# Are mornings the worst part for anyone else?



## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

This is my second go around with dp/dr and I'm finding that mornings are the absolute worst. That's when I feel it the most. It's hard to get out of bed, and when I do get out of bed I return to it about 15 minutes later (I work second shift so I have several hours until I go in). I feel the anxious pit in my stomach more so in the morning and it's almost impossible to eat. Another weird thing I've been finding is that as soon as the sun goes down I feel almost completely back to normal, about 10-20% dp'd/dr'd and I'm able to think a lot more clearly and relax. It's almost like I have an allergy to the sun haha, I feel like a freaking vampire. It's sort of getting to the point that if my girlfriend wants to do something during the day I'm just like 'sorry dear, you know I'm a nonhuman until it's dark out!'. I'm just wondering if anyone is feeling anything similar? At the beginning of all this I would wake up to anxiety attacks, not so much anymore but I still get pretty anxious about 5 minutes into being awake. I think it may be because I think about how I have to start the whole cycle over again, and when it gets dark it's like 'okay, I made it through another day'. Anyway, I feel I am getting better, each day I'm noticing ways I was better than yesterday, just curious about this. Sorry for rambling on, it's hard to process my thoughts right now haha. Let me know!


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## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

That's how it was for me a few weeks ago, I'd wake up and be totally disoriented. I'd have no idea where I was/who I was/what day it was/etc. Luckily that's subsided recently.


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## Swansea (Jun 11, 2013)

Yeah i wake up not feeling 'in my body' and feel totally disoriented. It makes it really hard to start my day. I've been trying to keep to a morning routine because it seems if I just follow a routine and don't think about how weird I feel it works better. I drink smoothies in the morning strawberries, berries, kefir, coconut milk, banana, protein powder. Maybe switching to some sort of smoothie liquid breakfast will help with the low morning appetite. Also, I find going for a run/ yoga in the morning helps.


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## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

Yeah I've been thinking about trying smoothies out in the morning, I just don't have a blender  it's really hard for me to kick coffee, too! I know they say to avoid the caffeine and what not but its so hard to cut out something that's been part of your life for years!


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## Swansea (Jun 11, 2013)

I make smoothies in mason jars with an immersion blender. You can find an immersion blender pretty cheaply. like 10$.


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## terrances (Aug 22, 2013)

totally agree with this, when i get up on a morning i feel terrible, im like ' do i really have to go through with this shit for another day', this feeling persists for a while and it tends to get better throughout the day, to be honest i don't even want to go to bed some evenings because i know when i wake up i'll feel like shit again


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## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

Thanks for the tip, Swansea! And Terrances, I feel the same way. I find myself staying up a little later often times just so I'm able to do the things I didn't feel up to doing during the day. It's weird to think how ridiculous this all is but it seems so damn uncontrollable.


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## Swansea (Jun 11, 2013)

Just randomly ran across this article after you posted about coffee. Thought I would share for anyone curious for alternatives or how coffee really affects your body and can make DP worse

Why should I give up coffee?

In my practice, I commonly recommend patients discontinue drinking coffee. On a regular basis, patients ask the questions "Why is coffee bad for me? Do I really need to give it up?" So, I thought it would be helpful to have a complete list of the reasons I recommend a coffee-free diet.

*Fatigue*
I know, this is the main reason that people drink coffee: to help you wake up in the morning, get over that late afternoon slump, or to stay up while working late at night. Yes, coffee is a very short term remedy for fatigue, but in the end, it only makes it worse. Coffee is a central nervous system stimulant which overstimulates the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and cortisol, both stress hormones. This is what is responsible for that initial euphoric feeling with a cup of coffee, when you have a heightened sense of mental clarity, alertness and more energy. Unfortunately, this affect is short lasting and leads to a crash in energy, and eventually adrenal depletion, fatigue and caffeine dependence and addiction. Your adrenal glands stop being able to produce normal levels of these stress hormones, as caffeine has worn them out. Coffee blocks the absorption of iron, which can contribute to iron deficiency anemia, also resulting in fatigue.

*Anxiety/Panic/Depression/Sleep disorders*
Because coffee stimulates an excess release of stress hormones and interferes with our brain chemistry, it contributes to states of anxiety, panic, depression and insomnia. Coffee inhibits adenosine, which is one of our calming neurotransmitters, thus blocking our body's ability for natural stress reduction and relaxation. Coffee depletes the body of vitamin B6, a nutrient needed for the production of serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and anxiety. Coffee also decreases vitamin D absorption, which has been linked to mood disorders and depression.

