Why are nights better ?

I know this has been talked and discussed many times. But I can't seem to get a logical explanation to this. The nights are now for me what the day should be. I am good and balanced and feel at peace . Like my brain is finally balanced.

Since  I am still tapering  I guess it might have to do with the concentration of drug in my system during the evening ? or is just the fact that things get better up there?

I am in a much smaller dose now than I had ever been , so what is it that this can not be the case during the day . Is it the cortisol levels ? the biorhythms ? the anxiety levels declining since you are at home ? It is almost like Dr Jekyl and Mr Hide , 2 totally different personalities in a matter of hours ,

I guess I would like some opinions.

Tino

Cortisol levels. Morning kicks my butt really really hard lately.

 

I am remembering when I was sicker, I didn't even want to go to sleep because waking up was just awful.

 

No matter what I am doing, working or not working, by 1-2 pm I am better and by 5pm I'm Squeegy Supercharged.

 

It sure does suck. I know it will get better for you Tino.

 

Love you!

I feel the same way...always better in the evenings.  I did some research and found out that cortisol levels are highest in the mornings and lowest in the evenings.  I think for me personally, this is why I feel better in the evenings and terrible in the mornings.

Can the Cortisol levels by reduced somehow , is there anything to remove the excess Cortisol out of the system, how can it be down regulated . Diet , exercise and no stress right ?

But the only way to do that is to cut loose from modern life and go live in the mountains by a lake in a small cabin  ( what a nice dream )

Considering that our systems have become hypersensitive and unbalanced , is time and patience the only way  to  re establish the chemical ,hormonal harmony that has occurred during this time ?

Tino

hey tino,

 

i doubt it is the meds.  i have the same issue with anxiety in the mornings and i'm benzo free.  i agree with the other posters, i bet it's cortisol. 

 

but i wouldn't mind leaving modern society and going to live in a cabin in the mountains, either. 

 

leslie

Can the Cortisol levels by reduced somehow , is there anything to remove the excess Cortisol out of the system, how can it be down regulated . Diet , exercise and no stress right ?

But the only way to do that is to cut loose from modern life and go live in the mountains by a lake in a small cabin  ( what a nice dream )

Considering that our systems have become hypersensitive and unbalanced , is time and patience the only way  to  re establish the chemical ,hormonal harmony that has occurred during this time ?

Tino

 

Vitamin C, exercise, eating right, avoiding stress, and basically anything good for you will reduce the levels of cortisol in the body! I have raised my vitamin C levels dramatically over the last week, and feel very good now..coincidence? Who knows. At least my immune system is enhanced.

My Nights are better for some reason as well.

The mornings for me are horrible, Anxiety, things look amplified, just feel bad bad bad.

By Night I start feeling better.

I once ate Oranges before bed, this made the mornings better for some reason.

Maybe I need to start eating them again.

 

Keryn.

Oranges also lower cortisol...I'm pretty sure it's the vitamin C. I've researched this..and your not the only one that has noticed feeling better after eating them. Too bad I'm allergic to them

I would have to say that evenings are the worst for me cause during the day i can occupy my mind with things of the day but winding down the shroud of sickness surrounds me with sick skin !! This is gonna be a soon memory for all of us and the best thing is we will be able to comfort someone else going through this ordeal from first hand experience !! The struggles make us stronger and the changes make us wise  and Happiness has its own way of taking its sweet time !

Hello tino, I have always felt better at night. Then again for most of my life, before this I work 2nd shift, came home and stayed up at night. I have always hated morinings. A day job was part of the problem that got me here. Anyways , in withdrawal, I just figure it was because everything is less stressfull at night. No phone calls or unexpected guests, kids are in bed. I never really thought about it being any kind of level in the body. Its nice to know that it might have something to do with the cortisol level. I am trying to live and love the nights as much as I can through this anyways. Its funny cause when its time for bed is when I feel the best and really don't want to sleep most the time. (3 to 5 am).... I find relaxing and laying in my mornings, like 11am to 2pm helps for a better day..... That is sad, I used to love to just get up and start doing things. Well maybe someday..

 

Good thing to point out tino...  Chad

Hey Tino,

 

You've replied to several of my "gawd-awful mornings" posts, so suffice it to say, that I'm right here with you on this. But I really like the way you've framed up this post: Why are the nights better?  instead of why are the mornings so bad.  Boy did that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing resonate with me, at night, it's like "Well, I've got it. Back to my old self. I'll just carry that over tomorrow morning and everything will be just fine."  Until the morning actually does arrive, that is -- just as if some foreign entity or body snatchers stole it all away from me by morning.

