Why Am I Tired All Day But Can't Sleep at Night?

Katie Bernard
Aug 19
2 min read

It’s frustrating- you feel drained all day, but when your head finally hits the pillow, your mind won’t shut off and you just can’t fall asleep. Or maybe you’re falling asleep only to wake up a few hours later and not

be able to get back to sleep. You’re not alone. Many adults struggle to fall asleep and 10-15%% of adults in the US have chronic insomnia. So what’s the deal- why can’t you sleep?

Common Causes of Feeling Tired by Day But Can't Sleep at Night

Our sleep is maintained by a sleep system and a wake system- a set of cues your body sends in order to help you feel awake and alert and then to help you feel drowsy. These systems are influenced by things like sunlight, body temperature, our schedule, activity level, hormones, and substances like nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol. The balance of our sleep and wake systems can be thrown off by a variety of factors, thus impacting sleep:

Stress and Hyperarousal

If you have anxiety, a lot of stress, or issues that cause hyperarousal, such as PTSD, then this can impact your sleep. This is particularly true if bedtime is your first quiet moment of the day.

Fatigue, Napping, and Lack of Activity

there’s a vicious cycle of insomnia in which difficulty sleeping leads to naps or inactivity and that, in turn, leads to problems sleeping. Throughout the day our body builds up sleep pressure that helps make us feel drowsy at night, but if you’re not active or are taking naps then you may not be building up enough sleep pressure.

Learned Sleeplessness

When you lie awake in bed, tossing and turning, your mind can begin to associate the bed and bedtime with frustration and worry. This results in stress and hyperarousal being turned up right when you want to fall asleep.