Bad Moods Every Morning

Why do I wake up angry and seemingly depressed, or with an attitude -- not really wanting to be bothered by anyone?  Sometimes it takes me hours to come back to reality and put a smile on my face.


Research done in Great Britain indicates that six out of ten people surveyed admit to waking up in a bad mood quite often.  The write up in the Daily Mail indicates that people mainly blamed a bad night's sleep and expecting heavy workloads in the office for their poor sleep.  People in the study reported that what helped them most to let go of grumpiness  included a shower (hot or cold), one or more cups of coffee or tea, and going to work.  Seeing sunshine also helped many people feel happier.

If you are concerned and want to change this pattern, I'd recommend the following personal research steps and simple behavior changes to help you discover the most likely trigger for your bad moods, and possible fixes.  Look at your life, see what might fit for you, and experiment gently with changes.

• How long has this been happening?  Have you been grumpy in the morning all your life?  Or did this pattern recently develop because of some stress, illness, or lifestyle changes?  
• Check to see if you are getting adequate sleep -- seven to eight hours for most of us.  Good sleep hygiene includes keeping your room cool and dark, eliminating pets and other distractions from the bedroom, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, giving yourself some quiet "winding down" time to reduce stress before bed, perhaps limiting liquids for a few hours before bedtime, eating early enough that you don't go to bed with indigestion, and turning on a fan or a peaceful CD for some "white noise" to eliminate distracting household or street sounds.  
• Are you taking any prescription medications, or using nicotine or caffeine products late in the day?  Are you using non-prescription or recreational drugs or alcohol that could interfere with restful sleep?
  If you answer yes to any of these, you might experiment with changing your routine and habits, or talk to your doctor about trying another medication that would not keep you awake.  
• Do you have any illness that keeps you from getting sound sleep?  This could be a number of things from back pain or headaches to asthma or heart disease or even diabetes.  Anxiety or depression could also interfere with sleep and mood.  If any physical or emotional ailments might be the problem, your doctor may be able to suggest treatments that will handle your illness better and allow you to sleep more normally.
• What is your mood when you go to bed at night?  If you are stressed, you may be working on your life challenges all night in the dream state (even if you don't recall a thing) and I believe this can contribute to a bad mood in the morning.  The positive steps below might help.  
• Use the power of your mind to create new behavioral and emotional patterns and manage stress or other issues that impact your sleep and wake cycles.  Positive self-talk (affirmations) or giving yourself pep talks can help a lot.  You could also write five or ten statements of gratitude each evening at bedtime.  Remember that when you make positive affirmations, you don't need to believe them.  You just need to say them, several times, and begin to create new neuron connections in the brain.  In a little time, you'll quite likely start to have some experiences to match the statements, and it won't feel fake anymore. Examples of affirmative self-statements you might use:
• I love myself when I'm grumpy in the morning. 
• I forgive myself for judging myself as being too grumpy and out of sorts. 
• I'm giving myself time to adjust to being awake and happy.  
• I love mornings and new beginnings -- more and more each day.
• This bad mood in the morning -- I am willing to see this differently.  
• I am sleeping soundly and waking up refreshed and happy.
• Work with intentions such as those suggested by Patricia Garfield in her book, Creative Dreaming.  Tell yourself nightly one or all of the following statements, and make a point to record your dreams or even tiny fragments of dreams each morning.  Figure out what is the message from your unconscious to your conscious self.  
• I confront and conquer danger in my dreams.
• I ask for and receive help in my dreams.
• I bring back gifts from my dreams.
• Have a cup of coffee or tea and then do some mild exercise, like a walk, or dancing around the house for a few minutes.  Get your body moving to feel better.  
• Let me know of your progress, or any additional questions on this subject.  Good luck!