Why Am I So Tired, But Can't Sleep? - Healthline

Maybe your like

HealthlineSubscribe

Anxiety and Depression

Explore more in Anxiety

Related Hubs

Mental Well-Being

A holistic guide to care

Anxiety Treatment and Management

A guide to therapy, medications, and techniques for managing anxiety

Related Topics

Causes & Risk Factors
Causes & Risk Factors
Related Articles
- Causes & Risk Factors
- Anemia
- Common Triggers
- Caffeine
- Genetics
- Perimenopause
- Dehydration
- Long COVID
- Alcohol
- After Eating
- Trauma
Complications
Complications
Related Articles
- Diarrhea
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Memory Loss
- Waking Up with a Panic Attack
- Rebound Anxiety
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Related Articles
- Diagnosis
Diet
Diet
Related Hub
Nutrition & Supplements
Nutrition tips and tools for supporting mental well-being
Related Articles
- Diet
Home Remedies
Home Remedies
Related Articles
- Home Remedies
- 333 Rule
- Breathing into a Paper Bag
- Cold Shower
- Best Essential Oils
- Melatonin
- CBD Gummies for Anxiety
- Best CBD Oils for Anxiety
- Anxiety Relief Products
- Calming Tips
- Natural Products
- Pressure Points
- Jacobson's Relaxation Technique
- Weighted Blankets
- Psilocybin Mushrooms
- Best Fidget Toys
Management
Management
Related Articles
- Management
- Bowel Movements
- Tips for Social Anxiety
- Yoga Poses
- Breating Exercises
- Lifestyle Tips
- Books
- Podcasts
- Mobile Apps
- Grounding Techniques
- Stop a Panic Attack
- Overthinking
- Marijuana
- Pre-Menstruation
- Tips to Stop Worrying
- Acupuncture
- Anxiety at Night
- Separation from Partner
- Post-Breakup
Prognosis
Prognosis
Related Articles
- Outlook
Related Conditions
Related Conditions
Related Articles
- Nervous Breakdown
- ADHD
- Insomnia
- Social Anxiety and Introversion
- Social Anxiety and Autism
- GERD
- Depression
- Stress
- Vs. Paranoia
- Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack
Symptoms
Symptoms
Related Articles
- Symptoms
- Numb and Tingly
- Sore Throat
- Itching
- Sweating
- Dry Mouth
- Loss of Appetite
- Headaches
- Shaking
- Chest Pain
- Nausea
- Heart Palpitations
- Tiredness
- Effects on the Body
- Brain Fog
- Depersonalization
- Physical Symptoms
Treatment
Treatment
Related Hub
Therapy
Resources for finding and receiving therapy
Related Articles
- Types of Doctors
- Medications
- Benadryl
- Ketamine Therapy
- Promethazine
- Prozac
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Social Anxiety Treatment
- Beta-Blockers
- Trazodone
- How to Find a Therapist
- How to Find Mental Health Services
- Online Psychiatrist Platforms
- Low Cost and Free Online Therapy
- Online Therapy with Insurance
- Talk Therapy
- Online Therapy Services
- Affordable Online Therapy
Types
Types
Related Articles
- Generalized Anxiety
- Social Anxiety
- Anticipatory Anxiety
- Money Anxiety
- Subconscious Anxiety
- Travel Anxiety
- Workplace Anxiety
- Food Anxiety
- Gym Anxiety
- Hypochondria
- Time Anxiety
- In the Morning
- School Anxiety
- Separation Anxiety in Adults
- Sports Anxiety

Why Am I So Tired, but Can’t Sleep?

Medically reviewed by Thomas Johnson, PA-C — Written by The Healthline Editorial Team — Updated on May 20, 2025

Naps
Anxiety
Depression
Caffeine
Screens
Covid-19
Sleep disorders
Circadian rhythm
Takeaway

If you’re tired yet unable to fall asleep, it could be due to an imbalanced circadian rhythm, daytime napping, anxiety, or many other factors.

Some days, no matter how much coffee you consume, you may feel very tired during the day. Yet all too often, when you finally climb into bed, you find yourself wide awake. Relatable?

Read on to discover what could be causing daytime sleepiness but an inability to sleep at night. Once you identify what might be going on, you can take action to support better sleep.

1. To nap or not to nap?

Naps aren’t inherently bad. In fact, napping has several health benefits. However, the wrong nap strategy can keep you up when you should be getting deeper Zzz’s.

Research suggests that long naps and napping later in the afternoon may cause you to take longer to fall asleep at night, sleep poorly, and wake up more during the night.

Try to take 20- to 30-minute naps and nap at the same time every day so your body can anticipate them.

2. Sleep and anxiety

A racing mind isn’t conducive to peacefully nodding off. No wonder sleep disturbance is a diagnostic symptom for some anxiety disorders, which are common risk factors for insomnia.

Anxiety may also lead to increased arousal and alertness, which can delay sleep even further.

3. Depression and sleep disturbance

According to a review published in 2019, up to 90% of people diagnosed with depression also experience a disturbance in their sleep quality.

Insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep-disordered breathing, and restless legs syndrome were all reported.