 

Anyway, I really agree with the Cortisol conclusion of several of the posts. Adrenaline and cortisol, as we all know, are some really powerful chemicals and when our bodies are producing them not only to coincide with our daily rhythms but also somewhat out of control in response to the constant stress of, say withdrawal,  I don't have to tell you, it gets outta control in a hurry and the results are anything but pleasant.

 

But the way you framed this up inspired me to start looking at ways to reduce Cortisol and it turns out there seems to be some good, almost common-sense advice out there. Here's 2 links I've found as a starting point. I intend to try some of the supplements suggested and some of the techniques suggested and see if they help.

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?8-Essential-Ways-To-Lower-Cortisol-And-Feel-Great!&id=142635

 

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/757599.html

 

Top of the morning to you my friend,      

 

Albie

 

 

Oranges also lower cortisol...I'm pretty sure it's the vitamin C. I've researched this..and your not the only one that has noticed feeling better after eating them. Too bad I'm allergic to them

 

Cupcake,

 

I don't think I'm allergic to them, but my nights are the only moments at this stage I feel better, and afraid if I start eating them again, It may fire up my w/d at nights. 

I think that my sensitive CNS may not muster them like it once did. I should have kept eating them.

I'm sorry you're allergic to them. I can't drink milk, I could before the withdrawal. I don't know if I'm allergic to it now or it's actually how my CNS reacts to it. Hard to explain.

So instead of drinking milk, I eat cheese, ice cream is out of the question, tried that and it made my cog fog worse.

 

Keryn.

 

I have noticed when I eat concentrated sugars, even some juices, that I feel foggier for a while. Foods with MSG also make my fog worse, so I haven't eaten anything like that in months. It's better for anyone to steer clear of MSG!

http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/vitcminstres.html

 

Vitamin C Minimizes Response to Psychological Stress

 

By Hannah Cleaver

 

BERLIN (Reuters Health) Jul 22 - Vitamin C supplements may provide beneficial effects for people under stress, according to the results of a new study. The findings indicate that individuals with high blood levels of ascorbic acid exhibit fewer physical and mental signs of stress when subjected to acute psychological stressors than do subjects with lower levels of vitamin C.

 

The study, published in a recent issue of Psychopharmacology, showed that objective and subjective stress indicators were consistently lower in people with high levels of vitamin C. Recovery from a stressful situation was also faster.

 

Dr. Stuart Brody led a team based at the University of Trier in Germany, which studied 120 patients, half of whom received 1000 mg of vitamin C in three sustained-release pills (Cetebe; GlaxoSmithBeecham, which also funded the study). Controls received placebo and were subjected to the same tests.

 

Dr. Brody told Reuters Health that "the subjects were asked every 10 minutes how they rated their stress levels on a scale of 1 to 10. This continued even after the induced stress, for 40 minutes afterwards." The researchers also measured "objective measurements of stress, such as systolic blood pressure and levels of cortisol, the stress hormone."

 

The Trier Social Stress Test, which includes mathematic tasks and public speaking, was used to induce stress, Dr. Brody explained.

 

The tests were conducted every day for 2 weeks. Those taking the vitamin C dealt with stress better. The average increase in blood pressure was 31 mm Hg among the placebo subjects compared with 23 mm Hg for those on vitamin C. The return to normal blood pressure and cortisol levels was also faster for the test patients than for the controls.

 

He added that people felt less stressed when they were saturated with vitamin C.

 

"This kind of high dose of vitamin C improves stress management," he said. "And I would say that it should be considered as part of an approach to dealing with stress."

 

Dr. Brody cautioned that "this is different vitamin C than you get from oranges, or even the general powder forms...I'm not sure you would get the same results from natural vitamin C."

 

Psychopharmacology 2002:159:319-324.

 

 

 

Thanks to Reuters Health.

Tino, I have no idea. I have been doing this for over year and nights have always been better for me! Dunno why? Mid-day is usually the worse for me and mornings. I have some speculation about why it is but at the end of the day that is all it is speculation. But you are not alone!

I use large amounts of vitamin C, using the powdered pure kind so I don't have to worry about possible problems with the fillers they use. I have noticed a dramatic improvement in my stress levels that have been effecting my one pesky symptom.

