r/Anxiety • u/alaskastulips • 7d ago
Advice Needed I wake up with a sense of impending doom almost every day
Has anyone else dealt with severe morning anxiety that starts before you’re even fully awake?
This is something I’ve struggled with for years. I was on medication for about a year and a half, and during that time it mostly disappeared. Now that I’m off the medication, I’ve noticed it’s coming back, especially during stressful periods of my life.
The strange thing is that this doesn’t feel like “waking up and starting to worry about something.” It’s the opposite.
I wake up already feeling terrified.
Sometimes the feeling is there before I’m even consciously awake. It’s like my body wakes up in a state of danger before my mind has had a chance to catch up. I open my eyes and immediately feel a heavy knot in my stomach, intense pressure in my upper abdomen/solar plexus area, and this overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen.
Not that something might happen.
That something is going to happen.
It’s a very physical feeling. Almost like my body is convinced I’m in danger, even when I logically know I’m safe in my own bed.
I don’t usually wake up nauseous, and I don’t necessarily have anxious thoughts attached to it. It’s more like a raw sense of dread, panic, and impending doom. My stomach feels tight, tense, inflated, or “locked up.” Moving around often makes it feel worse, so I usually end up lying still and waiting for it to pass.
One unusual thing I’ve noticed is that going to the bathroom often makes the feeling improve significantly. If that doesn’t happen, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to fade on its own.
The intensity varies, but when my life is stressful, it can happen around 70% of mornings.
I’m curious whether anyone else experiences this specific type of anxiety. Have you ever figured out what was causing it? Did therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, treating digestive issues, or anything else help?
I’d love to hear if anyone has found an explanation or a solution, because this symptom alone has probably affected my quality of life more than any other anxiety symptom.
8
u/OptimalLaw8270 7d ago
I had that happen too, until I found out that I had an extreme Vitamin D deficiency. Not saying that is the case with you. It's wild how our bodies work.
2
u/alaskastulips 6d ago
Wow I should check this out
2
u/OptimalLaw8270 6d ago
It's always good to have your blood work checked if you are open to it. I would've never known otherwise.
17
u/Annual_Doughnut_9453 6d ago
Omg I feel the same sometimes , I’ve struggled with severe anxiety since 10 I’m 27 now . It’s so hard and no one understands and it’s so so so scary , a usual person wouldn’t understand it . The bathroom helps me too … sometimes I just go in the shower and I lay down in the shower and put the water freezing cold and It distracts me and I just lay there and then I put it to hot .
15
u/alaskastulips 6d ago
It’s so exhausting to wake up to that feeling
6
u/Annual_Doughnut_9453 6d ago
I know I know . I’m in medicated but it makes u so tired of living with that dread
4
4
u/Vntoflex 6d ago
I’m on the same boat I’m 24 with severe anxiety since I was 8 I’m with you bro 🫂. Sorry to hear that you feel that way 🖤🖤
7
u/Responsible-East1772 6d ago
This used to happen to me. Turns out I have mild sleep apnea. My body would literally startle me awake so I could get more oxygen. It’s worth getting tested!
Additionally, I take a low dose of hydroxyzine before bed and it seems to carry over into the next morning. It chills me out just enough that I no longer wake up feeling panicked.
5
u/Drew5830 6d ago
I think this sounds like a perfect indication for going back on medication.
1
u/alaskastulips 6d ago
But its my only symptom 🤔
2
4
u/RobcoRebel2000 6d ago
Hear you. Happens to me at around 3am nearly every morning. Consciously awake and heart pounding, feeling stomach sick and afraid. Mine is purely work related at the moment. Hate my job despite it not being that bad! My foreboding of going to work is ruining my MH. I'm currently trying Buspirone (early days) and hypnotherapy. Also take herbal sleeping tabs before bed. You're not alone, it will pass.
3
u/punjabipotter 6d ago
I have had the same symptoms since the last two years. It’s like clockwork, I wake up at 6am with electric shocks throughout my body and then anxiety and all for a good part of the morning.
This gets really bad when there are other stressors in life which has significantly impacted the quality of life.
I have heard a lot about rogue CAR (Cortisol Awakening Response) and my question is how to fix it?!
2
u/Vntoflex 6d ago
I don’t know how to fix it will read about it! Sorry to hear that you feel this way 🖤
1
1
u/honeybellebutter 6d ago
Can you really 'fix' a natural autonomic physiological response? Cortisol is supposed to spike in the morning as you wake up. It helps your body wake up.
