Tired But Wired”? Here’s What Your Body’s Trying to Tell You - And How to Fix It

September 4, 2025

You’re mentally exhausted - but can’t stop overthinking. You fall asleep late, wake up groggy, and run on caffeine until your heart feels like it’s sprinting.

If this sounds familiar, you may be stuck in the “tired but wired” state - where your sympathetic nervous system is stuck in high gear and your body can’t find the brakes.

This state is more common than you think. In a culture of caffeine highs, blue light lows, and non-stop notifications, the nervous system is constantly being triggered. But what does that actually mean on a physiological level - and more importantly, how can you fix it?

The Science Behind “Tired But Wired”

In a healthy state, your body alternates between stress and recovery through a system called the HPA axis - the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This system regulates cortisol, your primary stress hormone, helping you respond to challenges and then reset back into rest mode.

But in high-functioning people - entrepreneurs, athletes, caregivers - this axis often becomes dysregulated. Cortisol remains chronically elevated, and your nervous system gets stuck in a sympathetic (“fight or flight”) loop. The result? You’re exhausted, but wired. You want to relax, but can’t.

These effects accumulate over time, leading to:

Trouble falling or staying asleep
Energy crashes during the day
Sugar or salt cravings
Irritability or emotional reactivity
Reduced muscle recovery
Decreased libido
Immune dysfunction
Poor concentration and brain fog

And if your stress is long-standing, your body starts to forget what calm even feels like.

Signs Your Nervous System is Out of Balance

How do you know if you’re “tired but wired”? Here are a few of the most common signs:

You wake up feeling unrested - even after a full night of sleep
You rely on caffeine just to feel normal
You feel physically drained but mentally overstimulated
Your sleep is light or restless
You experience mood swings, anxiety, or sugar cravings
You feel like you can’t shut your brain off at night

In many people, this state becomes their new normal - but it doesn’t have to be.

Ashwagandha: A Root for Resilience

Ashwagandha is one of the few natural tools that directly supports both sleep and energy - by regulating the system that controls them.

It works by gently lowering serum cortisol and improving HRV (heart rate variability), giving your nervous system a much-needed exhale. For people who don't even realize their stress is chronic, this kind of intervention can be life-changing.

Clinical research shows improvements in:

In one prominent clinical trial, participants taking 600 mg/day experienced up to a 30% reduction in cortisol levels, with parallel improvements in energy, mood, and sleep.

Pair it with good sleep hygiene, magnesium, and breathwork - and watch your baseline shift.

How to Take Ashwagandha for Best Results

There are currently no randomized controlled trials comparing different times of day for ashwagandha dosing. So while there’s no research-backed “best” time, most clinical studies showing benefits use a twice-daily schedule, typically 300 mg in the morning and 300 mg in the evening.

Some individuals choose to take it in the morning to support energy, focus, and mood throughout the day. Others prefer taking it in the evening to help relax the nervous system and promote deeper sleep - especially since cortisol should naturally taper off later in the day. Both approaches are reasonable, and many find that splitting the dose offers balanced effects.

Some athletes and fitness enthusiasts also choose to take it post-workout, aiming to support recovery. While this isn’t specifically studied in clinical trials, it aligns with ashwagandha’s known benefits for strength, performance, and reducing markers of physical stress.

Bottom line: Timing is flexible. Focus on consistent daily use at a clinically supported dose - typically 600 mg/day split into two doses - for best results over time.

Final Thoughts: Calm Is a Competitive Advantage

Ashwagandha isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing smarter.

In a world that praises hustle and output, true resilience means being able to recover as hard as you perform. If your nervous system has forgotten how to relax, it might be time to teach it again - from the inside out.

You don’t need more hustle - you need more harmony. And sometimes, that starts with just one root!

References

Cheah KL, Norhayati MN, Husniati Yaacob L, Abdul Rahman R. Effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2021;16(9):e0257843. Published 2021 Sep 24. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257843
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Ashwagandha: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated June 4, 2024. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Ashwagandha-HealthProfessional/
Salve J, Pate S, Debnath K, Langade D. Adaptogenic and Anxiolytic Effects of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Healthy Adults: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study. Cureus. 2019;11(12):e6466. Published 2019 Dec 25. doi:10.7759/cureus.6466
Smith SJ, Lopresti AL, Fairchild TJ. Exploring the efficacy and safety of a novel standardized ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract (Witholytin®) in adults experiencing high stress and fatigue in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Psychopharmacol. 2023;37(11):1091-1104. doi:10.1177/02698811231200023
Thau L, Gandhi J, Sharma S. Physiology, Cortisol. [Updated 2023 Aug 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239/