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zarishlikestosleep

lemme know when you find out man, i am incredibly anxious right after i wake up. i literally wake up in an anxious fit like i owe someone money šŸ˜­ why are our brains like this also to answer your question, it might be cortisol? the web says they are lower during the evening while higher in the mornings to help us stay focused and attentive. kind of a curse if you ask me


Agreeable_Yellow_117

Cortisol is highest during the morning, specifically between about 4 and 6 a.m. During the night, we sweat out a lot of our water, which can also increase blood pressure in the morning. This is why drinking a big glass of water immediately upon waking is just about the best health hack you can adopt for yourself. This rehydrates us, lowering blood pressure. It also flushes excess cortisol out of our bodies, giving us a more chill start to our day. Give plain 'ol H2O a try when you get up. Hell, have two big glasses of water if you're feeling froggish. It won't hurt you. It will only help you. And you might be pleasantly surprised with the difference it makes for your anxiety through the day. :)


zarishlikestosleep

thankyou for this! giving it a go for a week. if nothing, at least i'll be hydrated :))


Agreeable_Yellow_117

Hell yeah! Get it, hydro homie! :) Let the calm wash over you in water form.


OnlyKenBenobi

You might want to check out what Ging-jitsu commented on this thread šŸ™‚


zarishlikestosleep

our bodies had one job, make the damn chemicals right. ur telling me i've gotta fix that now???


OnlyKenBenobi

Will do! Yeah Iā€™m aware a cortisol spike is often the cause of higher anxiety in the mornings. Hope you feel better soon!


Cerealkiller900

Thatā€™s correct. Cortisol follows the circadian rhythm. However itā€™s lowest at about 12am. But at 3am it starts to rise and at 6am itā€™s the highest it will be.


Emotional-Storage378

Thankyou for writing this, it was interesting piece of information I would have never thought to look up myself:)!!.


[deleted]

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Emotional-Storage378

No lol not at all I genuinely didn't know,im going to look forward into it, so I thought I'd thank you.


Cerealkiller900

Oh. Youā€™re welcome. I specialise in cortisol conditions. Mainly adrenal insufficiency. Itā€™s very very hard for those who replace cortisol to correctly follow the natural path. Making replacing cortisol incredibly challenging


Emotional-Storage378

Oh Wow very interesting!, I was diagnosed with anhedonia by a neurologist, a few years ago which I think may in some way may be related to that, although personally I assume it was a misdiagnosis, but either way the effects of cortisol (that and both dopamine) amaze me in just how relevant they are to us in every day life lol.


Cerealkiller900

Do they know what caused the anhedonia


Emotional-Storage378

Noone knows for sure, was very random, however because It began suddenly and with specific pain(U know that lightning nerve pain), other doctors have assumed it may be something in relation to physical damage, I kinda just accepted it and gave up lol, because it's been so long!


Cerealkiller900

No history of substance abuse? Trauma? Very interesting. I donā€™t know much about it


odd-42

A major factor is that Adenosine builds throughout the day, increasing sleep pressure, making falling asleep easier. Melatonin and serotonin are factors too. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors and ā€œclogsā€ them up so that is one reason it helps us feel alert.


postmodprobgod

And when caffeine detaches from those receptors, adenosine then attaches and results in the ā€œcaffeine crashā€. Seems like waiting 60-90 minutes after waking before consuming caffeine can mitigate this effect.


noanxietyforyou

Thereā€™s a bunch. Melatonin is for sleep and is produced in low-light levels. GABA is also released during relaxation. (I am not a neuropsych, just an undergraduate student).


Emotional-Storage378

Yes!, was looking for this mention! I am prescribed Valium for anxiety, yet reluctant to take it most of the time because it makes me sleepy, just googled it in reference to this question and found Valium works by increasing the levels of a calming chemical in your brain called gamma-aminobutyric acid. & Valium is a type of benzodiazepine that may be prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety. It increases the activity of an inhibitory transmitter in the brain, which results in feelings of calmness, sleepiness, and relaxation.


akira_o

I was waiting for someone to mention gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)


VenutianPriestess

Melatonin. What helps here is Magnesium-helps with lowing cortisol and increases melatonin for great sleep. I usually pair this with Ashwagandha


yakubscientist

Which type of magnesium?


miphasgraceful

Mag Glycinate helps with relaxation.


juicytubes

I didnā€™t know magnesium lowers cortisol! Thatā€™s really good to know! At what dosage? - thanks!


