Why You Feel Tired Yet Wired & What To Do About It, From A Sleep Expert

From stress to an inconsistent sleep schedule to too much caffeine, there are a ton of reasons you might find yourself tossing and turning even though you're tired.

And according to Shelby Harris, Ph.D., director of sleep health at Sleepopolis and author of Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia, the feeling of being tired versus sleepy are actually very different. Being sleepy, or "drowsy," occurs before we're ready to actually go to bed, but feeling tired, or "fatigued," doesn't necessarily mean you're ready to turn in for the night.

"People may experience tiredness near bedtime and confuse that with being sleepy, which can make it difficult when trying to fall asleep," she explains.

Additionally, a number of other factors can keep you up at night, from eating a large meal too close to bedtime to that second cup of coffee you probably didn't need at 4 p.m. or doing an energizing workout late in the evening.

Here's a deep dive into more reasons you could be struggling to fall asleep. In general, the solution to getting quality sleep often comes down to sleep hygiene.

If you find that you're feeling wired before bed, your main objective is going to be settling down and relaxing so your feelings of tiredness will eventually evolve into actual sleepiness. Give yourself plenty of time to wind down, Harris tells mbg, and avoid looking at screens in the hour or so before bed as well. (And if you haven't been going to bed at the same time every night, consider this your sign to start!)

"Drinking caffeine too close to bedtime, napping too late in the afternoon, [and] stress [...] can all lead to someone feeling awake at night when they should be sleepy," Harris adds, so going forward, look to mitigate those things as well.