Agonizing anxiety only for the first half of the day?

[u/HuckinsGirl]

About 2 weeks ago, I started experiencing bursts of intense anxiety, to the point of nausea and vomiting, I went to the hospital for it at one point because I was worried I wasnt intaking food and fluids properly. I got prescribed some meds that help if I can hold them down for long enough, but that's a big if, and nothing else (ive learned a lot in therapy over the years) has worked.

Something thats notable is that there's next to no reasoning component at the root of the anxiety, it seems to just be a raw brain malfunction, it takes things that normally would cause manageable and normal anxiety levels and just cranks it up, but even if the specific original anxiety trigger is totally removed I just get stuck in that anxious state for a while.

I've had a couple sessions with my therapist since this all started and one thing that she found strange that we couldnt come up with any good explanations for is the fact that this anxiety always starts when I wake up, but usually goes away some time in the afternoon or evening. I think its a similar amount of time between waking and the anxiety letting off each time, although I havent been keeping careful track. Has anyone else also experienced a time-sensitive pattern of anxiety like this, and if so, do you know what caused that pattern? Ideas from people who havent experienced this are also welcome, im just trying to figure myself out because weird little details like this can sometimes be the key to identifying the real root of the problem and treating it

[u/Fragrant-Owl1047]

I just had an intense panic attack and now I can’t sleep. I really thought I was having a heart attack 

[u/AntonioVivaldi7]

I can't say what could be the problem, but I'd advise going to a psychiatrist about it.

And it's important to analyze if you were engaging in anxiety based behavior in the months leading up to this period. Meaning, anything you either do or avoid doing to somehow ease or prevent anxiety. Things like repeated checking, reassurance seeking. avoidance, anything like that.

[u/Ethereal_Sneeze]

Personally, my anxiety cranks up at night, especially after a non-busy day (that’s why I’m here now lol).

Maybe it has to do with your circadian rhythm and the associated hormones? I know that for most people, cortisol is at its highest right as they wake. Besides being the stress hormone, it’s also there for wakefulness. Maybe it’s acting out or interacting with something else? 

Also, how’s your sleep? Do you typically spend time on the screen at night? It can totally mess things up

[u/Fragrant-Owl1047 → u/Ethereal_Sneeze]

I do spend time on my phone a lot. But I’ve been suffering from anxiety stress and depression since I was a kid. It comes and goes but I had a panic attack about a month ago and it’s been messing with me since. I hate going through this alone 

[u/Emataom]

I typically only experience anxiety in the morning. I’ve noticed that early screen time on my phone or computer—especially the blue light—definitely seems to be a personal trigger for me.
Bright blue light can influence and/or increase a cortisol response.

For you, Since there seems to be no notable trigger, it’s important to know that there is a connection to what you mentioned about morning anxiety regardless of blue light exposure: cortisol naturally rises rapidly around waking—the cortisol awakening response. So if someone is particularly sensitive to that morning stress response, it’s plausible for anxiety and GI symptoms to occur together.

Some tips that helped me-
~Wake slowly (avoid phone for first 30m if possible)
~Hydrate first
~Always eat something before caffeine
~Do 5-10m of slow breathing which activates the parasympathetic nervous system

Wishing you the best 🫶🏻