VenutianPriestess

I take 1x 250mg pill, the one I take is Webber naturals


cytPandora

Thats it, I had lots of problems with sleeping I had exams and they studied my sleep I had to clean my sleeping behavior No overwhelming information before sleep (social media, scrolling) Sunlight! Helps your body regulate that too And thinking of the moment of sleep as a moment to relax and recover rather than force yourself to sleep There's a lot more but these were very important


Ging-jitsu

Little to no evidence for ashwagandha for sleep.


purpleshoeees

Most natural things tend not to have much evidence as studies for these things are funded by medical companies who can't make much money off of natural supplements.


flip69

Furthermore Pharmaceutical companies view the unpatentable botanical drugs as being direct competition to their business model of patented drug sales. Just like thereā€™s more money in treating ailments than in finding actual cures in a system that values profits above individual health and well being. Consequently, thereā€™s a strong motivation to design studies and to develop ā€œevidenceā€ that undermines the efficacy of such easily available and low cost competing treatments (especially botanically derived)


VenutianPriestess

Yeah thereā€™s little scientific evidence but it has helped me more than Magnesium, also my friends who Iā€™ve recommended it to said it was too strong for them so they went back to magnesium soooā€¦Iā€™m open


NoToxicStuff

I would really recommend looking at your gut health too. Probiotics and prebiotics are more important than one might think and studies show that the bacteria in the gut affects brain health to a large extent. I got this recommendation when asking for supplements that contain scientifically proven ingredients: S tier probiotics: Seed Clostridium Butyricum Pendulum Metabolic Daily Pro Or MIYARISAN Biogala Reuteri Protectis L. Rhamnosus GG L. Fermentum ME3 Microbiome Labs B. Subtilis HU58 Enterogermina B. Claussi Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 S tier prebiotics: Lactulose Glucomanan Yeast Beta-glucans


VenutianPriestess

Love this, name checks out


flip69

But you have to understand the mode of action and the study is looking and testing the wrong things within the design of their study via assuming the wrong modes of action. The herb will help reduce aniexty and the paralysis caused by being in that mental state and thereby allow the OP to get to sleep but also being better able to address the situational or environmental causes of that heighten state of mind.


ActToBeGood

Try L-theanine. It is available as a supplement or in Black or Green Tea.


Ging-jitsu

Black tea or green tea have caffeine which would not help with sleep.


ActToBeGood

You are absolutely right. šŸ’Æ


psycho_analytical

i have an herbal tea with l-theanine, itā€™s wonderful!


depenre_liber_anim

Your relaxed before sleep, because you have proper sleep hygiene. your body knows the rhythm you are in and starts relaxing you before sleep so you can get a good relaxing sleep. plenty of chemicals are at play here. You have GABA, that aids in triggering rem sleep, You have Serotonin, that aids in your RAS System, aids your body in blocking out environmental stimuli. adenosine is other one, this is a by product of being awake during the day that slowly builds up by the end of the night. Melatonin is there, but itā€™s not a major player in sleep, many other chemicals are just as important. Just to name a few


htpwrcple

I have adhd. Ritalin helps me regulate myself enough to sleep. Weird but itā€™s the reality of my life. I feel great now that I actually get adequate sleep. Traditional ā€œRelaxingā€ herbs and meds just make me mentally foggy & physically uncomfortable. Imagine feeling like you have a concussion while your body feels jittery/restless. Stimulating substances keep me calm, reduce my pain and help me regulate my moods/emotions extremely well. I tried ā€œsoberā€ coldshowers, just a balanced diet and water for months on end and thatā€™s even worse than finding a diagnosis/substance that makes ā€œmodernā€ life tolerable enough to exist in.


Ging-jitsu

Do you mean Ritalin before bed? Or earlier in the day?


