I can't pick out a specific cause. I think it's like others have said, all my worries come into my mind at once and I don't want to face the day.


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## yeah_yeah_yeah (Mar 27, 2007)

Hm well I know its norepinephrine that wakes you up in the morining. And thats basically the same as adrenaline, but its also a neurotransmitter involved in depression and anxiety. My morning anxiety feels like being presented with a very pi*sed off black widow spider, so my money is on the action of norepinephrine. I also feel VERY irritable for quite a while after. Its pure anxiety, depression isn;t so much an issue until later when my anxiety collides with planet reality. 

I think this is further backed up cos when I was on edronax recently, which works on the norepinephrine, I felt worse in the mornings - though a bit more perky and ready to go. Maybe it has to do with WHERE the norepinephrine goes, or which parts of the brain react to it. We know in anxiety that we are hard wired to respond to threat a lot more than other people, and threat is communicated throughout the brain via norepinephrine, so in other words more parts of our brain light up when there is NE in our heads.

Maybe when our adrenal glands give us that little punch in the morning, all those little brain centres that have been trained to over-react to adrenaline also kick in, going "oh yeah we know this stuff - EMERGENCY!!!". So we feel wired and on edge, whether or not we have anything to worry about. Couple this with the poor state of sleep experienced by SA'ers and depressives and you also have a brain that is not calming itself. So morning = WLALALALALALALALAAAAA. :fall 

EDIT: I also just found out that norepinephrine causes REM sleep, the phase that is so often elongated in cases of depression and anxiety. If we have high baseline NE due to anxiety, then this would mean more REM sleep. It also fits with the fact that I wake from dreams feeling that horrible fear, whether they were nghtmares or not. Personally I am prescribing myself a large course of meditation (instead of medication), I used to enjoy that :yes And maybe Yoga. 

Anyone on klonopin tried dropping a tab in the middle of the night to see if their wake up time feels any different? I am using the US market as my guinea pig on this one.

I am satisfied with my theory. Wheres my PhD?

Ross


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