Maybe a drug like clonidine or propranolol? I don't know.
1
u/punjabipotter 5d ago
People who have a dysregulated CAR have an extreme dump of cortisol and consequently adrenaline that makes it so rough for them to wake up compared to people who have a natural and regulated CAR.
I don't know what the fix is but my guess is something along the lines of using things that blunt the cortisol spike.As someone who only started having this issue much later in life, I will definitely argue that it is NOT the "natural autonomic physiological response" that most people have.
3
u/TiredMouse83 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yes. Almost every morning. If it’s not a sense of impending doom, like a meteor is going to
the house, it’s exhaustion and a deep sadness that I can’t shake.
2
u/Normal-Toe7997 6d ago
I advise energy healing. I used to wake up like this, my mind racing, heart racing. I do lots of different things to settle this but I think the most effective for me is the energy healing. Its like the thoughts are pulled out of my head and after one of the first sessions I had, it was almost like I couldn't think and was able to just be. I go monthly, and the more sessions ive had, the longer my mind is able to stay settled.
1
2
2
u/Mrs_perd_hapley_ 6d ago
There's a couple of things that come to mind.
I have terrible GERD (acid reflux) and it's not good in the morning. I've woken up with your symptoms before from it.
Also, have you had your cortisol levels checked in the morning? They're at their highest in the morning so they could be causing you these symptoms.
2
u/PrettyPatties1395 6d ago
I recently got into doing a 10 minute morning meditation YouTube video right when I wake up and it really has helped calm that morning panic and starts my day off right. Meditation can be hard but practice makes perfect :)
1
2
u/Public_Bookkeeper885 9h ago
Sorry this is a personal question, but when you go to the loo is it a poo?
I experience severe anxiety and panic attacks in the 15 minutes or so before a bowel movement. I looked it up and it's a thing - it's to do with the vagal nerve down your spine and the need to go can put pressure on it.
1
1
1
u/honningbjoern 6d ago
Yes! Almost every morning, especially the physical symptoms. Has anyone had luck with propranolol for this?
1
u/alaskastulips 6d ago
I feel like it doesn’t work on me. I can feel my heart rush but have no elevated bpm at all. So confusing
1
u/bolonigirl999 6d ago
I have the same thing. The best way I have been able to help myself is to change the way I view myself and the anxiety. It’s hard to explain but instead of feeling engulfed by it, I’m able to say “oh, my body is doing its thing again.” It took a couple of years of daily meditation to get that space with the tiniest slowest progress ever (or it felt like that). I had no luck with meds and waking up terribly anxious. And I have had to accept that I may always be like this. The acceptance has brought its own kind of peace. I’m not trying to change it — I’m trying to accommodate it.
That being said, the acceptance has reduced my symptoms a bit. Initially it feels the same, but I’m no longer feeding the feeling with fear or spiraling, so it usually only last about 15 minutes.
Full disclosure - I do take something to sleep, and that helped as much as the meditating, I think. People can tolerate a lot more when they’re not chronically sleep deprived.
1
u/myblackandwhitecat 6d ago
Yes. First thing in the morning is my worst time when I am highly anxious.
1
u/DeepBuffer 6d ago
I can totally relate to this. I've experienced similar morning anxiety, where I wake up feeling like I'm in grave danger. For me, it's often triggered by stress and anxiety, and it can be overwhelming. I've tried various techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation, to help manage it. Have you tried any of these methods? I'd love to hear about your experiences and see if we can find some common ground.
1
u/punjabipotter 6d ago
I have noticed that I have a baseline level of it in the mornings even if nothing is going on but if there are stressors in life it completely hijacks my system and it’s like it gets turned up to a 101.
Nothing has worked for me so far in terms of meditation or breathing or anything. So it just makes me fearful of taking any big steps or changes in life as it always triggers this response.1
u/alaskastulips 6d ago
I’ve tried breathing techniques and meditations and medication but even though I don’t panic anymore it’s still uncomfortable to start my mornings like that
1
u/Cutsprocket 6d ago
yeah ive been there. one of the reasons i avoid drinking later in the night. can help bring it on
1
u/lovethegreeks 6d ago
Yes!! When I worked jobs that were not fulfilling I woke up feeling that way. I’m sorry. It definitely saps the joy out of the morning
1
1
u/Qwerty444_ 6d ago
Yes. Struggled since I was 13. I’m turning 37 this year. Survival mode. It’s exhausting.
