Many people feel exhausted before the day has even started. However, according to medical experts, it’s often the morning itself that is silently working against you. The first 60-90 minutes after waking are the most hormonally sensitive period of the whole day.
This is when your body determines how focused, alert and resilient you will be for the next 12 hours. Mike Kocsis, hormone health expert at Balance My Hormones, has shared five common morning routines that may be quietly pushing stress hormones too high before 9 am, leaving you feeling irritable, distracted and drained before midday. Hitting the snooze button repeatedly may feel harmless, but Kocsis says it creates hormonal chaos. Each time your alarm goes off, the brain slightly wakes, releases adrenaline and cortisol, then is pushed back into sleep again. Over time, this stop-start cycle breaks down the body’s natural cortisol (the stress hormone) awakening response. That leaves you feeling sluggish, irritable and groggy, even if you have had a good night’s sleep before and actually have slept long enough. Many people notice they feel exhausted even with ‘extra sleep’, experience brain fog and irritability that can last all morning.
Kocsis pointed out that reaching for your phone as soon as you wake up may feel like second nature, but notifications, emails and news headlines are all signalling urgency. Your brain processes this as a stress cue, triggering a sharp cortisol spike.
Leaving you feeling wired early in the morning, followed by a crash in motivation, focus and mood later in the afternoon. Some can notice tension in the jaw or chest, a reduced sense of connection by lunchtime and racing thoughts.
Not having breakfast can place the body under unnecessary stress, especially if sleep has already been interrupted. When the body doesn’t receive energy in the morning, it instead raises cortisol levels to keep blood sugar balanced.
This may feel like you’re functioning on adrenaline, you’re technically awake but not calm or stable. Over time, this pattern can cause anxiety, irritability, cravings and a sharp dip in energy mid-morning.
A steaming hot shower may feel comforting, however, it silently interferes with your morning hormone balance. Very hot water causes blood vessels to constrict rapidly, which can drop blood pressure and set off cortisol release.
Instead of waking you up, intense hot showers can leave people feeling light-headed or drained, the stress response can carry into the morning. This can be particularly impactful for people who already experience low blood pressure, fatigue or hormone sensitivity.
Many people wake up in total silence, no conversation, no music, no background noise, and don’t actually realise this can keep the brain in a half-asleep hormonal state. The auditory system helps trigger wakefulness to the brain. With stimulation, dopamine and cortisol can rise more slowly, delaying metal wakefulness.
Light sound such as music, a podcast or even regular household noise can help prompt healthier hormone signalling. As a result, you can feel flat or detached in the morning, thinking can be slower and you may take longer to be mentally present.
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