Why Adults Cry After Waking Up
Nightmares
Frightening dreams are sometimes unavoidable and can occur at any age. Although children have nightmares more often, that doesn’t mean adults never experience them.
Nightmares can feel intensely real and most often arise during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. They’re frequently linked to stress or underlying psychological conditions. Certain medicines—such as some antidepressants and narcotics—can also increase how often nightmares occur.
Condolences
The heavy sadness of grief can disrupt sleep and lead to tears on waking. Crying is part of mourning; this spontaneous outward expression is common in adults.
After losing someone dear, you may not always find time or space to grieve. Being busy or feeling awkward about crying in front of others can push grief underground.
Crying after waking can signal unprocessed grief, which may affect decision-making, stress levels, and anxiety.
Depression
Like sadness, depression involves low mood and hopelessness. Sadness is often brief, while depression tends to be more pervasive and long-lasting.
Crying after waking up is one possible sign of depression. In addition, other signs of depression include:
- Feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.
- Loss of interest in usual activities such as sex, hobbies, or exercise.
- Sleep problems, including insomnia or sleeping too much.
- Fatigue and low energy.
- Changes in appetite and weight.
- Anxiety.
- Slowed thinking.
- Feelings of worthlessness and constant thoughts of failure.
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions.
- Unexplained physical complaints.
- Self-harm thoughts or suicide attempts.
Diurnal Mood Variation
Besides crying after waking, you may notice other symptoms including:
- Irritability and frustration.
- Feeling extremely tired upon waking.
- Little enthusiasm for daily activities.
- Trouble concentrating.
- Difficulty getting up in the morning and reluctance to leave bed.
- Sleeping more than usual.
Parasomnias
- dr Hanifa Rahma
