Morning Anxiety: Why It Happens & How to Cope

We all occasionally wake up feeling anxious because we’re stressed about that assignment, project, interview, or some other task we’re dreading. Morning anxiety becomes a bigger concern if we wake up anxious most days of the week and if it affects how we function in our daily lives. It’s important to know when it might be helpful to seek therapy or other interventions for morning anxiety.

What Is Morning Anxiety?

Morning anxiety is that unsettling feeling of dread or nervousness you might feel right after waking up. It can happen for many reasons—like lingering stress from the day before or anticipatory anxiety about what’s ahead.

Morning anxiety isn’t a formal mental health diagnosis, and occasionally waking up anxious is relatively common and normal.¹ However, if you find yourself feeling anxious almost every morning, it could be a sign of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is characterized by chronic, widespread anxiety that lasts for more than six months and affects various aspects of life.¹ For those with GAD, morning anxiety can feel even more intense due to their existing tendency toward anxiety.²

Morning Anxiety Symptoms

Morning anxiety can look different for everyone; its symptoms and their intensity or frequency can vary from person to person. Recognizing the specific signs of anxiety in the morning is crucial, as it is the first step toward managing morning anxiety and making positive changes to start your day with more calm and control.

Symptoms of morning anxiety can include:^{1, 2}

• Racing thoughts: Waking up with a flood of worries, concerns, or a sense of impending doom, often fixating on tasks or events of the day.
• Physical symptoms: These may include a rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, nausea, or muscle tension.
• Difficulty concentrating: Struggling to focus on tasks, feeling anxiety-induced brain fog, or being easily distracted, which can impact your ability to get started on your day.
• Fatigue: Despite just waking up, you may feel drained or exhausted, likely due to poor sleep quality caused by anxiety or anxiety itself taxing your energy reserves.
• Irritability: Feeling unusually cranky, short-tempered, or easily frustrated without a clear reason, often due to underlying anxiety.
• Avoidance behavior: Avoidance behaviors include wanting to stay in bed and avoid activities or responsibilities that may be triggering anxiety.
• Feeling overwhelmed: Feeling a sense of dread or panic about facing the day, often accompanied by a sense of being unable to cope with expected demands.

You may experience one or more of these symptoms on any given morning when you feel anxious. It may be useful to write your symptoms in a physical journal or journaling app, as well as what events occurred the day before or what you may be worried about will happen that day to help identify a potential pattern.

Why Am I Waking Up With Anxiety?

Waking up with anxiety can feel confusing and frustrating, especially when you don’t know what’s causing it. However, several factors can contribute to feeling anxious first thing in the morning. Understanding these common causes can help you find ways to manage and reduce morning anxiety.

Here are some reasons why you might be waking up feeling anxious:

• Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR): When we wake up, our body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol, which peaks 30 to 45 minutes after waking. This spike can lead to a faster heartbeat, increased blood flow, and higher adrenaline—triggering morning anxiety.³
• Anticipatory anxiety: Worrying about the day ahead or feeling overwhelmed by upcoming tasks or responsibilities can cause anxiety to surface immediately upon waking.
• Existing anxiety at bedtime: If you go to sleep feeling anxious, your cortisol levels may stay elevated, leading to an even greater release in the morning, which can intensify anxiety. Anxiety at bedtime can also affect your dreams, leading to more vivid, intense, or distressing dreams or nightmares, which can disrupt sleep quality and contribute to feeling anxious upon waking.^{1, 2, 3}
• Caffeine: Consuming caffeine can trigger or heighten anxiety by increasing your heart rate and adrenaline levels, which can make you feel jittery or on edge. Additionally, caffeine can interfere with your sleep, making it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep, which can contribute to increased anxiety upon waking.²
• Poor sleep quality: Not getting enough restful sleep or dealing with sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea can make you more susceptible to morning anxiety. Fatigue from a lack of quality sleep can also increase anxiety.
• Hormonal fluctuations: Changes in other hormones, such as those related to thyroid function or reproductive health (like pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause), can also contribute to waking up with anxiety.

How to Get Rid of Morning Anxiety

While you may not be able to totally get rid of your morning anxiety, recognizing the symptoms of morning anxiety is the first step towards taking action. It’s important to choose regular, actionable goals to focus on in order to calm your anxiety in the mornings.

Free Anxiety Worksheets

This collection of eight worksheets provides practical tools and strategies for managing anxiety symptoms. Find the one you need below, or browse all our anxiety worksheets for more.

Anxiety Workbook Download

Nervous System Regulation Download

Identifying Your Triggers Download

Challenging Your Thoughts Download

Practicing Self-Care Download

Overcoming Your Fears Download

Setting SMART Goals Download

Practicing Gratitude Download

PLEASE Take Care of Yourself Download

Here are thirteen tips that can help you to minimize anxiety in the morning:

1. Develop a Morning Routine

Creating a consistent morning routine helps your body and mind know what to expect each day, reducing feelings of unpredictability that can trigger anxiety. Plan your day in advance, focusing on key priorities to create a sense of control and purpose, which helps ease anxiety.

