Why Do I Feel Most Anxious in the Morning?

Waking up is supposed to feel peaceful and restful, or so we may think. But for those who suffer from anxiety, mornings can be especially difficult. All too often, a surge of anxious feelings overwhelms us upon opening our eyes. You may wonder why your anxiety seems to peak first thing in the morning. You are not alone. Let's explore why this happens.

Cortisol Awakening Response

When you wake up, your body releases a surge of cortisol, the “get up and go” hormone that helps you transition from sleep to wakefulness. This is a normal response. But if you’re already prone to anxiety and stress, your nervous system may interpret that surge as a threat signal.

So instead of feeling energized, you might feel:

-       a racing heart

-       tightness in your chest

-       a knot in your stomach

-       a sense of dread before the day even begins

You are not alone. Anxiety plays a huge role in sleep disturbances and hypervigilance, especially at night and upon waking. Your body is overtrained to associate energy (cortisol awakening response) with perceived danger. Anxiety can be a vicious self-fulfilling pattern in which escape seems impossible and overwhelming.

Sleep Quality

Restless sleep and sleep disturbances, often associated with anxiety symptoms, can spike adrenaline and make you feel shaky or panicky in the morning. Interrupted or overactive brain chemistry during sleep can further heighten the waking sense of unease and feeling of upcoming doom.

Cognitive “Jump Start”

As soon as we wake, the thinking mind activates — and it often goes straight to the mental to-do list, worries, fears, and goals. This is especially true if you tend toward high responsibility or perfectionism. Your mind basically wakes up already scanning for threats and demands. This natural tendency is magnified for the anxious person. Trauma-related hypervigilance, often a major cause of anxiety, further exasperates these symptoms.

Emotional Carryover

If you’ve been under stress, feeling anxious throughout the day, or navigating unresolved trauma, the nervous system can stay activated overnight. Tension can surface most strongly at the moment you shift from dreaming (subconscious processing) to waking (conscious awareness).

Waking Calming Techniques

Morning practices to calm your mind and body before anxiety takes over:

-       Deep breathing: inhale slowly for four counts, hold for one, exhale for six.

-       Meditation (audio recordings or self-guided) — for mindfulness and grounding.

-       Create a morning routine — Routines can create a sense of control and security.

-       Exercise — amazing for self-care and stress relief.

-       Make a list of goals for the day — create context and reasonable expectations.

-       A simple joy activity: take a hot shower, put on music, have a cup of tea, enjoy

nature, spend time with a pet, have a quiet moment — relaxation calms the mind

and body.

-       Mantra or self-soothing phrase: “I am safe. I can take this morning slowly.”

Persistent Anxiety

Morning anxiety can feel overwhelming and debilitating. If you’ve tried everything and nothing has helped, perhaps consider counseling. Waking up with a racing mind, tense body, and the weight of the day before it even begins can take a toll. Counseling and therapy can help by supporting mindful reflection of past trauma, learned hypervigilance, damaging behavior and thought patterns, and self-abuse through negative self-talk. Over time, the support and insight one receives in counseling can help retrain the mind and body to feel safe at the start of each day — so mornings can become a space for clarity and grounding rather than anxiety and fear.