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Why do I wake up feeling sad sometimes?

167 Answers
Last Updated: 08/28/2022 at 1:02am
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Tracy-Kate Teleke, PsyD, M.A., LMFT

Marriage & Family Therapist

I assist adults and couples in CA experiencing relationship challenges and interpersonal struggles including anxiety, depression, and a myriad of other life challenges.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
May 10th, 2021 12:01am
You may wake up feeling sad sometimes because something may have happened the previous day, that made you sad, or possibly because you had a sad dream, or you thought of something that made you sad, for example, if your dog died yesterday, then you may wake up feeling sad because you miss him/her. Or your dog may have died a few years ago, and something that you dreamed/thought about made you remember him/her, and it made you sad. Another reason you may wake up feeling sad, is if the previous day/past few days, you may have said or done something you shouldn't have, and now you regret it. I hope this helps. Remember, the community on 7cups is here for you.
caringBerry61
May 28th, 2021 5:16pm
Usually, people wonder the wrong questions because they come from the ego which likes to complain about everything to make us feel bad, sad, depressed, unhappy. It's from this mental condition generated by the ego that we start telling ourselves stories, always sad and self-depleting, which aim is to push ourselves to identify with those stories and fill our mind with negative thoughts. Whenever we experience negative feelings they arose from the ego to become our master. That's why we must try to achieve the opposite goal, that's becoming the master of our ego and control it, instead of being controlled. Whenever you wake up with sad feelings tell yourself immediately sadness arose from a thought that can be turned from negative to a positive one, expressed through positive words and affirmations that will change your mood and let sadness fade away.
specialIris3369
June 9th, 2021 8:02am
I'm sorry that you're feeling this way. It's totally understandable and your feelings are valid. Perhaps it could help if you reflect on your life to find out what is bothering you the most and making you dread the day ahead when you wake up. What do you think could help you right now? Feeling sad is totally okay. There's nothing to be ashamed of or need to hide it. When you truly address the reason behind the emotion and let it pass, it might really take a load off and let you be relieved. Also please remember that this is not permanent, it too shall pass.
calmMoon2479
July 1st, 2021 9:32pm
It's good that you are paying attention to your emotions and it seems the sense of sadness you have in the morning is consistent enough to concern you. There could be any a number a reason for this, so without knowing your situation I can only make some guesses and bring some basic ideas to the table. First I'm wondering what your mood is like the rest of the day/ week? If you're only noticing sadness in the morning I imagine the rest of the day or the recent past has not been coloured by this sadness. Has there been any major events. life changes or areas of grief you've experienced lately? Perhaps you could keep a journal where you make notes about your mood on a scale of 1-10 every day, maybe once after waking up and once just before bed. Doing this for a week might give you some idea of how intense your feelings are and if perhaps guide you better on what might help. Next I'm wondering what your daily routine looks like, do you have the opportunity to do something you care about even a little bit. If not perhaps as a job, are there things you do or would like to do that you don't notice time pass as you do it, and makes you feel more light and expansive when you finish doing it? Perhaps it would be interesting to fold a piece of paper in half, list on one side what you generally do each day, find some of the things you do not want to do to cross off. Then on the other perhaps write what you would like to do instead. Then maybe you can choose the least challenging one to start working on today. Perhaps this is just cliche self improvement stuff and not relevant to your situation, but perhaps giving these things or things like it may help even a little bit. Waking up sad is not something to be feared nor ignored, instead I think your attitude to explore the emotion is the right path, because it may lead you to areas of your life that could use some attention. Another suggestion on top of the mood one, would be perhaps to keep a journal or journal app near you right when you wake up and try writing down everything on your mind as fully as you can, dreams, emotions, thoughts, etc., then perhaps with time, you can notice how your emotions change as time and your attention changes. Also I'd consider what your social relationships look like, do you have friends that you feel comfortable and supported by (not people who just look or sound pleasant, but true friends who share some core values as you and will stay by your side to listen and support you even through dark times) and are you in regular contact with them? In any case, I won't say cheer up because trying to do that would probably intensify the sadness, but I do wish you good luck on your path of exploration. Take good care
Anonymous
July 18th, 2021 6:51pm
Sometimes I wake up feeling sad because of a dream, stress, or something bothering me. Other times because I didn't have a productive day. Other times because I fought with someone I cared about. But I learned how to manage it. Although I would wake up sad, I will try to keep myself busy. I'll do something fun to distract myself. I try to keep a positive mindset. I noticed watching a comedy show helps. Going to the gym helps me relax as well. I noticed my mood improves the more I exercise.
madhunga8
September 8th, 2021 5:21am
Life happens. Sometimes we wake up feeling different kinds of moods each time. Our mindset the previous night, our experiences prior to sleep may play a part. But it is okay to wake up feeling different emotions. Processing of information during sleep could give rise to certain physical changes like palpitations, churning of our stomach, an urge to run to the bathroom etc. It also creates certain changes in our emotions too. Sometimes we wake up feeling excited. Sometimes scared. Sometimes sad. The important thing here is we are aware of exactly how we are feeling. It is great you are aware of your emotions. It is a great step to understanding your emotions!
frisosayforth
October 9th, 2021 1:30pm
Maybe you can find out when just in the moment of the sadness trying to think why you feel the way you feel, or noting down how you actually feel in the moment. Does the feeling of sadness go away and under what circumstances? is it weather related. If you;ve already done that and you really have no idea why you are sad, then do you know what happens when you feel less sad? (i presume that the questions implies that sometimes you don't wake up sad, and that the rest of the day is better... but those are just guesses. )
