Why Do I Feel Worse In The Morning?

February 16, 2012 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Why do I wake up every morning feeling worse than when I went to bed?

Most of us awaken feeling somewhat stiff and foggy-headed, but these feelings are relatively mild and short-lived. In PWCs, however, the stiffness is debilitating and the mental fogginess is pervasive and long lasting. Unlike their healthier counterparts, these symptoms typically last one to two hours, but may persist well into the day. Taking a warm shower, getting up and moving around, and a caffeinated beverage may help to disperse this phenomenon, which is called “morning dysania.” Most PWCs note a similar phenomenon after sitting still or lying down more than about 30 minutes.

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abnormal sleep, CFS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2 comments on “Why Do I Feel Worse In The Morning?”

Tammy says:

February 21, 2012 at 2:42 pm

I’m sorry, but I fail to see where this critical question was answered..@ all.
- Charles W. Lapp, MD says:
  
  March 3, 2012 at 12:47 pm
  
  Brenda, no one absolutely understands morning dysania, but it is thought to be due to a lack of deep (restorative) sleep. That is, your body does not relax and restore the way it should. On the other hand, I recently read an article that reports blocking cytokine IL-6 reduces dysania, so it is possible that the morning stiffness and soreness is caused by elevated cytokines.

Dr. Hillman was born and reared in Utica, New York. He attended college at Clarkson University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and then spent two years toward a master’s degree in biochemistry/oncology at the University of Buffalo’s Roswell Park Division, where he did research in leukemia. Dr. Hillman attended St. George’s University School of Medicine, and completed his clinical years at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, graduating in 1996. During the Summer of 1994 he also did research at the University of Buffalo Dental School using PCR technology on RNA subtyping of gram negative oral bacteria. Following medical school, Hillman went on to a Family Practice Residency at North Shore / Long Island Jewish Hospital in Bay Shore, NY.

After his residency, Dr. Hillman worked for the US Army at the West Point Military Academy (Keller Army Hospital family practice unit), worked in the Emergency Room and hospital admitting areas, and ran a private practice as well. From 2005-2006 he also worked at the Winn Army Hospital at Fort Stewart, GA, before setting up a private Family Practice in Huntersville, NC in 2007. In addition to his private practice Dr. Hillman also has an interest in helping clients with disabilities. He has worked for ProMed Urgent Care in Occupational Medicine and performed over 13,000 examinations for Social Security Disability.

Dr. Hillman has a family member with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so he has a long standing interest and empathy with the disorder! He is married and has two sons and a daughter. The family lives in Huntersville.

Hunter-Hopkins Center, PLLC

Why Do I Feel Worse In The Morning?

Why do I wake up every morning feeling worse than when I went to bed?

2 comments on “Why Do I Feel Worse In The Morning?”

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