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Stress and Sleep: Why a Busy Mind Won't Settle, and What Helps
Stress and sleep tend to pull on each other: a body still running in a high gear often resists sleep, and poor sleep tends to leave you less able to handle the next day's stress. Many people know the feeling of being exhausted and wired at the same time.
Dr. Mark Halpern teaches how stress affects the body and mind — including how a nervous system that stays "on" can get in the way of rest. A chiropractor and certified HeartMath practitioner, and the author of the book The Coherence Revolution, he focuses on the wind-down: practical ways to help your system shift down a gear before bed.
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What you'll learn
- Why stress and sleep affect each other in both directions
- What the “wired but tired” state is, in plain terms
- How a wind-down routine helps the nervous system shift gears
- Slow, coherence-style breathing to use before bed
- Small evening habits that support settling
- When disrupted sleep is worth taking to a professional
Who it's for
Anyone whose mind won't switch off at night, people who fall asleep exhausted but wake up unsettled, and those whose stressful days are quietly costing them their rest. No experience needed.
Wired but tired
When the day has kept your system in a high gear, bedtime doesn't always switch it off on its own. The body can be exhausted while the nervous system is still running — the familiar "wired but tired" state, where you're too keyed up to drop off even though you're worn out.
In Dr. Mark's experience, this is more often a matter of physiology than willpower. The point isn't how to force sleep; it's how to help the body come down a gear so sleep can arrive on its own.
A wind-down that actually shifts gears
A useful wind-down is less about a long list of rules and more about signalling to the body that the day is over. Slower breathing — the same coherence-style rhythm Dr. Mark teaches elsewhere — a dimmer, quieter environment, and a deliberate easing of pace all help the nervous system step down toward rest.
The aim is a small, repeatable routine you'll actually keep, rather than a perfect one you abandon after a week.
Your instructor
Dr. Mark Halpern
Workplace Wellness, Stress Physiology & Resilience
Dr. Mark Halpern is a chiropractor, author and lecturer who graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto in 1996 and has spent 30 years working with people of all ages — from children and exhausted parents to athletes, lawyers and retired teachers. He is a certified HeartMath practitioner and is also certified in PSYCH-K and Hoʻoponopono. Across his career, he has focused on one question: how stress shapes the way we feel, think and live, and what we can do about it. For over 30 years, Dr. Mark lived with anxiety himself. During the first COVID lockdown, he decided to face it head on. He went back through every book, method and practice he had tried, kept the tools that genuinely worked, and let go of the habits that didn't. That process became his book, **The Coherence Revolution: Finding Flow on Your Journey to the Present Moment**, a practical guide to self-regulation and self-inquiry. On Eduvek, Dr. Mark teaches how stress affects the body and mind — from posture and physical strain to burnout and anxiety — and gives students practical tools and a guided process to build resilience and learn to self-regulate their emotions. His approach is inspired by authors and mentors including Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Bruce Lipton and Gregg Braden. Outside of teaching, he loves hiking, skiing, scuba diving, golf and cycling — especially challenges that keep him fully in the moment — and he's a guitar-playing music lover with a soft spot for Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. *These courses support general wellbeing and stress management. They are not medical or psychological treatment and do not replace care from a doctor, psychologist or licensed therapist.*
View Mark's full profile →These pages are for general education and wellbeing. They are not medical or psychological treatment and do not replace care from a doctor, psychologist or licensed therapist.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I exhausted but still can't fall asleep?
Often because the body is tired but the nervous system is still in a high gear from the day. Sleep tends to come when the system settles, which is why a wind-down that helps you shift gears matters more than simply going to bed earlier.
Can breathing really help me sleep?
Slow, steady breathing before bed is a gentle way to signal to the body that it can settle. It won't force sleep, but it helps create the conditions for it.
Is this a cure for insomnia?
No. This is general wellbeing education about the link between stress and sleep. Persistent sleep problems are worth taking to a doctor or licensed professional, who can look at causes this page can't.
How long before bed should I start winding down?
There's no fixed rule — even ten or fifteen minutes of slower pace and slower breathing can help. The habit of doing it regularly matters more than the exact timing.