You finally get to bed at a reasonable hour, sleep for what should be enough time, and still wake up feeling exhausted. Sound familiar?
If so, it can be tempting to assume you just need more sleep. But waking up tired isn’t always about the number of hours you spend in bed. Restorative sleep depends on a much bigger picture. Your body’s internal clock, daily habits, nutrient status, stress levels, and, for some people, even genetics all play a role.
Understanding those connections can help explain why simply going to bed earlier isn’t always enough.
Sleep isn’t just about feeling rested. It’s one of the ways your body coordinates hormone production, immune function, metabolism, digestion, brain health, and recovery. When sleep is consistently disrupted, it’s often one of the first places those interconnected systems begin to show it.
THE BIOLOGY
Every cell in your body runs on an internal clock, and the master version of that clock lives in a tiny region of your brain that responds to light. This is your circadian rhythm, a roughly 24-hour cycle that tells your body when to release cortisol, when to produce melatonin, when to repair tissue, and when to slow digestion down for the night.
This system didn’t develop in a vacuum. Early humans lived outdoors, moving with sunrise and sunset, eating with the seasons. That constant exposure to natural light and dark is literally what shaped how our circadian genes behave. Today, most of us live under artificial light, stare at blue light screens well past sunset, and eat produce flown in from just about any part of the world regardless of season. We’ve lost a lot of the environmental cues our bodies evolved to run on, and our sleep, hormones, and energy are paying for it.
I once heard this analogy: Think of your circadian rhythm as an orchestra conductor. Every organ, hormone, and cell is a different instrument, each with its own part to play at a specific time. When the conductor keeps steady time, guided by cues like light, temperature, food, and movement, everyone plays in sync and the music sounds effortless.
But when those cues become inconsistent through irregular light exposure, eating at random hours, inconsistent bedtimes, or a lack of movement, the conductor has a harder time keeping everyone together. The instruments begin to fall out of sync with one another. Nothing is necessarily broken. The orchestra simply isn’t playing together as well as it could. That’s often what happens when your circadian rhythm is disrupted, and why the effects can be felt throughout your entire body, not just in the quality of your sleep.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
5 Daily Cues That Shape Your Sleep
Circadian rhythm is shaped by five main inputs your body is constantly reading and responding to:
- Light
This is the single strongest cue your body uses to set its clock. Bright light in the morning helps anchor your rhythm and trigger orexin, a hormone that promotes daytime alertness. Blue light in the evening does the opposite. It suppresses melatonin and can interfere with the normal nighttime hormone patterns that support sleep, tissue repair, and recovery. - Temperature
For thousands of years, our ancestors experienced a natural drop in temperature as the sun went down. That cooling evening air became another signal telling the body it was time to wind down for sleep. Today, many of us spend nearly all day in climate-controlled homes, offices, and cars where the temperature changes very little. As a result, we’ve lost one of the natural cues our circadian rhythm evolved to expect. Sleeping in a cooler bedroom can help mimic that natural nighttime temperature drop and support your body’s transition into sleep. - Nutrition & Blood Sugar
When you eat matters, but there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. For many people, finishing dinner two to four hours before bedtime and aiming for a consistent overnight fasting window of about 12 hours gives the body time to complete digestion and shift its focus toward nighttime repair and restoration.
However, that’s not the best approach for everyone. Some people experience blood sugar dips overnight that trigger a rise in cortisol, often leading to waking around 2 or 3 a.m. In those cases, addressing blood sugar regulation becomes just as important as meal timing. Building balanced meals throughout the day with adequate protein, healthy fats, fiber, and quality carbohydrates can help support more stable blood sugar. For some individuals, particularly those who are very active or experiencing overnight blood sugar dips, a small balanced snack that includes a source of complex carbohydrate before bed may help support more restful sleep while blood sugar regulation is improving.
The key is understanding what your body needs rather than following a universal rule. - Movement
Movement is another cue your body uses to reinforce its internal clock. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout. Even small amounts of movement soon after waking, like stretching in bed, getting up to walk to the kitchen for a glass of water, or taking a short walk outside, help signal to your body that it’s time to be awake and alert. Opening your curtains or stepping outside to pair that movement with natural morning light can make that signal even stronger. - Stress
Chronic stress can keep cortisol elevated at the wrong times of day, making it harder to fall asleep or increasing the likelihood of waking during the night. Stress isn’t just emotional, either. Inflammatory foods, alcohol, overexercising, illness, blood sugar imbalances, and even skipping meals can all act as stressors that your body responds to in similar ways.
