745: Why You’re Wired, Tired, and Awake at 3AM (And What to Do About It) with Dr. Scott Sherr

Energized with Dr. Mariza

Dr. Mariza Snyder

Alternative Health, Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.8 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why are so many women waking up exhausted… but unable to shut their brain off?” In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Scott Sherr to unpack the hidden nervous system and biochemical shifts driving sleep struggles, anxiety, exhaustion, and feeling “wired and tired” in midlife. Together, they explore why women in perimenopause often lose stress resilience, why the brain gets stuck in overdrive at night, and how neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin, adenosine, and cortisol shape sleep quality, recovery, and mood. They also dive into the powerful connection between mitochondrial health, nervous system regulation, energy production, and why building more “reserve” may be the missing key to feeling calm, focused, and resilient again. If you’ve been struggling with middle-of-the-night wakeups, burnout, anxiety, or feeling like your brain never truly powers down, this episode will help connect the dots—and offer practical solutions that actually move the needle. Dr. Scott Sherr Dr. Scott Sherr is a physician, health optimization expert, and Chief Operating Officer of Troscriptions. His work focuses on nervous system regulation, mitochondrial health, hyperbaric medicine, sleep optimization, and performance medicine. He is passionate about helping people improve resilience, energy, recovery, and cognitive performance through science-backed strategies and targeted support. IN THIS EPISODE Why so many women feel “wired and tired” in perimenopause The real reason behind 2–3 AM wakeups and racing thoughts How GABA, cortisol, serotonin, and adenosine impact sleep and stress Why nervous system regulation is essential for resilience and recovery The connection between mitochondrial health, energy, and brain function How chronic stress and sympathetic overload affect hormones and mood Practical tools to support sleep, focus, calm, and nervous system balance QUOTES “Sleep will make or break you the next day—especially in this season of life.” “To increase your performance is having more reserve.” “You’re not meant to live in a state of disruption, exhaustion, and feeling wired and tired all the time.” RESOURCES MENTIONED Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your Troscription Order http://troscriptions.com/ENERGIZED Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ Order https://www.mitoq.com/energized%C2%A0 Troscriptions Website Dr. Scott Sherr Instagram Dr. Scott Sherr Youtube RELATED EPISODES 744: The Midlife Brain Reset: How to Protect Your Memory, Focus & Mental Sharpness Starting Now 717: “I Don’t Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause 728: Why Brain Fog Isn’t Random: The Hormone Shift Behind It 593: Why EVERYONE Needs Progesterone in Perimenopause & Beyond with Carol Petersen

Transcript

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0:00.0	Most of us these days are running on that sympathetic nervous system, staying in that fight or flight, and then just dropping down, dead, tired, and then trying to sleep, then doing it all over again.
0:12.6	I always say that sleep will make or break you the next day, especially in this season of life.
0:16.8	To increase your performance is having more reserve. So we all really want in life more reserve, more capacity to get our nervous system up
0:25.7	when we need to, but then calm it down when we don't need it to be that activated.
0:30.3	Welcome back to the energized with Dr. Marisa podcast.
0:34.5	I'm your host, Dr. Marisa, and I'm here to help you rock your hormones,
0:39.1	optimize your metabolic health, and feel energized in your body so that you can age
0:43.8	powerfully and wake up feeling amazing in your body for many years to come. Let's jump on in.
0:50.8	There are a few things that are more devastating to a woman in midlife than waking up at two or three in the morning.
0:59.4	And your body is still exhausted, but your brain is just on.
1:05.0	Not anxious exactly, not spiraling, although you get to that place.
1:10.4	It's just that your brain won't go back to sleep.
1:13.7	Replaying your day, thinking about everything that you need to do the next day, ideas popping up,
1:19.4	and sleep simply doesn't come back. And then here you are in the next day and you are running on fumes.
1:29.0	Your patience is thinner. Your energy is off. You're doing all the things that you have to do, but something isn't clicking, right?
1:35.5	Your brain just isn't turning on the way that it's supposed to. Now, this sounds familiar.
1:41.5	I need you to know that you are not alone. There are millions of women in
1:44.5	midlife. They are struggling with this. And more importantly, this isn't random. In today's
1:50.0	conversation, I'm sitting back down with Dr. Scott Shear and we're going deeper into what is
1:55.2	happening underneath all of this, especially when it comes to your nervous system, your sleep,
2:00.4	and your energy, because it's
2:02.0	not just one thing that drives those two or three o'clock in the morning wake-ups. Now, we're going to
	...

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