“Cortisol and the Crash: Why You Feel Wired-Tired”
If you’ve ever had a day where you feel like your body is moving but your brain isn’t — or vice versa — you’ve felt the cortisol crash.
It’s one of the most common and least understood states in CSR recovery.
You’re not just tired.
You’re tired and overstimulated.
You’re not just fatigued.
You’re adrenergized — but with no gas in the tank.
This is what we call the “wired-tired” state, and cortisol is the reason.
What Does “Wired-Tired” Actually Mean?
It means your nervous system is activated (your stress hormones are elevated), but your cellular energy and emotional stability are depleted.
You feel:
- Restless but unmotivated
- Like you need to move but don’t want to
- Unable to focus, even though you’re “on”
- Foggy, irritable, detached — but still wired
This isn’t in your head.
This is cortisol misfiring — or trying to “help” when your system is already maxed out.
The Cortisol Curve (And Where It Goes Wrong)
In a healthy rhythm, your cortisol looks like a wave:
- Rises gently in the morning
- Peaks within the first hour
- Slowly drops off through the afternoon
- Is low by evening, letting melatonin rise
But when you’re dysregulated:
- The morning spike is too sharp
- The drop is too steep
- Your body compensates with adrenaline or cortisol rebounds in the afternoon or early evening
This creates the crash-and-buzz cycle:
- You feel mentally flat around 11 AM or 3 PM
- Then feel activated or anxious by 5 PM
- Then have trouble sleeping, starting the whole thing again
Why It Matters for CSR
CSR recovery depends on:
- Rested eyes
- Stable nervous system
- Low inflammatory hormone load
But a wired-tired state keeps you in:
- Sympathetic activation (fight-or-flight)
- Circulating cortisol and epinephrine
- Poor tissue recovery windows, especially in the retina and nervous system
You may be sitting still, but your system is behaving like it’s running from a lion.
The eye doesn’t heal well in that state.
What You Can Do to Break the Pattern
You need predictable energy, not peaks and crashes. That means smoothing the curve — and that starts with routine.
Midday Stabilizers:
- Eat a protein-fat-mineral meal between 11 AM and 1 PM.
No high-carb crashes, no skipping. Feed your nervous system. - Go outside for 5–10 minutes.
Light exposure tells your body it’s still daytime. It resets the curve. - Move gently.
A short walk, a stretch break, or 5 minutes of floor breathing helps shift your nervous system. - Add magnesium or electrolytes.
Especially if you’re feeling spacey or irritable. These help drop cortisol and support adrenal function. - Avoid more caffeine.
The crash is not a call for another coffee. It’s a sign to recalibrate.
Final Thought
You’re not lazy. You’re not inconsistent. You’re not broken.
You’re likely in a state of compensating for a curve your body can’t stabilize on its own yet.
That’s not failure — it’s information. And once you know that, you can shift it.
Next up in Entry 8:
“Why You Can’t Sleep: Cortisol Spikes at Night”
We’ll dive into why nights are restless, sleep is shallow, and what to do when your body can’t find the off switch.
Stay with it. You’re getting there.
