If You Feel This Every Morning, Get Checked For Disease

If you constantly wake up feeling bad, don't ignore the symptoms—they could be a sign of many different health issues. "First and foremost, you must rule out that something is seriously wrong," says Dr. Marc Romano, a psychologist, nurse practitioner and assistant medical director at Delphi Behavioral Health. "It's not easy, but even if you don't receive a peachy diagnosis, that doesn't change the facts. It simply means you have a name for what ails you, and you can begin treating and reducing pain and discomfort. Second, it's important to go to the doctor to reduce one's anxiety, since living with high anxiety can actually result in something seriously going wrong, such as high blood pressure." Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

Waking up fatigued could be a sign of sleep apnea, where you might wake up multiple times an hour without knowing it. "Sleep apnea is a problem with the upper airway, the part of the airway that runs from the voice box to the back of the throat," says Aris Iatridis, MD, pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist at Piedmont Physicians Georgia Lung. "As they are lying in bed asleep, they start choking and the body starts to panic a little bit. Adrenaline kicks in, the chest starts to work, the heart starts beating faster, they wake up for two to three seconds, then their body goes back to sleep and they don't remember a thing about it."

Eating a full meal and still feeling hungry could be a sign your blood sugar levels are abnormal. "Even after you eat, you may still feel very hungry," according to Amy Hess-Fischl, MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDCES and Lisa M. Leontis RN, ANP-C. "That's because your muscles aren't getting the energy they need from the food; your body's insulin resistance keeps glucose from entering the muscle and providing energy. Therefore, the muscles and other tissues send a 'hunger' message, trying to get more energy into the body."

Constantly waking up with a headache could be a symptom of brain tumor, doctors warn. "Everybody gets headaches at some point," says  Lauren Schaff, a neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). "A brain tumor is not going to present with one single headache that lasts for a couple of hours and never comes back. Also, many people suffer from primary headache disorders where they experience frequent headaches. [I get concerned ]when there's a new type of severe headache that's worsening in frequency or intensity, especially if it is accompanied by other neurological symptoms."6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

High blood sugar in the mornings could be a sign of insulin resistance. "The dawn phenomenon, also called the dawn effect, is the term used to describe an abnormal early-morning increase in blood sugar (glucose) — usually between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. — in people with diabetes," says  M. Regina Castro, MD. "Some researchers believe the natural overnight release of the so-called counter-regulatory hormones — including growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon and epinephrine — increases insulin resistance, causing blood sugar to rise. High morning blood sugar may also be caused by insufficient insulin the night before, insufficient anti-diabetic medication dosages or carbohydrate snack consumption at bedtime."

If you wake up tired and fatigued despite sleeping all night is another sign of diabetes. "Feeling fatigued is definitely a symptom of diabetes," says Nicole Justus, RN, BSN. "However, fatigue can also be a sign or symptom of many other diseases, so it is important that you talk to your doctor about any problems that you are having. Another reason that fatigue is a sign of diabetes is because of high blood sugar… There is a link between fatigue and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels). 61% of newly diagnosed people with Type 2 diabetes experience fatigue."