What is morning anxiety that supermodel Bella Hadid suffers from?

What is morning anxiety?

Though it is not described as such, it can be attributed to a situation where you wake up with a start, worried if you can meet the targets of the day or complete intended tasks. “Stressful life events, health concerns, performance pressures, competition and insecurities can make you dread waking up on a day and worry about the challenges that life may throw your way. Although it is common to wake up feeling anxious occasionally, if a person does so frequently, they may have generalised anxiety disorder,” says Dr Shailesh Jha (ex-AIIMS), consultant psychiatrist, Indraprastha Apollo Saarthak Mental Health Services, New Delhi.

Clinically, this can be classified as a Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a condition that causes uncontrollable and excessive worrying that affects a person’s everyday life. “Medically, the stress levels are higher because higher levels of cortisol are released in the body. Stress is the body’s natural response to triggers. That’s when the body releases cortisol or what we call a stress hormone. When cortisol unsettles a person, it is medically called the cortisol awakening response (CAR). It tends to rise shortly before we wake up and is highest in the 30–45-minute window after waking. An increase in cortisol levels can worsen symptoms of anxiety, such as heightened blood flow and adrenaline levels. The mismatch happens because the body is still in a state of inertia,” says Dr Jha.

Many expert studies have also found a direct link between caffeine, sugar and anxiety, where an increase in these substances often contributes to higher anxiety. Likewise, low blood sugar can also worsen anxiety. A balanced lifestyle with healthy meals and hydration is necessary.

What could be the triggers?

For those famous like Hadid, it could be because of concerns about image projection or meeting performance standards. For some, it could be about insecurity and lack of self-confidence about a new job, or change in one’s station in life and financial crisis. For others, it could be about a sense of loss, be it because of the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship. Then there are external triggers like substance abuse or a chronic illness. “But you could say that we see a huge number of cases of morning anxiety in the working age group. It manifests mostly in professionals close to 30, by which time a person is fairly settled in his/her job, and then in people in decision-making and goal-achieving ages between 40 and 50,” explains Dr Jha.

What are the symptoms?

According to Dr Jha, there is a sense of general disgust and lassitude. “This is accompanied by mild headaches, listlessness, feeling overwhelmed, racing thoughts, rapid heartbeats and even crying bouts. There are sleeping difficulties or insomnia, which has to do about the fear of waking up to a new day of challenges. This puts added pressure and the whole vicious cycle continues.” But how do you know you need to consult a mental health expert. “When you have great difficulty calming yourself down, avoid certain activities that need to be done and become dysfunctional, you should seek therapy,” he advises.

What about therapy?

Counselling is the usual route. “Mostly, it is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which is a dialogue-based therapy where the mental health expert will help you change the way you think and behave besides helping you develop a new perspective. This will need result-oriented sessions where the person can gradually reclaim his life,” says Dr Jha.

This is not the first time Hadid has talked about her mental health issues. In 2021, she posted a series of photos of herself crying on her social media handles to share how she was feeling during depressive episodes and normalise conversations of going through troughs even while being successful. “I would just be in excruciating and debilitating mental and physical pain, and I didn’t know why. That was over the past three years,” she had said.