Some people feel drowsy through the day yet lie awake at night. In a Kannada-language health feature for Vijaya Karnataka, Dr Priya Raghavan, Senior Psychiatrist at Cadabam's Hospitals, explained that the main reason is a sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, that has fallen out of step with the natural day-night cycle. The circadian rhythm is the body's internal biological clock, governing when the body should be alert and when it should prepare for sleep. When it is disrupted, a person can feel wide awake at night and sleepy during the day.
Screens and blue light
One of the most common causes is prolonged exposure to mobile phones, laptops and television screens in the evening. The blue light these devices emit suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals sleep. As a result, the brain stays alert at the very time the body should be winding down.
Irregular schedules and lifestyle habits
An irregular sleep schedule, sleeping late on some days and waking early on others, confuses the internal clock, and over time the brain can begin to treat night as waking time and day as rest time. Lifestyle habits play a role too: long daytime naps, caffeinated drinks in the evening, a lack of physical activity and rising stress all make it harder for the mind to settle at night. When the surroundings fall quiet, anxieties and racing thoughts feel sharper, making sleep even more elusive.
When it may be a sleep disorder
Sometimes the pattern points to a sleep disorder such as delayed sleep phase syndrome or insomnia. If persistent daytime sleepiness and night-time wakefulness continue for several weeks and begin to affect daily life, it is best to seek expert advice. Following a regular sleep schedule, reducing screen use before bed and building a calm night-time routine help restore a healthy sleep cycle. The feature also noted underlying conditions that disturb sleep, including anxiety and depression, chronic pain, neuropathy, an enlarged prostate and sleep apnoea.
Support at Cadabam's Hospitals
Persistent sleeplessness is often entangled with anxiety, depression or chronic stress, and treating the whole picture works better than sleeping pills alone. Cadabam's Hospitals offers psychiatric assessment and therapy that help you reset your rhythm and rest again. Our team is here to help.