GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Do you ever feel so tired, you feel like you could sleep for days? But, when you finally lie down, you toss and turn for what feels like hours?
VERIFY QUESTION
Good Morning Show producers Nya Coleman and Ziris Savage asked, "Hi, Meghann, your producers Nya and Ziris here. You know working overnight makes us very tired. Is it possible to be so tired that you can't sleep? Our very tired inquiring minds want to know. Thanks!"
VERIFY SOURCE
Dr. Leanne Willis - neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center
VERIFY PROCESS
She said for the most part, that question is false.
"Being tired, in itself, does not interfere with sleep, but sometimes you are so worried about falling asleep, we can't relax enough to get there. Or, you may wake up in the middle of the night, look at the clock and then stay awake stressing about how you can't fall back asleep," Willis explained.
She said the best approach to this acute insomnia is "mostly common sense." The following suggestions could help:
- Don’t go to bed until you are actually sleepy. Taking a hot bath or shower before bed can help trigger sleepiness.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
- Unplug! Turn off the TV and put up electronic devices well before bedtime. Bright lights trigger your brain to stay awake.
- Other relaxation tools can include breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery, like the free CBT-i Coach app
- Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It might help you fall asleep, but you will wake up more often during the night, and you won’t sleep as deeply.
- Turn the alarm clock so that it faces away from your bed and/or turn your phone face down. This will help you avoid the temptation to check the time all night long.
- Don’t nap. Sleeping more than 10 minutes during the daytime can throw off your sleep-wake cycle.
- Don’t stress! If you find yourself getting anxious about falling asleep, try to change your perspective. Tell yourself, “One night of poor sleep is not the end of the world."
VERIFY CONCLUSION
The idea you can be "too tired" to sleep is false, though sometimes you can psyche yourself out and fail to relax enough to fall asleep.
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