*Coronary Artery Disease/Hypertension*
Coffee intake has been linked to elevated homocysteine levels, which contributes to coronary artery disease. Elevated levels of cortisol due to coffee intake lead to constriction of blood vessels and can be a contributing factor to hypertension.

*Osteoporosis/Bone Health*
Coffee has been shown to decrease the absorption of both calcium and vitamin D, both necessary for optimal bone health. Coffee actually leaches calcium from the our bones, contributing to loss of bone density and osteoporosis.

*Gastrointestinal Disorders*
Coffee is acidic, and contains numerous chemicals that are irritating to the lining of the digestive tract. Over time, coffee consumption can contribute to many gastrointestinal conditions including gastritis, GERD, and irritable bowel syndrome. Because of coffee's irritant effect on the gastrointestinal tract, it decreases the absorption of many essential vitamins and minerals.

*Dehydration*
Coffee is a diuretic that causes frequent urination. This depletes the body of important nutrients and electrolytes including magnesium, potassium and calcium.

*Dental health*
Not only does coffee stain your teeth a yellowish brown color, it also increases dental caries (cavities).

So, those are a few reasons to motivate you to give up coffee and improve your health!

*Coffee Alternative*
If you are considering giving up coffee, the best coffee alternative I have found is Dandy Blend. This is a caffeine-free, gluten-free coffee alternative that contains water soluble extracts of roasted dandelion root, chicory and beets, and grains barley and rye. It surprisingly tastes like coffee without the bitterness and acidity. Substituting Dandy Blend for coffee helps with avoiding headaches and other coffee withdrawal symptoms. Dandelion, one of the main ingredients in this blend, is a wonderful botanical for digestion and nutrient absorption, liver functionality, skin health, weight loss and hormone balancing. I recommend Dandy Blend as part of a detoxification program and/or for every day use. Check out Dandy Blend's website:

http://www.dandyblend.com/ for more info or for a store locator near you. In Portland, you can buy Dandy Blend at Peoples Food Co-op in SE, or the Alberta Co-op in NE.

Some recipe ideas using Dandy Blend:

*Straight up:*
1 tsp Dandy Blend dissolved in 8 ounces hot water. I recommend using 1 Tbsp for a fuller flavored cup.
*you can also dissolve Dandy Blend in cold water and serve over ice for a refreshing iced-coffee alternative.

*Dandy Latte:*
1 Tbsp Dandy Blend
12 ounces steamed or warmed dairy alternative-almond milk or hemp milk
1 tsp honey
Stir all ingredients together and enjoy!

*Dandy Bliss:*
1 Tbsp Dandy Blend
1/2 cup Coconut Bliss Ice Cream (original or vanilla flavor)
1/2 cup water
1 cup ice
Blend all ingredients in the blender and enjoy!

I recommend trying to give up coffee for 2 weeks and notice how differently you feel. Just eliminating coffee and caffeine from your diet can drastically improve how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally.


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## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

Wow, that was a really interesting read. I'm gonna try this out and see how it works. I'm also pretty addicted to soda too so we'll see how this goes


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## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

Thanks Fearless. Any tips on how to combat this? I don't want to use Xanax anymore to calm the anxiety because its so addictive but it helps in some ways. I'm just afraid the end result (benzo addiction) is going to be worse than dulling the morning anxiety.


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## Aerose91 (Jun 11, 2013)

Fearless said:


> Mornings are the worst, because in your sleep, your conscious mind, which you use to repress your emotional pain during daytime, is not operating, so when you wake up and your conscious mind is still "booting", your emotions overwhelm you.
> 
> That simple.


That's part of it. There's also a physical aspect. Norepinephrine is what wakes us up and that, alon with cortisol, are highest in the morning. Therefore anxiety is higher in the morning as well because of the increase in adrenaline. The best way to combat the physical part is to have a balanced meal as soon as you wake up so your body doesn't need adrennaline to run off of. If the first thing you have is coffee it will only make it worse.


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## TidingsfromSean (Aug 18, 2013)

I'll give it a try, I'm determined to get my life back! The first time through this I had no idea what it was or what was happening, I was 17 and scared as hell but I decided I was going to ignore it and go about with my life. I looked back maybe 8 months later, realized it no longer affected me and thought 'man, that was weird'. I'm having a harder time with it this go around, oddly. It seems like putting a name to the face kind of makes things worse for me. I know what life is like before and after it, I'm trying each day to get back to that point but its hard when my damn brain keeps checking on my symptoms.


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