If you're feeling exhausted but can't seem to drift off to sleep, it could be a sign that your circadian rhythm is out of sync. But being tired all day and wide awake at night can also be caused by bad napping habits, anxiety, depression, caffeine consumption, blue light from devices, sleep disorders, and even diet. Insomnia is generally defined as having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep throughout the night, or waking up too early in the morning. It can be acute (lasting a few weeks or days) or chronic (persisting for more than three months).
There are many potential causes of insomnia. People with insomnia often find themselves in a cycle of sleeplessness and anxiety because they develop negative associations with their bed and bedroom, which become places of wakefulness instead of rest. This psychological barrier means that insomniacs often feel tired but can't sleep. If you're regularly struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, the cause is likely something you're doing (like drinking coffee late in the day) or something you're not doing (like getting rid of the stress that keeps you up).
Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to change things. If you can't sleep at night, you may also feel lightheaded and sleepy for most of the next day. You may even fall asleep during the day or consume excessive amounts of caffeine to try to stay awake. When you say "I can't sleep", it can mean you can't fall asleep, but it can also mean that you have a hard time staying asleep.
There are many different factors that could be contributing to sleep problems. Lifestyle choices, sleep habits, stress, and medical conditions can all play a role. A single glass of alcohol before bedtime may not interfere with your ability to fall asleep, but if you drink more than that your sleep may be affected. This is because alcohol interferes with the sleep cycle, especially REM sleep which includes dreaming.
You may not realize it since the initial effect of drinking alcohol is relaxation - this can help you fall asleep quickly after drinking it. But your rest will be fragmented and unrefreshing. This effect is even more common in people with heavy alcohol consumption as it often goes hand in hand with insomnia. If you drink a lot of alcohol at night, you're also more likely to wake up mid-sleep to go to the bathroom which can lower your sleep quality.
Sleep and anxiety are closely related - if you have trouble sleeping your anxiety may increase and if you have high anxiety you may have trouble sleeping. In fact, sleep interruption can coexist with almost every mental health problem. Research shows that the type of sleep interruption varies depending on the type of anxiety - people with state anxiety (anxiety due to a current situation) tend to have more trouble falling asleep while people with anxiety traits (a personality that is more anxious) often have more trouble staying asleep. Along with problems falling or staying asleep, poor sleep habits can also negatively affect mental health - studies have linked poor sleep hygiene to poorer mental well-being.
Sharing a bed - whether with a human or a four-legged friend - greatly reduces the quality of sleep especially if your partner snores, huddles you, hogs the sheets or makes you feel uncomfortable in any other way. You and your partner may also have different preferred sleeping conditions (such as temperature, light and noise level). You know that a cup of coffee before bed is a bad idea but did you know that the half-life of caffeine is three to five hours? This means that only half of the dose is eliminated during that time leaving the remaining half to remain in the body - that's why a cup of coffee in the late afternoon can disturb your sleep later that night. Caffeine has been associated with more difficulty sleeping less total sleep time and worsening perceived quality even more so in older adults as this demographic tends to be more sensitive to this substance.
If I can't sleep it's often because I'm so stressed - you're not alone - about 43% of American adults say stress has kept them awake at night at least once in the past month. Body temperature and heart rate naturally drop as you fall asleep - exercise increases those two bodily functions and stimulates the entire nervous system making it difficult to take a nap. Some of the most common reasons for insomnia even when you're tired include being under a lot of stress having an irregular sleep schedule or poor sleep habits mental health problems physical illnesses medications and sleep disorders. If you wake up during the night this could be because you're getting older taking medication your lifestyle (such as drinking alcohol before bed or taking a lot of naps) or an undiagnosed condition.
Try to correct bad sleep habits and see if your sleep improves - if not then a healthcare provider can help determine the cause of your sleep problems. Eating too much fat or protein just before bedtime or having a spicy meal can cause your digestive system to speed up making it difficult to sleep and leading to heartburn. It's important to note that other factors such as sleep disorders and depression can also make it difficult to sleep. The biggest barrier to sleep is when you associate your bed with anxiety and therefore when you go to bed suddenly feel alert or unable to fall asleep - but living in a way that supports good quality restful sleep is key.
