11/02/2026
Tired at 8pm, wide awake at 10pm… what’s going on? 😴➡️😳
If you’re in midlife and feel exhausted all evening, then suddenly wired the moment you get into bed, you’re not imagining it.
One way we describe this is hyperarousal – a real physiological state where your nervous system spends too much time in “alert” mode.
Your body has two main modes:
⚡ Sympathetic – alert mode
Fight‑or‑flight. Heart rate up, breathing faster, mind busy. Great for getting through the day… not so great at 11pm.
🌙 Parasympathetic – calm mode
Rest‑and‑digest. Heart rate slows, breathing deepens, mind can finally quieten. This is the state that supports sleep.
To fall asleep, your system needs to shift from alert toward calm.
In midlife, that shift can be harder for a few reasons:
Changing hormones (especially progesterone) may reduce some of the brain’s natural “calm” signals
Years of stress and responsibility can train your nervous system to stay “on”
If you’ve spent a lot of nights problem‑solving in bed, your brain can start to associate bed with thinking, not sleeping
The result? Tired and wired at the same time.
This isn’t a character flaw, and it’s not something you’re supposed to fix by willpower alone. It reflects how your nervous system has adapted over time – and patterns like this can often shift with the right strategies and support.
For now, if you recognise yourself in “tired but wired,” know that this is a real, understandable pattern with a biological basis. You’re not imagining it, and you’re definitely not the only one living with it.
If this sounds like you, when is your mind most active – as soon as you get into bed, a few hours later, or around 3am?
This post is for general education and isn’t personal medical advice. If your sleep problems continue or worry you, please talk with your doctor.