If you’d like to learn more about how to support your body’s ability to respond to and recover from stress, you can read this blog post, Why Stress Isn’t the Problem—It’s Your Capacity to Recover That Matters.
GENETICS
Sleep isn’t purely behavioral. Your genes influence how sensitive your circadian system is to these daily cues. A few worth knowing:
CLOCK • Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput
CLOCK (no, that’s not a pun!) stands for Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput. And yes, “Kaput” is actually part of the official name, no joke! This gene helps regulate your body’s internal clock, influencing the timing of sleep, hormone release, and many other daily biological rhythms. Variants in this gene may influence your natural sleep timing and how your body responds to the daily cues that regulate your circadian rhythm, such as light and darkness.
VDR • Vitamin D Receptor
Best known for its role in vitamin D signaling, this gene may also influence sleep quality. For some people, certain VDR gene variants, especially when combined with low vitamin D levels, may increase the likelihood of poor sleep. This is one reason checking vitamin D status can be an important part of the bigger picture.
CYP1A2 • Cytochrome P450 1A2
This gene helps determine how quickly your liver breaks down caffeine. Some people naturally process caffeine more slowly than others, which means that afternoon coffee may still be in their system at bedtime. If you’ve ever wondered why your friend can drink an espresso after dinner while you’re wide awake from a 2 p.m. latte, your genes may play a role.
KEY NUTRIENTS & FOODS
Protein
Protein provides two important amino acids for healthy sleep. Tryptophan is the building block your body uses to make serotonin and eventually melatonin, while methionine is needed to produce SAMe, which helps complete the final step of melatonin production.
Found in: Poultry, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, beans, lentils, tofu, and lean meats.
B Vitamins
B vitamins work together throughout the sleep pathway. B1 helps support healthy stomach acid production so protein can be broken down into amino acids. B3, B6, and folate (B9) help convert tryptophan into serotonin and support the production of calming neurotransmitters like GABA.
Found in: Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, legumes, leafy greens, whole grains, potatoes, bananas, and nutritional yeast.
Minerals
Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and manganese support the enzymes involved in making serotonin, melatonin, and GABA. They also play important roles in nervous system function, muscle relaxation, and overnight repair.
Found in: Pumpkin seeds, almonds, leafy greens, legumes, dairy, seafood, lean meats, and whole grains.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C supports several enzymes involved in neurotransmitter production and helps protect cells from oxidative stress. It also works alongside many other nutrients involved in healthy sleep.
Found in: Bell peppers, citrus, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, and tomatoes.
Antioxidants
Making melatonin isn’t your body’s only overnight priority. While you sleep, your body is also repairing tissues and managing oxidative stress. Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables provides antioxidants that support these natural repair processes and may help preserve nutrients like SAMe for the many jobs they perform.
Found in: Berries, cherries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, colorful peppers, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, and spices.
HERBAL SUPPORT
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is one of my favorite herbs to introduce when talking about sleep because it’s gentle, well-known, and has been used for centuries to support relaxation. Research suggests it may help improve sleep quality and reduce nighttime awakenings for some people. While chamomile is generally considered safe, it’s still important to check for potential medication interactions or allergies, especially if you’re sensitive to plants in the daisy family. Like any herb, I think of chamomile as a way to support the body, not replace the foundations. Building healthy sleep habits, nourishing your body, and addressing the factors contributing to poor sleep are still where the biggest changes happen.
WHERE TO START
5 Practical Steps for Better Sleep
You don’t need to change everything overnight (pun intended). Better sleep is built through small, consistent habits that help reinforce your body’s natural rhythms and give your nervous system opportunities to shift into rest and recovery. Choose one or two of these habits to focus on before adding more.
1. Get Morning Light
Morning light is one of the strongest cues your body uses to set its internal clock. Getting bright light soon after waking helps signal that it’s daytime and supports a healthy sleep-wake rhythm.