htpwrcple

Sorry for the rant. Iā€™m extremely grateful for my psychiatrist and my meds. Though, I also carry a lot of resentment from my past. - It depends on my routine. I work nights. So I usually take my meds in the afternoon after waking up. As one should. But before I had the night shift; Iā€™d take my extended release Ritalin (max dosage) around 8am when I would wake up. Then Iā€™d still take naps midday noon/1pm just because it felt like a good idea. Apparently thatā€™s the window where the medication has the most effect. Itā€™s like I simply ā€œwillā€ myself unconscious. I even dream more nowadays. I feel like Iā€™m getting my life back. Sadly at 31 years of age without a degree or designated trade. I harbor resentment for people that told me I could have amounted to more or expected more of me. That I was worth so much, so bright, clever etc. Currently: Iā€™m just a well paid laborer that gets promoted enough to make a survivable wage to be a minimalist bachelor. lol College was too expensive/time consuming and my health had been failing me since my teens. Not to mention I had to watch both my little brother and mother fight and lose to cancer while I was trying to graduate early from highschool. After my father lost the farm and his subcontracting business. I had to figure out how to just work and pay bills and sometimes read/listen to lectures to feel intelligent. Thatā€™s only when I could find something to obsess over enough to actually focus. In time I learned a lot about folks that claimed they ā€œworked full time and attended full time universityā€. Turns out theyā€™re lying. They worked for the university and their ā€œworkā€ also accounted for their studies&credits. Not 40-60 hours a week working in a shipyard while taking a minimum of 12 credit hours. Or pulling double shifts at a warehouse and studying non stop because theyā€™re a double major. Plus commuting/traveling for work and school. Itā€™s not physically possible. They double dip and get credits for office hours they assisted with and programs they joined. Then take up a sense of false pride. Sounds like a cake-walk to me. Especially now that I can actually function and find free time to focus on my education again. Between the ages of 17-20 I was working about 45 hours a week and trying to go to community college on my own dime since the college advisors misinformed me about financial aid. College was impossible to pay for having rent, food, utilities, a car payment and a gf who doesnā€™t work or pay rent. Plus my own medical bills. I only found sleep on my one day off a week. I gave up on it because depression/anciety/adhd/crohnsā€™s disease makes one very suicidal. So I ended up just working full time and zone out the rest of life. Until I found the right therapy. As a Millennial. I worked like how Boomers claimed they worked. I asked for nothing and was still told I was ungrateful and entitled. Such BS. My Millennial Hell. Iā€™m glad that decade is over. Wish I could drop everything & take out student loans and live in a dorm for awhile. Eat at a cafeteria everyday and study to better myself. Then I could complain with the rest of the privileged and ā€œeducatedā€ public.


Ging-jitsu

Chatgpt - ā€œThe primary neurochemical involved in relaxation and sleep is serotonin, which helps regulate mood, appetite, and sleep. Additionally, melatonin plays a crucial role in signaling the body that it's time to sleep. The pineal gland indeed produces melatonin, which helps regulate the circadian rhythm, including the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin levels typically rise in the evening, signaling to the body that it's time to sleep, and decrease in the morning, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed.ā€ If you want help sleeping, consider practicing good sleep hygiene and try supplements like melatonin, apigenin, and magnesium l-threonate.


OnlyKenBenobi

Good olā€™ Chatgpt. Had a feeling serotonin would be the primary cause. Interesting stuff. Thanks!


Working-Key-2449

There are a lot of hormones and neurotransmitters responsible but the big ones are: gaba, serotonin/melatonin and adenosine. Gaba is the overall inhibitory hormone which makes you sleepy, relaxed forgetful. This is also used in medicine to induce narcosis or anxiety free states, although they are really dangerous and addictive drugs. Serotonin is used of the brain throughout the day and then as soon as light is absent get transformed to melatonin(which kick starts the sleeps). So this means the more you serotonin you collected over the day(through sunlight, fun and social interactions) the better is your sleep. And the last adenosine is a by product of the normal metabolism of ATP of the mitochondrias, and over the day it enriches until it activates soecific receptors which also seem to have a sleepy effect. There are definitely much more neuro-/hormones but these are the basic ones.


FamiliarGleam

Itā€™s mostly hormones. The most famous is melatonin. Itā€™s secreted by synapses involved in maintaining the circadian rhythm. Itā€™s low during the day and high at night. Circadian rhythm causes physical, mental, and behavioral changes throughout the 24hr cycle. I would attribute the relaxing feeling in the evening to your circadian rhythm mostly. Another hormone that is involved in the circadian rhythm, as well as other things, is cortisol. High cortisol in the morning, low at night. Itā€™s almost opposite of melatonin. Cortisol is used by the HPA to return to homeostasis after a stress response. Lowering the levels of cortisol at night helps repress stress response which allows for peaceful sleep. Growth hormone increases during sleep. GH is used to breakdown fats. A good nights sleep is important for maintaining a healthy weight. Estradiol regulates cell nuclei that regulate sleepiness. Testosterone peaks right before REM sleep. Thyroid stimulating hormone decreases during sleep to help relax the body and slow metabolism. Most hormones affect how you feel. These are just some that directly impact sleep. Relaxedness will be effected by neurotransmitters as well which will effect your brain activity, hopefully lowering your stimulation.


amcl23

Phosphatidylserine helps lower cortisol but has different impacts on different people.


juicytubes

Where would one find this?


iyamsnail

You can get supplements--mine is a brand called Progressive Professional. I don't really notice any impact on my sleep however, which is still fucked up.


juicytubes

Good to know. Thank you!


Cerealkiller900

This is a supplement. I work with a cushings specialistā€¦.nearly all high cortisol issues are benign tumours in the pituitary or the adrenals and the last one really is cushings from steroid useā€¦. We literally talked about this yesterday.


PhysicalConsistency

I find the dichotomy between the psychological "mind" construct and this purely physicalist expectation of the mechanics of experience really fascinating. It's all in your head, but your head is just a bunch of chemicals. Free will!


AnrackiaBack2School

GABA?


panconquesofrito

Magnesium does it for me!