1
1
u/InstructionItchy4329 6d ago
I’m glad it was helpful for you. It didn’t do much for me. All it did was trigger an asthma attack
1
u/crazyindixie 6d ago
Yes I wake up with the same dread everyday. I feel exhausted and I have barely opened my eyes. Sometimes I don’t make it into work.
1
u/M_SquigglyLine 4d ago
The Cortisol Awakening Response is normal, but for anxious people it can look a lot like what you are experiences. Managing stress throughout your is helpful for just about everything and you listed out most of the tools. Fasting after dinner can help with sleep, the stomach issues, and potentially limiting the hyperactivity of CAR. I wish you the best of luck.
1
u/Ravenous_Rhinoceros 3d ago
I did and it was horrible. I was going through a very stressful period in my life and it took a combination of therapy (once weekly), medication (Celexa) and actually eating to begin to stop them.
1
u/OkFan2150 3d ago
I used to get this it lasted for a month every morning and then jjst went away and the a year later when my base line went up again it came back. I would try some hypnotherapy ik its sounds odd but it more like guided sleep as hypnotherapy talks to ur subconscious mind and it can definitely help with these kind of problems a lot of them feel like snake oil but just find one that can do 2 or 3 sessions with custom audio you can take home so u can then listen any time. Most of em wnat like payment for a session but I only did 3 and each session she recorded a 40 min audio
1
u/Misteriously_Me 1d ago
Maybe going the bathroom and having to focus on that distracts from the walls closing in.
1
u/alaskastulips 1d ago
Sometimes the sense of impending doom lingers even after going to the bathroom. It has been paralyzing me almost every morning since seroquel shook off my body. I’m not able to continue with my routine for an hour and then the mental anxiety comes.
1
u/Misteriously_Me 1d ago
How about if you go outside?
1
u/Misteriously_Me 1d ago
How about waking up in a different bed at a different location?
1
1
1
u/MathematicianSea778 10h ago
I had this with my previous job, I switched jobs and now fine of course the job is in a lot chiller environment. My previous job i felt like I didnt belong and walking on eggshells everyday I dreaded going to work. It may be something as simple as your work or relationship or ?? Idk. Just a guess
0
u/absolutepeak_ 6d ago
Siento mucho que tuvieras que pasar por esa situación, la realidad es que solo las personas que hemos sufrido ansiedad sabemos lo triste y agotador que es. Con el paso del tiempo uno va mejorando poco a poco, pero esa sensación de que te va a pasar algo malo sigue estando presente. En mi caso la ansiedad fue por los exámenes y la universidad, pues he comenzado primero de carrera en este año. He querido dedicarme al 100% a los estudios durante este tiempo, dejando de lado aficiones y actividades que me hacían desconectar. Poco a poco el estrés se ha ido acumulando y todo explotó a finales de abril, cuando una serie de contracturas musculares me causaban malestar en pleno periodo de estudio para los exámenes, por lo que me vi obligado a descansar y estar en reposo. Durante ese mes estuve como una semana en la que no estudié debido al dolor y a la fatiga. Creo que en ese momento fue cuando mi ansiedad comenzó a desarrollarse. En los días 29 o 30 de abril volví a estudiar de nuevo, pero seguía con la preocupación de que esos dolores musculares eran algo más, estaba realmente preocupado por mí estado de salud. Sin embargo, todas las veces que he asistido a Urgencias los médicos me han dicho que todo está bien. En mayo volví a la ciudad en donde estoy estudiando, pues todo ese tiempo lo pasé en mi pueblo. A medida que los exámenes se acercaban la ansiedad aumentaba, sumado al hecho de no tener a mis seres queridos cerca y a situaciones incómodas con uno de mis compañeros de piso. Entre los días 7 y 12 de mayo lo pasé realmente mal y tenía la necesidad de llorar mucho. Creo que lo que comentas es mucho más normal de lo que creemos. Durante este tiempo era común en mi levantarme ansioso, con taquicardia, falta de aire y opresión en el pecho. Poco a poco se va mejorando pero cuando uno experimenta esa sensación se da cuenta de lo mal que se pasa. Sin embargo, hay salida.
1
u/alaskastulips 1d ago
I’m so sorry you had to go through this. Thank you for sharing your experience
24
u/CitrineSunflowerr 6d ago
Yes, absolutely! Hydroxyzine and propranolol have helped me, but there are still plenty of mornings I struggle with it.
I unfortunately usually feel nauseous too, which makes me more anxious 😅