2. Start the Day With a Mindfulness Practice

Begin your morning with a mindfulness practice to create a sense of calm and clarity right from the start. Taking just a few minutes to focus on your breath or engage in a short meditation can help center your mind, reduce anxiety, and ground you in the present moment. This intentional pause allows you to approach the day with a clearer mind and a more balanced emotional state, rather than immediately jumping into stress-inducing activities like checking your phone or rushing through tasks.

3. Focus on What You Can Control

Morning anxiety often arises from feeling overwhelmed by the unknowns and uncertainties of the day ahead. To combat this, begin each morning by identifying specific things you can control, such as your morning routine, the tasks you will prioritize, or the mindset you want to carry into the day. Create a simple plan or list of achievable goals that outline what you can do to start the day on a positive note. This practice can ground you in the present moment, helping you feel more prepared and less anxious about the unknown.

4. Seek Morning Sunlight

Expose yourself to natural sunlight soon after waking. Morning sunlight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, boosts mood, and reduces anxiety by encouraging the production of serotonin, a hormone that promotes a sense of well-being.

5. Prepare the Night Before

Take a few minutes each evening to prepare for the next day, setting yourself up for a calmer, more organized start. Simple tasks like laying out your clothes, packing your bag, or preparing your breakfast can significantly reduce decision fatigue and morning stress. Writing a to-do list or a brief schedule can also help clarify your priorities, allowing you to wake up with a clear plan in mind and less uncertainty about the day ahead.

6. Focus on Good Sleep Hygiene

Establishing a consistent sleep schedule and engaging in relaxing activities before bed, like taking a bath, reading, or listening to calming music, helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Better sleep hygiene will improve your quality of sleep and thereby reduce morning anxiety by ensuring your body and mind are well-rested, making you less likely to wake up feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

7. Limit Social Media Before Bed & Right When You Wake Up

Avoiding social media both before bed and immediately upon waking can help reduce morning anxiety. Exposure to stressful news, negative stories, or overstimulating content can cause your mind to race, making it harder to wind down at night and wake up feeling anxious. In the morning, resist the urge to check your phone right away, as this can trigger stress and set a negative tone for the day. Instead, allow yourself some quiet time to ease into the day, which helps you feel calmer and more in control.

8. Eat Breakfast

Starting the day with a balanced meal stabilizes your blood sugar levels, which can help prevent mood swings and anxiety. Eating breakfast fuels your body and mind, giving you the energy and mental clarity needed to face the day’s challenges with less anxiety.

9. Increase Physical Activity

Exercise in the morning, whether through yoga, walking, or other moderate activities, helps release endorphins, the body’s natural stress relievers. Physical activity can reduce anxiety and help you feel more energized and focused throughout the day.

10. Reduce Caffeine, Sugar, & Alcohol Intake

Cutting back on caffeine, sugar, and alcohol can significantly help in managing morning anxiety. High sugar and caffeine intake can cause spikes in anxiety by overstimulating the nervous system and causing mood swings. To keep your mood stable, try replacing caffeinated drinks with herbal teas and sugary snacks with fruits, and drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. This can help maintain a more balanced energy level and reduce feelings of anxiety.⁴

Similarly, limiting alcohol consumption can greatly reduce anxiety upon waking. Alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle, and poor sleep quality can leave you feeling anxious in the morning, as your body and mind haven’t had sufficient time to rest and reset. Additionally, alcohol affects the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain, which can result in mood swings and heightened anxiety once its effects wear off.

11. Develop a Daily Gratitude Practice

Begin each morning by dedicating a few minutes to a gratitude practice, where you intentionally note down or think about things you’re thankful for. This could be as simple as writing in a gratitude journal or saying three things you’re grateful for out loud. Reflecting on these positive aspects of your life first thing in the morning can create a positive start to your day, helping you shift your mindset away from anxiety and stress. Over time, practicing gratitude regularly can help rewire your brain to be more optimistic and resilient.

12. Challenge Anxious Thoughts

When you wake up and notice anxious thoughts beginning to surface, take a proactive approach by challenging them with more positive or realistic alternatives. Start by identifying the specific thoughts that are causing your anxiety—such as “I’m going to fail today” or “Everything will go wrong.” Then, ask yourself if these thoughts are based on facts or if they are assumptions or worst-case scenarios. Challenge these thoughts by considering evidence that contradicts them or by reframing them in a more balanced way. For instance, instead of thinking, “I’m going to fail today,” try reframing it to, “I’ve prepared well, and I’ll do my best,” or “Even if things don’t go perfectly, I can handle it.”

This cognitive restructuring technique can help interrupt the negative thinking patterns that fuel anxiety. Over time, regularly practicing this technique helps you build mental resilience, making it easier to manage stress and reduce morning anxiety.

13. Find Something to Look Forward To

Each morning, take a moment to think about something positive you’re looking forward to that day, whether it’s meeting a friend, savoring your favorite coffee, or spending time on a hobby you love. Focusing on these enjoyable activities (no matter how small!) can help redirect your thoughts away from worries and toward something uplifting. By regularly identifying small moments to look forward to, you train your mind to seek positivity, making it easier to manage anxiety throughout the day.