enigmaticButterfly8052
November 3rd, 2021 2:11am
You could be suffering from depression. Maybe something is going on in your life that makes you feel sad. We all get those moment were we just feel sad for no reason. Sometimes the scars and reasons lie far beneath the surface, so far that we aren't able to see them. Just know that we are able to conclude anything and that you are so sweet. No matter who tries to tear you down you will always be able to get back up. Have faith in what is going on because it will get better and soon you will be happy.
Anonymous
December 5th, 2021 9:36am
Because you are human. Another reason can be that some days are better than the other. There are days when we all wake up sad. Its part of being alive. Sometimes, it may be because you are going through certain things in life. It might be unresolved issues. But a lot is going on in our lives, we are going to experience times when we wake up sad. I also have days when I wake up very sad and even feel like crying. We need to understand that waking up like that doesn't mean we have to live out our whole day feeling sad.
Anonymous
December 15th, 2021 2:45am
There is no rhyme or reason as to why you wake up feeling sad but there are ways to help you through these hard times such as breathing exercises or just simply getting up and doing something you enjoy.
hopezzy
December 18th, 2021 12:11pm
I think it's maybe because of fatigue due to the things going on in your life.. Ask yourself when did you last take a break? Are you taking of yourself lately? How's your mood nowadays? Is there anything that's troubling you lately? Please ask a few more questions like this to yourself to find the reason why you are feeling this way. We often forget to take time out for ourselves in this busy school and work life. We miss the time with our friends family members or even with ourselves.. Reconnect with them all. Reconnect with your hobbies.. I hope this helps you! Please reach out to the listeners they may assist you with this. Thank you!
Anonymous
February 20th, 2022 9:33pm
It depends on how things are going in your life at the moment. sometimes you'll wake up feeling sad because something sad has happened, and you're still processing. That's okay. It's better to feel sad than other emotions, or even no emotions at all. It shows you're human. Sometimes you'll wake up feeling sad for no reason, and that's okay too. Bad days happen, it's hard, but staying true to your routine is important. The more you let yourself go on days like that, the harder it is to bring things back to normal. Feeling is part of being human. We have to learn to go about our daily lives without letting our emotions crush us. It takes time and practice, but it is possible.
Anonymous
March 5th, 2022 12:57am
Sometimes you wake up feeling sad may be because of many different things. It may be because something negative happened to you the day before, because of a bad dream, or because you woke up and your brain was in the process of thinking of something negative that happened to you a long time ago. Moreover, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression are reasons to why you might feel this way. There is also somethings called "morning depression", which is feeling sad and low only when you wake up and maybe the first hour, which later on becomes better.
Anonymous
March 9th, 2022 5:46pm
We all have good days and bad days. It’s like some days we wake up hungrier than others. Sometimes our minds are running quicker than we would like! It’s often out of our control. When we wake up with these feelings, we have to remind ourselves it’s a brand new day full of opportunity. Make a list of some things you want to accomplish (small and big) By keeping busy, your mind will naturally refocus and you will feel like a different person proud of your accomplishments for that day despite the rough start. Remember we all have good and bad days, it’s only human!
Anonymous
March 26th, 2022 11:04am
Most often we wake up feeling sad or depressed because we went to be mad at someone or something.so it is best to clear your head an your mind of all negative emotions or thoughts before going to bed then you'd wake up feeling happy or excited the nest morning.you also need to go to bed clear of all negative thoughts to avoid sleep talking which leaves you exhausted or feeling tired in the morning.this also causes siliva to stain your sheets and leaves a dry saliva stain on your cheeks.sometimes it could be due to a nightmare or dreams and sometimes it could be a movie you have seen that is making you scared at night and youd fall asleep with fear and wake up feeling sad, exhausted and traumatized.
Anonymous
April 13th, 2022 10:17am
It's completely natural for that to happen at times. You might have a lot of things on your mind that you're trying to process, and those ideas don't always go away overnight. It might help to think about what is possibly making you feel sad so you can address the root cause. For example, people may be unhappy with their jobs, dealing with family stress, or working through self-esteem issues. When you're able to think about what the root cause is for you, then you can begin to identify strategies to work through that issue. Some people find journaling helpful first thing in the morning to help their their minds. That is always a possibility, too, if you think that might help!
purpleTree4652
August 28th, 2022 1:02am
I'm not a doctor, but you might have a cortisol deficiency. About 15 years ago I started taking a multi-vitamin that included ginseng in it. It made me feel incredibly good. I even wrote the company and told them. It turned out that their scientists were hot to learn about me and how their product made me feel so good. The company stopped making the product so I started taking ginseng in the morning with a multi vitamin. It worked the same to make me feel good. Well, for several years now I have felt deeply depressed when I wake up. But I take ginseng and a multi vitamin in the morning, and pretty soon the deep depression goes away. I recently made a mistake a bought the wrong supplement instead of ginseng. I took it for a couple months and was so depressed daily I felt like ending it all. One day I realized the supplement I bought was spelled similar to ginseng. But I had been taking the wrong thing. I ran to the store and bought ginseng and started feeling better within one day. I did research and found that ginseng stimulates the body to produce cortisol. Cortisol is essential as your body’s main stress hormone. It works with certain parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation, and fear. I realized that I could be suffering from a cortisol deficiency. You might want to be tested for it or try taking ginseng in the morning with a multi vitamin. I hope it helps you. I think it should be publicized how helpful ginseng and a multi vitamin can be in bettering moods. Good luck.