Tired But Hard To Sleep, Why? These Causes And How To Overcome

Illustration of why the body is tired but has trouble sleeping (Unsplash/Mxsh)

JAKARTA – After completing many tasks, the body feels tired. In this condition, it is necessary to rest. But some people have trouble sleeping even though the body and mind feel tired.

Sleep patterns are related to circadian rhythms, according to sleep specialist W. Christopher Winter, MD. and author of The Sleep Solotion: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How To Fix It, reported by Healthline, Friday, November 19. The circadian rhythm is like an internal timer for everything the body does in a 24-hour time period.

Circadian use of light, dark, and biological clocks to regulate body temperature, metabolism, hormones, and sleep. The body's internal clock, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is located in the brain and is also responsible for helping regulate sleep or controlling melatonin production.

During the day, when it's sunny, melatonin levels are low. It was getting dark, melatonin levels were more and peaked between 2 and 4 in the morning before finally dropping again the next morning. At best, the body needs to fall asleep 2 hours after melatonin begins to increase. This means at least have to sleep before 12 o'clock at night.

Winter explains, everyone has a different circadian rhythm. Sleeping hours will also vary from person to person, as long as it feels right for them and is healthy. But if you feel tired but can't sleep, your circadian rhythm may be off.

It is also a sign of delayed sleep phase syndrome. For example, if you are used to going to bed at 12 and one day at 2, you may have difficulty waking up 'normally' in the morning.

According to Winter, if you're tired but can't sleep after sunset, it could be due to a delayed sleep phase. If not for this, you can be tired but can't sleep due to sleeping in the afternoon or evening, anxiety, depression, drinking more caffeine than recommended, light on your device, eating patterns, and other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.

In addition to the causes stated by Winter, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentions causes that interfere with sleep quality. These causes include high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer's, stroke, heart disease, and obesity.

Then how to overcome not being able to sleep even though the body is tired?

First, arrange your bedroom as comfortable as possible. Try to keep the air cool and keep away all distracting equipment, such as gadgets, laptops, and set the lights to be dimmer.

Second, do calming activities before bed, such as reading, journaling, or meditation. Finally, according to advice from Michelle Dredup, PsyD., a psychologist at the Cleland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, if you feel anxious, limit thinking about things that make you anxious for 30 minutes, for example. Keep a journal to better identify the problem and tell yourself that the problem is to be solved tomorrow and then it's time to sleep.