The Wake Maintenance Zone Explained

Why do you sometimes feel a sudden burst of energy right before you’re supposed to go to bed?

It’s a phenomenon called the "Wake Maintenance Zone". Throughout the day, your "sleep homeostat"

is building up pressure, making you want to rest. To keep you functional, your internal circadian

clock actually works harder in the late afternoon and evening to oppose that sleepiness. This creates a window—usually

a few hours before your body starts producing melatonin—where your cognitive performance and alertness can

actually improve, even though you’ve been awake for 14 hours or more. If you’ve ever struggled

with insomnia right at bedtime, you might just be caught in this high-energy biological buffer.

We’re diving into the tug-of-war between your brain and your pillow. Catch the full story