The relationship between sleep issues and depression is complicated. It appears to disrupt circadian rhythms.

Inflammation, changes in brain chemicals, genetic factors, and more may all affect the sleep-depression relationship.

»QUIZ:What type of sleeper are you?

4. Caffeine and sleep quality

On average, caffeine has a half-life of 5 hours. Research suggests that even 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine (about 16 ounces of brewed coffee), 16 hours before bed, may impact your sleep.

Downing 400 mg of caffeine 6 hours or less before bedtime may significantly reduce your sleep quality.

If you drink caffeine, try not to have any 4 to 6 hours before you go to bed. So, if you want to be in bed by 10 p.m., then 4 p.m. is a good coffee cut-off time.

5. Screen time

The blue light emitted from phones, tablets, laptops, and TV screens suppresses evening melatonin production and decreases sleepiness.

You may want to stop using your devices 2 hours before bed. You may also consider wearing blue-light blocking glasses at night.

»MORE:7 podcasts for better sleep

6. COVID-19

Difficulty sleeping is a common symptom of COVID-19. This could be due to factors such as stress or an autoimmune response to the virus.

A 2021 study of 236,379 people with COVID-19 found that about 5% of them experienced insomnia. Up to 10% of those with severe infections that required hospitalization had sleeping difficulties.

Sleeping difficulties may be more prevalent in people with Long COVID, according to a 2022 data analysis. Researchers found that over 40% of 1,321 people with long-lasting COVID symptoms experienced moderate to severe sleeping difficulties.

The COVID-19 pandemic itself is associated with increasing sleep-related issues, according to a 2022 study. Social isolation, economic hardships, and parenting challenges are among the possible causes.

7. Other sleep disorders

Sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome may make you sleepy but not tired at night. In sleep apnea, breathing repeatedly stops or is very shallow, then starts again. With restless legs syndrome, your legs feel uncomfortable, triggering you to want to move them.

Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is another sleep disorder. It occurs when your circadian rhythm is off. DSPS affects young people more, with a prevalence between about 7% and 16%. About 1% of adults have DSPS.

These conditions may disrupt nighttime sleep, which may then cause daytime sleepiness.

»MORE:What's the deal with mouth taping?

Your circadian rhythm

The circadian rhythm is like an internal timekeeper for everything our bodies do in a 24-hour period.

This system uses light, dark, and our biological clock to regulate body temperature, metabolism, hormones (including melatonin), and sleep.

Melatonin levels remain low during the day when it’s light outside. Later in the day, as it grows darker, our bodies produce more melatonin, with levels peaking between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. before falling again.

Our bodies are best primed to fall asleep about 2 hours after melatonin levels start to rise.

The takeaway

If you still feel tired every day, and sleep remedies don’t help, talk with a doctor.

They can help determine the underlying problem and recommend solutions that will help you get restful sleep so you have daytime energy.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Cheshmehzangi A, et al. (2022). How does COVID-19 fuel insomnia?https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354622000163
Circadian rhythms. (2023).https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx
Delayed sleep phase syndrome. (n.d.).https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/sleep/delayed-sleep-phase-syndrome.html
Do I have insomnia? (2020).https://www.thensf.org/do-i-have-insomnia/
Fang H, et al. (2019). Depression in sleep disturbance: A review on a bidirectional relationship, mechanisms and treatment.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcmm.14170
Mograss M, et al. (2022). The effects of napping on night-time sleep in healthy young adults.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35253300/
Nesbitt AD. (2018). Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5803043/
O’Callaghan F et al. (2018). Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning.https://dx.doi.org/10.2147%2FRMHP.S156404
Orbea CP, et al. (2022). 0735 sleep disturbances in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/45/Supplement_1/A321/6592670
Sejbuk M, et al. (2022). Sleep quality: a narrative review on nutrition, stimulants, and physical activity as important factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/9/1912
Taquet M, et al. (2021). 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records.https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2215-0366%2821%2900084-5

Share this article

Medically reviewed by Thomas Johnson, PA-C — Written by The Healthline Editorial Team — Updated on May 20, 2025

Health Conditions

Condition Spotlight

Wellness Topics

Product Reviews

Featured Programs

Featured

Lessons

Newsletters

Lifestyle Quizzes

Health News

This Just In

Top Reads

Video Series

Find Your Bezzy Community

Follow us on social media

Anxiety and Depression

Related Hubs

Mental Well-Being

Anxiety Treatment and Management

Related Topics

Causes & Risk Factors

Related Articles

Complications

Related Articles

Diagnosis

Related Articles

Diet

Related Hub

Nutrition & Supplements

Related Articles

Home Remedies

Related Articles

Management

Related Articles

Prognosis

Related Articles

Related Conditions

Related Articles

Symptoms

Related Articles

Treatment

Related Hub

Therapy

Related Articles

Types

Related Articles

1. To nap or not to nap?

2. Sleep and anxiety

3. Depression and sleep disturbance

4. Caffeine and sleep quality

5. Screen time

6. COVID-19

7. Other sleep disorders

Your circadian rhythm

The takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

related stories

Read this next

Contact