Insomnia: why you can't sleep (even when you're exhausted)

There are few things more frustrating than being exhausted and unable to sleep. Your mind won't stop, your body won't relax, and the hours tick by while the anxiety about not sleeping only fuels the insomnia further. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

Insomnia affects between 10% and 30% of the adult population chronically, and many more on an occasional basis. And although it has been normalized as an inevitable part of the modern world, its consequences on health are serious and well-documented.

What happens to your body when you don't sleep well

Sleep is not dead time. During the night, your body performs essential processes that it cannot do during the day:

• Memory consolidation: The hippocampus transfers information to long-term memory during deep sleep. Without adequate sleep, learning and remembering become significantly more difficult.
• Cellular repair: Growth hormone is released primarily during deep sleep. This is when tissues repair themselves, muscles recover, and the immune system is strengthened.
• Brain cleansing: The glymphatic system—the brain's "cleaning" system—functions primarily while we sleep, removing waste proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
• Metabolic regulation: Sleep deprivation alters leptin (the satiety hormone) and ghrelin (the hunger hormone), increasing appetite and the risk of weight gain.
• Emotional balance: Poor sleep amplifies negative emotional responses and reduces the prefrontal cortex's ability to regulate them. In other words: when you are sleep-deprived, everything seems worse.

Types of insomnia and their causes

Not all insomnia is the same, and understanding the type helps in finding the solution:

• Onset insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep. It is usually related to hyperactivation of the nervous system (stress, anxiety, screen exposure).
• Maintenance insomnia: You fall asleep but wake up at 2–3 a.m. and cannot get back to sleep. Frequently associated with elevated cortisol or nocturnal hypoglycemia.
• Terminal insomnia: Waking up very early and being unable to return to sleep. This may be a sign of depression or circadian rhythm disturbances.

What really interferes with sleep

• Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin for up to 3 hours after exposure. This is not a myth—it is well-documented.
• Coffee after 2:00 p.m.: The half-life of caffeine is 5–7 hours. A coffee at 4:00 p.m. can interfere with sleep at midnight.
• Alcohol: Although initially a sedative, alcohol fragments sleep in the second half of the night and reduces REM sleep.
• High temperatures: The body needs to lower its core temperature to initiate sleep. A room that is too warm (>20ºC/68ºF) hinders this process.
• Irregular schedules: The circadian rhythm functions like a biological clock. Constant schedule changes disrupt it, just like jet lag.

Science-based strategies

• Light exposure control: Bright light in the morning (ideally sunlight), dim light at night. This is the most powerful signal for your biological clock.
• Room temperature between 16–19ºC (61–66ºF): It may seem cold, but it is the optimal range for deep sleep.
• Consistent wake-up time: Even on weekends. This is the most important variable for stabilizing your circadian rhythm.
• Sleep restriction technique: Paradoxically, spending less time in bed (at first) increases sleep pressure and improves quality.
• Magnesium: Many people are magnesium deficient without knowing it. This mineral participates in muscle and nerve relaxation and in the regulation of GABA, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter.

When insomnia requires medical attention

If insomnia has lasted more than 3 months, affects your daily functioning, and does not respond to changes in sleep hygiene, seek help. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) has higher long-term efficacy than medication and is available through specialized psychologists.

At Lionzen, we work with ingredients that support relaxation and natural rest—but always as a complement to well-established habits, not as a substitute.