What this looks like in real life: Drink your morning coffee outside, walk the dog, or spend 5–10 minutes on the porch within about 30 minutes of waking. Can’t make it outside? Ridiculously cold weather is a perfectly good reason, in my opinion! Open your blinds or curtains and look toward the bright morning sky. Notice I said sky, not directly at the sun. Your eyes will thank you.
If you live somewhere with dark winters or don’t have access to much natural light in the morning, a bright light therapy lamp designed for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may be another option. These lamps are designed to provide much brighter light than normal indoor lighting and can help provide a stronger morning light cue when sunlight is limited.
2. Support Stable Blood Sugar
Blood sugar stability plays an important role in sleep quality. For some people, overnight drops in blood sugar can trigger counter-regulatory hormones, including cortisol, which may contribute to waking during the night.
What this looks like in real life: Eat balanced meals throughout the day that include protein, healthy fats, fiber, and quality carbohydrates. If you regularly wake around 2–3 a.m., it may be worth looking at your overall blood sugar patterns, meal timing, and whether you’re eating enough throughout the day.
Blood sugar balance is also an important foundation we work on within Ground the Body, one part of my Thrive in Your G.E.N.E.S. Framework. The framework looks at the bigger picture of your health, including nutrition, stress resilience, food sensitivities, genetics, and sustainable habits. Supporting steadier blood sugar is one of the foundational ways we can support energy, mood, and sleep throughout that process.
3. Create an Evening Environment That Signals Sleep
Just as morning light tells your body it’s time to wake up, your evening environment can help signal that it’s time to wind down. Lower light levels, cooler temperatures, less stimulation, and familiar routines can all reinforce the transition from daytime alertness to nighttime rest.
Think about the bedtime routines we create for children. A bath, pajamas, brushing teeth, and a bedtime story become familiar cues that bedtime is coming. Adults aren’t so different. Creating your own evening ritual can give your brain and body predictable signals that it’s time to shift gears.
What this looks like in real life: An hour or two before bed, dim the overhead lights, lower the thermostat, and reduce bright screens when you can. Then choose a simple ritual you genuinely enjoy. For you, that might be taking a warm bath or shower, making a cup of chamomile tea, reading a few pages of a book, stretching, writing down something you’re grateful for, praying, or listening to calming music. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. The consistency of the ritual is what helps turn it into a familiar cue that the day is winding down.
Your bedtime routine doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s, and it doesn’t need to be a complicated, multi-step process. Choose something that feels calming and realistic enough to repeat.
4. Give Your Brain Somewhere to Put Your Day
Sometimes your body is ready for sleep, but your brain is still running through tomorrow’s to-do list, replaying conversations, planning ahead, or reminding you of something you don’t want to forget. Rather than trying to force your mind to be quiet, it can be helpful to acknowledge those thoughts without getting caught up in them.
What this looks like in real life: Keep a small notebook and pen on your nightstand. You can spend a few minutes before bed doing a quick brain dump of unfinished tasks, worries, or anything you want to remember tomorrow. If something pops into your head after you’ve gone to bed, write that down too. Then gently remind yourself, “Thank you, brain, for the reminder. I’ve written it down, and I can come back to it tomorrow.” Sometimes putting those thoughts somewhere outside of your head can make it a little easier to let the day go.
But not every thought is a to-do that can be written down. If your brain is particularly chatty, try labeling your thoughtsrather than following them. As a thought comes up, simply notice what kind of thought it is: “That’s a planning thought.” “That’s a rehearsing thought.” “That’s an imaginary conversation.” “That’s a worrying thought.” Then notice what comes next. The goal isn’t to get rid of your thoughts or force your mind to be quiet. It’s to notice them without automatically getting pulled into the story they’re trying to tell.
5. Keep a Consistent Sleep and Wake Schedule
Your circadian rhythm loves consistency. Going to bed and waking up around the same time each day gives your internal clock predictable cues for when it’s time to be alert and when it’s time to wind down. But consistency doesn’t mean following an exact schedule down to the minute.
What this looks like in real life: Aim to keep your bedtime and wake time within about an hour of your usual schedule most days, including weekends when possible. A late dinner, weekend plans, travel, or simply life will sometimes shift your routine, and that’s okay. If you stay up later or sleep in one morning, simply return to your usual rhythm when you can. Think consistency over perfection. Your body benefits from predictable patterns, not rigid rules.
