It’s 3:14 a.m. Your body is exhausted — but your mind won’t slow down.

In this foundational episode of Overcoming Insomnia, we explore why waking up in the middle of the night doesn’t mean something is wrong with you — and why insomnia is not a sleep ability problem, but a nervous system hyperarousal problem.

Using CBT-I principles and modern neuroscience, you’ll learn:

• Why insomnia is driven by fight-or-flight, not lack of sleep skill
• Why “trying harder” to sleep backfires
• How fear of not sleeping keeps the cycle alive
• Why your brain is actually trying to protect you
• How safety — not effort — is what allows sleep to return

You’ll also hear practical, gentle experiments you can try this week to reduce nighttime anxiety, stop clock-watching, and retrain your brain to associate the bed with calm instead of pressure.

If you’ve ever thought, “My brain won’t shut off,” this episode will help you understand what’s really happening — and why that understanding is the first step toward sleeping again.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or mental health advice.