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why am I tired all day but I am wide awake at night?

61 Answers
Last Updated: 11/15/2021 at 5:51pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Jill Kapil, PsyD

Psychologist

I have over 9 years of clinical experience, specialize in anxiety, and am passionate about my work. My approach is collaborative, empathic, supportive, and goal-oriented.

Top Rated Answers
Bazerous
December 9th, 2015 3:27am
For me it's because night time is endless. Even if you wake up early, you have a certain amount of time before you have to start your scheduled day. There's so much to do: eat breakfast, shower, catch the bus to go to school, go to classes, eat lunch, catch the bus home, homework, work -whatever it is that we do. We live in a society where the day time doesn't really belong to us. But night time is kind of out own infinity. Maybe not literally - it does end. But there's something beautiful about the quiet. There's something about being able to stay up being lost in a book, talking to our best friend or a perfect stranger - there are no expectations about what we do with the night except that we prepare for another day. I personally don't like to give up a lot of that time for sleep if I don't have to. Night time is mine. Night time is endless and beautiful and the only place quiet enough for me to hear my own thoughts.
EnlightenedLux
February 11th, 2016 2:18am
This is a common, but very interesting set of circumstances in which an individual is too tired to function but simultaneously too energetic to sleep. The most likely reason for this is a lot of mental exertion combined with little or no physical exertion. Your mind is exhausted but your muscles are eager. Physical activity should help you to sleep.
Anonymous
December 24th, 2015 11:33am
This is me everyday! For me I just generally like to stay up late at night and I usually can't sleep cause I'm nervous, or I have a problem I can't stop thinking about! And during the day I'm always tired from the lack of sleep I get cause I go to bed at 3-4 AM
coolj9
January 31st, 2016 1:33pm
Energy flows where attention goes. Probably you are enthusiastic about doing things at night, in solace, dark, minimum disturbance!
Anonymous
April 12th, 2015 7:06am
You are tired all the day but awake at night. This means your biological cycle has been disturbed. You are caught in a cycle in which the natural meaning of day and night has got altered. According to me, I would suggest you one day rest. Have sleep at night. You will be fresh the next morning
thereness
January 14th, 2016 8:11am
Insomnia I suppose. Don't worry, it's nothing to worry about, I'm like that too. Psychology says night owls are better people :) You should feel proud
Ambs07
January 31st, 2016 3:04pm
Most likely, your circadian rhythm is out of balance - this can be caused from bad sleeping habits (e.g. going to be at 4am and waking up at noon) or sleeping disorders. Best to try and be active during the day, waking up at the same time every morning and going to bed at the same time every night to retain the natural rhythm in response to light. If the issue persists, best to go and see a doctor.
Arabella1125
December 10th, 2015 6:33pm
Even I feel sleepy whole day, but I'm wide awake when I go to bed. This is due to the biological imbalance in the body. Try exercising and drinking lots of water during the day. If you tire yourself out exercising, like running, it's much, much easier to fall asleep. The water helps your body keep everything in balance and working smoothly.
PrincessoftheHighlands
June 8th, 2015 7:12pm
It sounds like you might have insomnia whether it's brought on by anxiety or unfortunately something you were born with. I suggest reaching out to a sleep doctor or a neurologist to discuss your tiredness and what could help you not just get to sleep but also feel awake during the day. Sleeping disorders are surprisingly common and there are many simple solutions to help!
CaringFriend101
December 10th, 2015 11:53pm
When it's quiet, there is time to reflect on the past events of the day, be them good or bad, the more the thoughts went through my head the more awake I was. After a particularly bad day I would stay awake until the sun would come up, and probably well after to obsess over all the things I could have and should have done but didn't, all the things I wish I could have changed. So the lack of sleep for me was due to procrastination and over thinking.
crispNutella54
December 23rd, 2015 9:24am
I'm struggling with this now. What you need to do is get up and do stuff during the day weather it's cleaning, doing laundry, going to the grocery store. Whatever it is make yourself exremely tired so you do fall asleep
igetcha
January 6th, 2016 3:06am
Sometimes I feel that way when I have exhausting commitments in the daytime & freedom at night. Sometimes I have these awesome moments where I wanna make it last & not go to bed
beautifulOcean
December 11th, 2015 1:45am