 

I haven't seen where anyone has complained of it revving up their symptoms, its pretty safe, and its extremely hard to get too much..if you do, you get diarrhea  ;

I have noticed when I eat concentrated sugars, even some juices, that I feel foggier for a while. Foods with MSG also make my fog worse, so I haven't eaten anything like that in months. It's better for anyone to steer clear of MSG!

 

Absolutely, a lot of Chinese food has MSG in it and I love Chinese food, but I can't eat it any longer, it gives me extreme cog fog, although some (rare) Chinese Restaurants don't use MSG, most do as I understand.

 

Keryn.

 

I haven't seen where anyone has complained of it revving up their symptoms, 

 

I may be the one person for whom vitamin C DID make me feel worse.  It revved me up and made my itch worse, and I tried many different kinds, including Sago Palm. Eating oranges did not have that affect.Then again, my system is overly sensitive from the benzos.

MSG and it's many sneaky names always, always makes sleep more difficult and morning time worse for me.

So glad I found this thread - I too was wondering why I feel better at night.  I believe it is Albie's post that sounds like I could have written it.

I feel like I am myself in the evening, feel like I have beaten it and am relaxed and hate to go to bed.  I know what's waiting for me when sleep

is done - which could be anywhere from 2 AM to 5 or 6 AM.  As soon as my eyes open up, my body starts shaking and my anxiety is in high gear.

It takes about two hours before I can even think of trying to eat something.  I just sit, wring my hands, cry and immediately get on Benzo Buddies to reassure myself that I am not crazy.  I too think that it must be the cortisol - I had a saliva test done and it showed my cortisol

level and if was, of course, high in the morning andf so that's what it has to be.  I am going to try the Vit C.  I am not totally off my K - stilll on

.125 and afraid to taper any further right now.  I am so glad this site and you folks are here.  I always gain comfort and information. 

To all of you  -  may your cortisol levels be low tomorrow morning so that you feel as good during the day as you do at night?

 

Hoping2Bfree,

 

You can try eating Oranges as well, before bed.

 

 

I hope the morning isn't rough for any of us either.

 

 

My Best,

 

Keryn.

So glad I found this thread - I too was wondering why I feel better at night.  I believe it is Albie's post that sounds like I could have written it.

I feel like I am myself in the evening, feel like I have beaten it and am relaxed and hate to go to bed.  I know what's waiting for me when sleep

is done - which could be anywhere from 2 AM to 5 or 6 AM.  As soon as my eyes open up, my body starts shaking and my anxiety is in high gear.

It takes about two hours before I can even think of trying to eat something.  I just sit, wring my hands, cry and immediately get on Benzo Buddies to reassure myself that I am not crazy.  I too think that it must be the cortisol - I had a saliva test done and it showed my cortisol

level and if was, of course, high in the morning andf so that's what it has to be.  I am going to try the Vit C.  I am not totally off my K - stilll on

.125 and afraid to taper any further right now.  I am so glad this site and you folks are here.  I always gain comfort and information. 

To all of you  -  may your cortisol levels be low tomorrow morning so that you feel as good during the day as you do at night?

 

 

dood.

 

I could have written that.

 

It sucks so bad!

 

I'm taking some Vit C tonight ... oh yeah

Squeegy,

 

After you try the Vitamin C, tell me how it worked. My Anxiety in the morning is horrible.

 

Thanks,

Keryn.

Squeegy,

 

After you try the Vitamin C, tell me how it worked. My Anxiety in the morning is horrible.

 

Thanks,

Keryn.

 

Keryn,

 

OK I took 2000 mg vit C last night before bed and though I had insomnia ... it was much better waking up. Less anxiety and mental torment.

 

I think that this would qualify as success!

 

I'mma keep at it. The morning stuff is so hard to bear. And I feel so much better at night ... consistently. It's hard but I'm going to tr everything I can to moderate the cortisol.

Great news Squeegy - I'm going to try some Vit C as soon as I can get to the store.  Anything that helps - can't wait to see if it makes a difference.  Nice to read something positive and hopeful,

Great news! I love to hear stuff like this! If you wake at night, taking some then will help you even more. That's what I do. I use the time release vitamin C at night that distributes 1000 mgs over the course of 4-6 hours. I take 3-4000 mgs and I'm set for the night.