I’m Exhausted All Day but Wide Awake at Night
You’re dragging yourself through the day… and somehow wide awake the second your head hits the pillow.
By morning, you already feel behind.
By afternoon, you’re reaching for coffee, sugar, or snacks just to function.
You reread the same email three times. You snap more easily. You tell yourself you just need to try harder.
And then at night?
Your body is exhausted. But your brain is on.
You lie there thinking about your to-do list, replaying conversations, feeling strangely alert at the exact time you should feel sleepy.
It’s frustrating. And confusing.
You start wondering:
Is this just part of getting older?
Is this what being a busy woman or mom feels like?
Why can’t I handle this like I used to?
Here’s the truth: this isn’t a willpower problem.
We live in a culture that normalizes burnout. Breakfast becomes coffee. Hustle replaces rest. Pushing through exhaustion is praised. And if you have a perfectionist streak, you probably think, “I just need to be more consistent.”
But that thinking is what keeps you stuck.
Your body isn’t broken. It’s out of rhythm.
When you restore that rhythm, everything changes:
You move through the day with steady energy
You feel clear instead of foggy
You’re more present with your family and focused at work
You fall asleep naturally, not from exhaustion
In this post, I’m going to walk you through three foundational strategies I use inside my 1:1 Functional Nutritional Therapy Program to help women reset their energy patterns:
Restore your natural cortisol rhythm
Stabilize blood sugar for better sleep
Address mineral depletion, the missing piece most people overlook
You don’t need to be perfect to change your health. You need the right plan.
Strategy #1 Restore Your Natural Cortisol Rhythm
Your body isn’t bad at sleeping. It’s confused about when it’s supposed to be awake.
Cortisol is your wake-up hormone, essential to:
Feel alert in the morning
Think clearly
Regulate blood sugar
Handle daily stress
Maintain steady energy
A healthy cortisol rhythm rises naturally in the morning, tapers through the afternoon, and lowers at night so melatonin can rise, helping you fall asleep.
When this rhythm is flipped, you may feel:
Groggy in the morning
Dependent on caffeine
Crashing mid-afternoon
Wired at night when you should sleep
How We Disrupt Cortisol Rhythm
Common morning patterns that disrupt cortisol:
Wake up already tired
Grab coffee immediately
Skip breakfast or delay food for hours
Power through the morning
Coffee on an empty stomach amplifies stress and blunts natural cortisol. Skipping breakfast signals scarcity. Your body isn’t lazy. Your rhythm is off.
The Simple Cortisol Reset
Eat within one hour of waking. A protein-packed breakfast with healthy fats and carbs tells your body:
It’s morning
You’re fueled
You’re safe
You can follow your natural rhythm
Benefits include:
Reduced morning sluggishness
Less afternoon crashing
Easier nighttime sleep
Inside my program:
Assess cortisol patterns
Evaluate stress and caffeine habits
Provide realistic breakfast options
Gradually adjust timing for sustainable habits
Consistency retrains your rhythm, not perfection.
Strategy #2 Stabilize Blood Sugar for Better Sleep
Your body isn’t waking you up at night, it’s trying to protect you.
Skipping meals, under-eating, or relying on caffeine spikes and crashes blood sugar, keeping your body on alert. At night, your brain senses a drop and releases stress hormones, causing that wide-awake feeling.
Why Blood Sugar Imbalance is Common
We live in a culture that glorifies:
Skipping breakfast
Running on coffee
Eating “light” all day
Saving meals for dinner
Combine this with perfectionism (“I should be doing this better”) and the cycle continues. You don’t need more discipline. You need steadiness.
How to Stabilize Blood Sugar
Eat within an hour of waking, a balanced, protein-forward breakfast
Build balanced plates at every meal: protein + carbs + healthy fats
Have caffeine only after food to prevent stress spikes
Don’t skip meals, even if not hungry
Consistency > perfection. Small, repeatable habits work best.
Benefits include:
Reduced afternoon crashes
Fewer cravings
Clearer thinking
Stable mood
Fewer nighttime wake-ups
Once blood sugar is stable, sleep strategies actually work.
Strategy #3 Address Mineral Depletion
Your body cannot relax, produce energy, or sleep deeply without minerals like magnesium, potassium, sodium, and trace elements.
These minerals are essential for:
Regulating stress
Supporting cortisol patterns
Stabilizing blood sugar
Producing cellular energy
Calming the nervous system
If you’re depleted, you may feel:
Tired but wired
Physically restless
Dependent on caffeine
Alert at night despite exhaustion
How Mineral Repletion Works
Inside my 1:1 program:
We test first, don’t guess. Functional testing shows mineral deficiencies, cortisol rhythm, and stress response.
Then we create a customized plan including:
Targeted mineral repletion
Food-based nutrient strategies
Nervous system support
Adjustments to caffeine, hydration, and meal timing
Gentle lifestyle shifts
Regular check-ins ensure consistency and accountability.
Benefits include:
Calmer evenings
Deeper sleep
Fewer nighttime wake-ups
Stable mood
Clearer thinking
Steadier energy during the day
Small, repeatable choices, not extremes, build real resilience.
Will This Work for Me?
You might be thinking: I’ve tried everything. Nothing works.
Most women aren’t failing because of effort. They’re working on the wrong things or doing it alone.
Habit-building is the most sustainable way to change your health, especially with:
The right labs
Clear understanding of your body
A personalized plan
Expert guidance and accountability
Example: Stacy worked with me 1:1 for six months. By month one, she was already more focused and less moody. She went from five cups of coffee to one, slept better, and had steady energy all day.
You Don’t Have to Stay on the Hamster Wheel
Restore your cortisol rhythm.
Stabilize your blood sugar.
Replenish minerals.
When you do:
Maintain energy all day
Sleep better at night
Feel present, patient, and productive
Stop figuring it out alone. Let’s make this simple.
Ready for a Personalized Plan?
You don’t need another checklist, more willpower, or to work harder. You need a plan built specifically for your body.
Inside my 1:1 Functional Nutritional Therapy Program, we:
Use functional testing to understand your stress and nutrient patterns
Identify the root drivers of exhaustion, hormone imbalance, and weight gain
Build a step-by-step, personalized plan
Focus on small, repeatable habits
Connect regularly for planning and check-ins
You don’t need perfection. You need consistency, guidance, and someone who knows exactly what your body needs next.
Imagine:
Waking up with steady energy
Getting through the afternoon without crashing
Lying down at night and actually feeling sleepy
If you’re ready for:
A customized plan
Real accountability
Expert guidance
Results that last