You know that feeling where you are absolutely exhausted…
…but somehow still wide awake?
Your body is tired.
Your eyes are burning.
You could genuinely fall asleep sitting upright on the couch at 3:47pm.
But then bedtime rolls around and suddenly:
- your brain starts replaying every conversation you’ve had this week
- your legs feel restless
- your shoulders are still sitting up near your ears
- and your nervous system acts like it just had an espresso martini
Welcome to “tired but wired.”
What’s actually happening?
This is one of the biggest things I explain to patients in clinic.
Because most people assume:
“If I’m tired, I should just fall asleep.”
But your body doesn’t work like that.
You can be physically exhausted
and still neurologically switched on.
That’s the important part.
Your nervous system has two main modes:
- go mode → alert, stress response, survival mode
- rest mode → recovery, digestion, healing, sleep
And honestly?
Most mums I see are spending the entire day stuck somewhere between:
“mild emergency”
and
“holding it together with caffeine and pure admin.”
Your body keeps score
All day your nervous system is processing:
- noise
- notifications
- mental load
- decision fatigue
- overstimulation
- being touched constantly
- thinking three steps ahead for everybody
Even if you look “fine” externally… your nervous system is still working overtime internally.
And the thing most people miss?
Your body cannot heal properly while it still feels under threat.
So when the day finally stops… your body doesn’t instantly relax.
Because biologically, it still thinks there’s things happening.
This is why you suddenly feel MORE awake at night
You know that weird second wind you get around 9pm?
That’s often your body overshooting tiredness and moving straight into stress chemistry.
Cortisol and adrenaline can keep circulating even when you are exhausted.
Which is why you can feel:
- tired but alert
- heavy but restless
- exhausted but unable to switch off
This is also why so many women tell me:
“I finally sit down… and suddenly my brain won’t stop.”
Because that’s the first quiet moment your nervous system has had all day.
Not sure what you need?
Find your magnesium fit in 10 seconds.
Where magnesium fits
This is why magnesium can be so helpful at night.
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of biochemical processes in the body, but one of its biggest jobs is supporting:
- muscle relaxation
- nervous system regulation
- stress response modulation
- sleep quality
And when people are stressed, overstimulated, underslept and running on adrenaline all day?
They tend to burn through magnesium faster.
Which often shows up as:
- tight muscles
- restless legs
- jaw clenching
- poor sleep
- that “can’t fully relax” feeling
It’s not that magnesium “sedates” you.
It helps support the body’s ability to downshift properly.
Big difference.
The realistic version of a night routine
Not the Pinterest version.
The actual version.
The tired Tuesday night version where you have approximately 4% battery left as a human being.
This is what I tell patients to start with:
- Put your phone down earlier than you want to
- Dim the lights
- Rub magnesium cream onto your feet, legs or shoulders
- Take five slower breaths
- Stop trying to “optimise” everything
That’s enough.
Seriously.
Your nervous system responds better to consistency than intensity.
You do not need to earn rest
I think a lot of mums feel like they need to finish everything before they’re “allowed” to relax.
But there will always be:
- another lunchbox
- another load of washing
- another email
- another thing someone needs from you
Your body still deserves support before you hit breaking point.
And sometimes helping your nervous system calm down a little?
Is the difference between waking up feeling destroyed… and waking up feeling like you can actually function.
If your body feels exhausted but your brain won’t switch off…
This is the one we’d reach for before bed.
