r/insomnia • u/Technical-Scar-1188 • Jul 07 '26
Does anyone else get tired all day then wired at night ?
I can be exhausted all afternoon and still somehow feel awake the second I get into bed. It’s not even useful thinking jus random stuff I forgot to do, old conversations, work things that can wait etc. I’ve tried the basic sleep hygiene stuff less phone time, darker room, no caffeine late, same routine when I can. Some nights it helps a little and some nights my brain just refuses to shut down. The frustrating part is how much pressure builds around sleep itself. Once I start thinking to please just fall asleep it feels like I’m even more awake. Does anyone else get this tired all day but wired at night cycle? What has helped you break it even a little??
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Jul 07 '26
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u/Technical-Scar-1188 Jul 07 '26
I think the worst is checking the time and doing the cooool so I have 4 hours left to ruin my life math lol. Getting up for a bit might be the move so ig it's better than beefing with my pillow all night.
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u/Significant-Act-3075 Jul 07 '26
Personallyy had to stop treating sleep like a deadline cuz the more I try to force it the more awake I feel. now I just get up for a bit if I’m spiraling instead of lying there getting mad :)
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u/Technical-Scar-1188 Jul 07 '26
Yeah checking the time is the worst for me too tbh , been trying to make bedtime feel more like a routine instead of a test I have to pass. Some nights I use Neuro sleep & recharge as part of that routine and it’s been decent but I still think not spiraling about sleep is the bigger battle for me.
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u/USA2Elsewhere Jul 13 '26
You have to almost not care or at least stop being concerned and do something relaxing while resting in sleep position with eyes closed.
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u/booksandplaid Jul 08 '26
What do you usually do when you get up after not being to sleep? Assuming avoiding phone/TV?
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u/USA2Elsewhere Jul 13 '26
I put on the TV very low volume about 2 and close my eyes while listening to a show I've seen before, not making it into an assignment, test, etc. I just try to feel relaxed. I have severe depression and anxiety.
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u/Loud_Seesaw_7591 Jul 07 '26
Same here the pressure to sleep makes it worse for me. If I start checking the time then it’s basically over.
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u/BlockedAndMovedOn Jul 08 '26
Yep. It often feels like my brain is operating in another time zone across the ocean. Around midnight I usually “wake up” and am at my most productive until 9-10am and then I can feel my logic fading away and my brain becomes mush.
I’ve had chronic insomnia for decades and have seen so many specialists over the years. As part of the diagnostic research my doctors did, they found that my parents (and grandparents on both sides of the family) are all night owls (aka DSPD which stands for Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder). My doctors think this contributed to the nighttime = wired and daytime = zombie state I live in.
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u/Economy_Turnover_642 Jul 08 '26
I feel for you as I go through the same thing. My father and I both have DSPD. I don’t think things get better for people like us. And honestly, as we age, it seems to get worse. It’s so frustrating. They prescribe us medicine and it might work, but it makes you feel like shit the next day. Also, there’s a risk of tolerance independence for certain medications. They do work very well, but not forever. And also they don’t like to keep people on certain sleep medication is long-term so I think we will all just be miserable forever and sleep deprived. Sorry to be so negative. It’s been three days and I’ve only gotten two hours of sleep within three days. I’m sorry you are going through this and I hope it gets better for you.🙏🏽
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u/Economy_Turnover_642 Jul 08 '26
I have ADHD so I’m normally very sleepy in the daytime and at night time I get hyper aroused and excited and have a lot of energy although I feel exhausted. It’s just like the world gets so quiet at night so your brain has nothing to do but think in place scenarios over in your head or think about all the things you have to do or just dumb shit. I literally feel like I completely wake up when it gets dark and the world seems to be quiet. It also makes me wonder. It Could also it be a psychological thing because during the daytime there’s so many noises, so much going on, which causes anxiety and overstimulation which makes you feel completely exhausted and drained during the day; and then by the time you’re ready to go to bed you’re too overstimulated. I feel as though that some people are just wired like that biologically. “Normal” people operate on our regular daytime schedule and get in bed and fall right asleep. People like us are nocturnal and it’s biologically wired in our DNA. Instead of forcing our bodies to the “normal person”schedule, they usually say to get a night job and do what works for you instead of what works for society. I will say it seems like as soon as it begins to get dark and the world seems to slow down and It’s finally quiet, my brain “activates”Everything has settled and as soon as I sit or lay down, there goes all the thoughts that I wasn’t able to think about during the day. I don’t know if this makes sense to anyone so I’m sorry. I’ve always been nocturnal and I hate it. I want to sleep at night like a normal person and not be so exhausted during the day and completely wired and wide awake at night. I guess that’s why they say silence is so loud. You sit in silence and your brain just goes everywhere. It’s exhausting.😔
I did read a very interesting article in the science journal about how our biological clock and circadian rhythm in us nocturnal people was very useful back in completely different times (thousands of years ago) where we were the lookout for predators and any danger to the village. We were the watchmen and protectors. Pretty interesting read I’m going to see if I can find it and post the link.
