Many people experience a strange paradox before going to sleep, as they feel extremely tired in the evening, but as soon as they get to bed, the desire to sleep disappears and the mind regains its activity.
This condition is known as "hyper-vigilance fatigue," a phenomenon where the body needs rest while the brain remains in a state of alertness that prevents relaxation. It occurs as a result of a conflict between internal signals that push towards sleep and others that encourage staying awake.
This condition may manifest as excessive thinking, rapid heartbeat, feelings of tension, or a sudden sense of needing to accomplish things before going to sleep.
Sleep experts believe that the problem is not always related to evening habits only, as even adhering to a consistent sleep routine, taking a warm bath, or listening to calming music may not be enough when the brain is in a state of hyper-awakeness.
This is largely related to how the body deals with stress. Normally, levels of the hormone cortisol, known as the stress hormone, decrease towards the end of the day, helping the body to relax and prepare for sleep.
However, anxiety, life stressors, caffeine consumption, exposure to artificial light, and fear of repeating the experience of insomnia may lead to stress levels remaining high, causing the brain to send signals that push towards alertness instead of relaxation.
Dr. Laura Pogarskjæt, a sleep researcher at the University of Oslo, says that the body may be fatigued due to the accumulation of sleep needs during the day, but the brain continues to deal with signals that call it to stay awake.
She adds that a state of hypervigilance causes the mind to revisit past conversations or become preoccupied with what will happen the next day.
Dr. Tom Chambers, a sleep medicine specialist, points out that the daily preoccupation with work, childcare, commuting, or household chores may prevent a person from noticing their stress during the day, but it becomes strongly apparent when it is quiet at night and distractions disappear.
Sleep experts suggest a range of techniques that may help the brain transition from a state of activity to one of relaxation.
Writing down thoughts, worries, and pending tasks before bed is one way some people find it helps to calm their minds. This method is known as "mind clearing."
Sleep expert James Wilson says that many people who suffer from fatigue with alertness go to bed carrying a great deal of mental and emotional activity.
A bedside journal can be used to record thoughts that arise before falling asleep or during nighttime awakenings. A to-do list for the following day can also be helpful; a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that people who write a to-do list before bed fall asleep faster.
Researchers believe that recording tasks helps the brain to stop repeating them, because it realizes that they have been saved and can be dealt with later.
Dr. Chambers suggests repeating a simple word or sound repeatedly in your mind, with the aim of diverting attention from troubling thoughts.
He explains that this method may reduce the activity of brain regions associated with language processing and continuous thinking, which helps to reduce the spiral of thoughts that disrupt sleep.
The "paradoxical intention" technique is based on a seemingly unfamiliar idea: trying to stay awake instead of focusing on the need to sleep.
Chambers explains that sleep is a natural process that cannot be forced, and that worrying about not being able to sleep can exacerbate the problem. Therefore, shifting your focus to trying to stay awake may help relieve stress, allowing sleep to occur naturally.
A review of ten clinical trials published in the Journal of Sleep Research showed that this technique helped improve some symptoms of insomnia, such as difficulty falling asleep.
