Why does anxiety keep us up at night?

Question

I know I’m tired, I feel tired, yet if I try to fall asleep, my body wakes itself up.

In: Other

Answer 1

Because you are wired to be anxious about immediate life-or-death issues, like rustling in the grass caused by a large predator. You don’t want to fall asleep, that is how you get eaten.

Now, you are most likely anxious about less existential threats, such as giving a good presentation for your work team.

Unfortunately, your body is not good at dialing down on unresolved anxiety about modern issues. So, you’re wide awake at 3 am due to work jitters.