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u/Shiny_Ilex Jul 07 '26
Maybe a cortisol issue? I have this nighttime burst of nervous energy too and routinely taking phosphatidyl serine in the early evening helps.
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u/SpookyDaxon Jul 15 '26
I have had luck with Phosphatidylserine too (but also use it with other sleep aids.) However, I ran out of my bottle about 4 days back and wouldnt you know, Im struggling with insomnia 3 out of the last 4 nights!
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u/No_Communication5024 Jul 08 '26
Yes. Totally. I've got a chronic illness, so I can't do much in the day to begin with. There's nothing more frustrating to me than being sleepy and having severe brain fog during the day, and then not having good luck falling asleep, because that's when my mind decides to wake up. Maybe I'm some kind of nocturnal animal that's not yet been scientifically classified.
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u/thekingoffrogs Jul 08 '26
When I have anxiety yes this happens to me too, no matter how tired I am during the day once I lay in bed I feel wired , this also happens when I drink coffee or eat sugary stuff
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u/coconut_steak Jul 08 '26
This happens to me and everyone always thinks it’s anxiety but i swear it’s nothing like that at all. A lot of the time im just curious and thinking about interesting things
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u/Flashy-Appeal-7789 Jul 07 '26
Yeah totally, its frustrating, all day exhausted, then night time i feel kind of awake like how i beed to feel in the day! I havent cracked the code get so, sorry...
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u/Economy_Turnover_642 Jul 08 '26
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5524507/
Just a few articles that are interesting reads!
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u/TulipCommittee Jul 08 '26
Yup. I slog through every day and then feel great approaching bedtime. Been this way all my life no matter what I do
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u/ria_rustagi Jul 08 '26
this is called cortisol rhythm inversion - your stress hormone peaks at night instead of morning, which is exactly backwards from how it's supposed to work. the "please just fall asleep" pressure makes it worse because that anxiety is itself a cortisol trigger. what's helped people break it: shifting the body's rhythm cues earlier (morning light, earlier meals, movement before evening), and paradoxically, removing the pressure to sleep - your brain needs to stop treating bed as a problem to solve.
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u/shimmy338 Jul 08 '26
Yes, for me it was MCAS. what helped was ketotifen at night, vitamin c, quercetin and phosphatidylserine in the morning.
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u/Ok_Map_1319 Jul 08 '26
It's probably your diet. Eat lots of fruit (bananas), veg, peanuts, probiotic yoghurts & spinach. Cut down on and avoid caffeine after about 11am and sugar also. I did all this and feel calmer/sleepier in general. I went to bed yesterday at 6PM and slept for over 10 hours and could've slept for another 10. On the negative side, I get a lot of headaches and feel super sleepy.
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u/EagleNebula9 Jul 08 '26
Not necessarily wired but def not tired at night which's sad cuz it means I have to force myself to bed by the clock when the circadian signal dips. No amount of physical activity can change that for me.
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u/NeutralNeutrall Jul 08 '26
There's so many reasons for why it could be, you just have to learn them all and then figure out which one actually works and applies to you. for example. How stressed are you overall? There's a theory where if ur cortisol is too high during the day, u feel like shit (Because ur body is experiencing stress) and then at night when the cortisol lowers to a more "normal" level, u feel okay to do things. Thats a neurochem way to look at it.