When this happens to me, it's because I'm not on a sleep schedule. I need to be in bed when my sleep cycle comes around (each cycle is one hour and thirty minutes). So, I go to sleep at either 11:30 or 1 since I need to be awake by 6:30. I'm wide awake if I make one of those times to sleep, but getting a sleep schedule that goes with your sleep cycles can help so much.
ReemZeineddine1
December 9th, 2015 6:26pm
The question is why am I awake at night? Being tired all day comes naturally when we don't get enough sleep. The reason is, in my opinion, is the calmness of the night that triggers our deepest thoughts and makes us over-think our life that we're not able to sleep anymore. Unhealthy habit after all. Meditation would help.
Anonymous
December 10th, 2015 4:53pm
the main reason I think is that your sleeping pattern has changed so you need to try to stay awake in the day and sleep at night to correct this
Frejya
December 9th, 2015 4:20am
Well, I think I prefer the night live better than the day because it is much more cool and silent at night. Besides that, I live in a hot climate country so most of our energy is spent to overcome the heat. At night I can feel the cold harmony breeze that makes my brain more energise than day.
Anonymous
June 14th, 2016 2:06am
I have the same problem! It's called insomnia, try listening to calming music or sleep with a fan on (causes white noise).
Pixelynx
February 5th, 2016 1:16pm
Your day/night rythm is confused. You probably slept bad the past days/weeks. Try to maintain a good rythm again. Doing some research on Google might help you with this. This happens to a lot of people, mostly because of using electronics at night. Try to set a good time to wake up. (I wake up at 6:30, because of school) Try to wake up at that specific time each day. Even when you almost don't sleep at night, wake up at the same time. You will start to feel tired througout the day, which enables you to go to bed earlier. Try to maintain a rythm which allows you to sleep enough hours. (Average 6.5 - 7 hours or more)
LiveLaughLearnLoveSoSelfishly
January 2nd, 2016 12:16pm
Must be you are noctural and prefer the night time though don't get this confused and feel the need to party all night, theres a fine line between being noctural and a party animal :D
Anonymous
December 11th, 2015 2:32pm
Your circadian cycle might be confused; maybe you might to get a special light to help reset your internal sleep/wake clock.
AudddreyyyMarie01
December 26th, 2015 1:30am
Dearie. You may wanna get checked for ansomia. That is a sleeping disorder and that is a synthom of ansomia.
Robunzel
January 6th, 2016 5:42am
Really does vary from person to person. It could be mental exhaustion, and that there are many things on the person's mind. Then at night time, when it's quiet these thoughts surface and sadly leave the sleepless one tossing and turning. Diaries are fantastic during those nights. :)
CharlieB84
December 8th, 2015 11:24pm
There are lots of reason that sleep can get disrupted. Stress can be a huge factor in sleep quantity and quality. However, to break that down a bit .... First, I look at the diet and the daily habits. Am I ingesting a lot of sugar and caffeine during the later par to the day? Then I would look at bedtime routine. Am I going to bed at an ideal time (btw 9-10pm) when the body is easily able to shift into rest? Am I turning off my lights and reducing sounds? Then I would look at the way I relate to my inability to fall asleep. Can I indulge in rest even if I am not sleeping? Or am I getting frustrated?
WhenYouSmile
May 14th, 2015 11:51pm
It's quite possible that you've switched your clock upside down! I did this once upon a time and the fix is easier than you'd think. Just, on a day where you don't need to do many important things, don't let yourself sleep and keep yourself up until the evening of the next day. You might feel overly tired for the next few days, but that's just your body catching up on what it needs before you regulate. Happy sleeping! -Ellie x
peacefulReeds21
December 9th, 2015 8:58am
it can happen by multiple reasons. sometimes it is because of having dinner late then unnecessarily using internet or using mobile phone for late night conversations or even playing games. then the next morning you feel sleepy because of having less sleep last night. then by the course of time it gets routine to stay awake all night and having to feel sleepy the whole day.
Anonymous
January 29th, 2016 12:13pm
Your sleeping pattern is out of natural, you need to exercise yourself during the day, this will allow yourself to fall asleep at night
HazelEyes2
February 7th, 2016 4:30pm
At night, we aren't busy living our lives. At night, it is quiet and we have a LOT more time to think.
Anonymous
December 9th, 2015 8:02pm
You may need to do lots of activities to tire yourself a bit so you won't even have the energy to think when you go to bed
Anonymous
December 12th, 2015 4:53pm
I think you should first see a doctor to rule out any physical issues. But it could be that you're brain is busier during the day which is making you feel more tired!
Anonymous
January 31st, 2016 2:42pm
This is a result of your messed up body clock. You need to force yourself to get your body clock correct again.