LOOKING FOR PERSONALIZED SUPPORT
How the G.E.N.E.S. Framework Can Support Better Sleep
If there’s one thing I hope you’ve taken away from this article, it’s that sleep doesn’t happen in isolation. Your nutrition, blood sugar, stress response, environment, genetics, and daily habits can all influence how well you sleep and how rested you feel the next morning.
That’s why sleep is something we look at through the bigger picture in my Thrive in Your G.E.N.E.S. Framework:
G – Ground the Body: Build supportive foundations around nutrition, blood sugar, movement, sleep, and other daily rhythms.
E – Explore Your Genetic Blueprint: Understand how genetic differences may influence things like your circadian rhythm, caffeine metabolism, nutrient needs, and stress response.
N – Navigate Food Sensitivities: Explore whether certain foods may be contributing to digestive discomfort or other symptoms that make restful sleep more difficult.
E – Enhance Resilience: Support your nervous system and build your capacity to respond to and recover from the stressors that can keep your mind and body on alert.
S – Simplify & Sustain: Turn what you’ve learned about your body into realistic habits that fit your actual life, rather than another complicated wellness routine you can’t maintain.
Sleep may be where you’re noticing the problem, but it may not be the only place worth looking. When we look at nutrition, stress resilience, food sensitivities, genetics, and daily habits together, we can begin to see patterns that might be missed when focusing on sleep alone.
If you’re tired of trying to piece everything together on your own and want to explore what a more personalized approach could look like, I invite you to book a complimentary Wellness Blueprint Call. We’ll talk about what you’ve been experiencing, what you’ve already tried, and whether working together might be a good fit.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There may be seasons when getting consistently restful sleep simply isn’t realistic. You may be raising young children, caring for an aging parent, navigating a demanding season at work, or staying up late waiting for your teenager to get home. Sometimes life itself interrupts sleep, and no perfectly optimized bedtime routine is going to change that.
During those seasons, the goal doesn’t have to be perfect sleep. Instead, focus on supporting your body with the things that are within your control. Nourish yourself well, support stable blood sugar, get morning light, move your body, create opportunities for your nervous system to recover, and give yourself some flexibility when life doesn’t go according to plan.
And remember, seasons change. What your sleep looks like right now isn’t necessarily what it will look like forever.
If you’re consistently waking up tired, your body may be giving you useful information. Sleep is about more than the number of hours you spend in bed. Your circadian rhythm, nutrition, blood sugar, stress, nutrient status, genetics, environment, and current season of life can all be part of the story.
You don’t have to address everything at once. Start with one small change, notice how your body responds, and build from there. Sometimes understanding why you’re not sleeping well is the first step toward getting the rest you need.
Medical Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplements, medications, or healthcare plan.
REFERENCES
Burns, A. C., Saxena, R., Vetter, C., Phillips, A. J. K., Lane, J. M., & Cain, S. W. (2021). Time spent in outdoor light is associated with mood, sleep, and circadian rhythm-related outcomes: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study in over 400,000 UK Biobank participants. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 347–352. ScienceDirect
Efficientcoach. (n.d.). Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Support through Genomics. Functional Genomics & Nutrition Coach, Module 8. Naturalistico.
Gršković, P., & Korać, P. (2023). Circadian gene variants in diseases. Genes, 14(9), 1703. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14091703
Kazemi, A., Shojaei-Zarghani, S., Eskandarzadeh, P., & Hashempur, M. H. (2024). Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 84, 103071. ScienceDirect
Menezes-Júnior, L. A. A., Sabião, T. S., Moura, S. S., Batista, A. P., Menezes, M. C., Carraro, J. C. C., Machado-Coelho, G. L. L., & Meireles, A. L. (2024). The role of interaction between vitamin D and VDR FokI gene polymorphism (rs2228570) in sleep quality of adults. Scientific Reports, 14, 8141. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58561-2
Natalia A., Sarah M., & Justin S. (2026). Genetic variations in CYP1A2 and ADORA2A influence caffeine consumption behaviors. Unlocking Life’s Code. Genetic variations in CYP1A2 and ADORA2A influence caffeine consumption behaviors
Rose, L. (n.d.). Strengths + Sleep [Lecture and PowerPoint slides]. Hill College, Clinicals 1.