What’s Really Keeping You Awake? The Brain’s Role in Sleepless Nights

Dr. Tracey Marks, psychiatrist, explains:

All in your head (which is the least helpful place for it to be when trying to sleep)

Why You Can’t Sleep: sleeplessness often stems from a conflict between your brain’s sleep drive (powered by adenosine and melatonin) and wake drive (powered by orexin and serotonin), which are normally balanced by your circadian rhythm.

About that tech: blue light gets a bad reputation, and indeed it suppresses melatonin, but this is quickly resolved once you turn it off. However, being accustomed to constant notifications triggers dopamine, keeping your brain in a heightened state of alertness, even if you’ve now put your phone aside, if you’re still expecting notifications.

About your worries: worrying at night activates the brain’s stress response (HPA axis), releasing cortisol and adrenaline that override sleep signals—especially when you miss your natural sleep window and are trying to sleep at a slightly different time than you normally do.

This can then become a self-perpetuating cycle, because after poor sleep, your brain can start associating your bed with stress, reinforcing insomnia through classical conditioning.

Some advices that Dr. Marks gives include:

• Follow natural sleep rhythms where possible, rather than trying to force something different.
• Use paradoxical intention (stop trying so hard to sleep).
• Practise calming techniques like box breathing (4 seconds breathing in, 4 seconds holding, 4 seconds breathing out, 4 seconds holding)

Chronic insomnia (3+ nights/week for 3+ months) with significant daytime effects may require treatment like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), so that’s a thing to bear in mind too.

In short: sleep isn’t just about being tired—it’s about working with your brain’s systems, not against them.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

How to Fall Asleep Faster: CBT-I Treatment For Insomnia

Take care!