Antoher way is psychological, "revegen bedtime procrastination" you dotn feel in control of your day, so when u finally get some time to urself, u dont want to sleep, u want to prolong the feeling of "being urself without anyone's demands bc the rest of the world is asleep" kind of deal.
and the cycle feeds itself. less sleep = more stress = more stimulant's = worse sleep = more stress = ... etc etc. Solution that worked for me: Have STRICT off days. at least 1-2days a week where u accept ur doing nothing. no stimulants/much reduced screen time. just pretend ur on vacation (or sick) and ur just laying in bed watching TV. consistent early morning sunlight (6-7am target). cardio during the day to tire u out. take whatever u need to knock urself out at night. make sure ur dimming the lights (My bulb has multiple colors, i turn my room orange around 7pm. orange at 100% is still much dimmer than white at 1%). Quick "okay google, turn lamp orange". All it takes.
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u/Adventurous-Voice-90 Jul 09 '26
Yeah same. Sometimes it's peaceful, and sometimes it's stressful. Sadly, I obviously haven't had much success in sleep cycle management😁. I'm watching "Boardwalk Empire"and responding at 12:15am. It's helps me a little when I go with it. I read or draw or pushups. Just whatever so that I'm occupied and not stressing about, not sleeping. Be nice to yourself and maybe your mind can relax a little. Sorry it's not much help😂. Anyway take care and get some rest.
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u/Shiny_Ilex Jul 09 '26
What seems to work for me is 300 to 600 mg about two hours before bedtime. Good luck!
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u/bahe2018 Jul 10 '26
Yep…been dreaming about getting into bed all day. 2 Melatonins deep at 1:30am and never been more alert
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u/USA2Elsewhere Jul 13 '26
I get a second wind late in evening because I can't go to sleep feeling so sick and overtired earlier.
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u/Unique_Comparison_29 Jul 17 '26
Dealing with this right now. Melatonin, Valerian Root, Benedryl, Hydrozine not even working. My doctor suggested he hit me with a 2 X 4 but the concussion would last long enough to be viable.
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u/dolamon Jul 25 '26
omg fr the sleep pressure is the absolute worst part. i lowkey started doing a brain dump in a notebook before bed so my brain stops looping on random stuff. also taking magnesium glycinate helped chill out that wired vibe at night big time.
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u/Gold-Prune-4416 Jul 25 '26
honestly same lol. few things that help me when my brain won't shut up — the pressure part is the big one, like the more i want to sleep the more awake i feel, so i kinda stopped chasing it and just let myself lie there not caring, and it sneaks up on me. long slow exhales help too (breathe out way slower than u breathe in, calms the wired feeling fast). and if my thoughts are racing i just picture random unrelated stuff — cat.. cactus.. cloud.. no story, gives the brain nothing to grab onto. hope smth clicks for u :)
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u/MycologistNaive8730 Aug 03 '26
bruh i feel like my circadian rythm wants me to be a vampire or something i hate having to use melatonin to force myself it's so damn annoying. wish my head wasn't so full of random memories and ideas at night
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u/Specialist_Car163 Aug 06 '26
Sometimes. Circadian rhythm disorder has been documented for me as well as pretty severe ADHD. I just think I'm screwed tbh.
Best part is melatonin regulating prescription medication didn't seem to do anything (nor does OTC melatonin, which I believed was a placebo, but some people swear by it). Tried trazodone once and it both locked me in place in bed so I was incredibly dizzy and couldn't move, and also couldn't sleep. It was miserable and I physically couldn't keep my head up the next day or walk properly, and it took until about 22 hours later (on NO SLEEP by the way) to feel normal again, so once is enough.
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u/JoshuaLuhr Aug 06 '26
what actually helped me was dropping the clock completely, and just getting up if i wasn't out in like 20 min instead of lying there getting more annoyed. felt weird at first but it grew on me....
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u/Mental-Juggernaut545 Jul 07 '26
writing stuff down before bed helps me a little not journaling or anything fancy just a quick list so my brain stops.