The Sunday Night Sleep Struggle: A Sleep Coach’s Honest Story

chevy mermelstein
Dec 11, 2025
3 min read

Yesterday, I wrote about my daughter Brenda — how she can’t wake up for school but pops out of bed at 6 AM on weekends. (If you missed it, go read it — it’s wild).

https://www.chevymermelsteinsleepcoach.org/post/why-my-10-year-old-can-t-wake-up-for-school-but-pops-out-of-bed-at-6-am-on-weekends

Today is the adult version of that story.

Because if Brenda’s sleep is shaped by her thoughts, guess what?

So is mine.

So is yours.

So is every adult who’s ever stared at the ceiling at 1 AM on a Sunday night wondering why their brain suddenly decided to hold a board meeting.

Here’s the honest truth:

Even though I’ve been helping people sleep for years…

Even though I understand sleep from every angle…

Even though I’ve personally healed from my own insomnia…

Sunday nights still get me.

And I hear the same thing all the time from clients:

“Chevy, why is Sunday night SO hard? I was sleeping fine over the weekend.”

Well, here’s the reason — and it has nothing to do with your pillow and everything to do with your brain.

Reason #1: “I must sleep — I have so much to do this week.”

The pressure starts before you even lie down.

Sunday night feels like the official beginning of the entire coming week:

meals to cook
kids' schedules
appointments
work
calls
responsibilities
expectations
the never-ending to-do list

Your brain interprets Sunday night as a “performance night.”

And performance nights always trigger pressure:

“I have to sleep.”
“I need a good night tonight.”
“If I don’t sleep, my whole week will fall apart.”

That pressure becomes fear. Fear becomes tension. Tension becomes wakefulness.

And here’s the part most people don’t realize:

The problem isn’t the lack of sleep. The problem is the pressure to sleep.

Reason #2: Catastrophizing (It hits at 2 AM, not 10 PM)

This part is almost comical — if it weren’t so real.

When I get into bed on Sunday night, I usually feel calm.

Confident.

Peaceful.

Like, “Okay, I’m going to sleep early, I’m set, I’ve got this.”

Then 2 AM rolls around.

And suddenly, my brain is like:

“You have so much to do tomorrow.”
“You won’t function without sleep.”
“You’re going to be exhausted.”
“You’ll fall behind.”
“What if the whole week is ruined?”
“What if this becomes a pattern?”

And yes — even I catastrophize sometimes.

Because catastrophizing is not a “sleep disorder thing.”

It’s a human thing.

It’s our brain trying to predict, protect, and prepare.

In fact, research shows that people report significantly more anxiety and sleep disturbance on Sunday nights than any other night of the week. Many surveys show that 60–70% of adults experience “Sunday-night anxiety” regularly.

You are not alone.

You are not broken.

You are human.

Reason #3: Going to bed too early (The trap almost everyone falls into)

This one gets me every time.

Sunday night arrives and I think:

“Let me be smart.

Let me go to bed early.

Let me be a functional adult tomorrow.”

Except… I’m not actually tired.

So instead of sleeping, I lie in bed trying to sleep. And trying to sleep is the fastest way to guarantee you won’t.

This is the part I want to scream from the rooftops:

If you aren’t tired, going to bed early backfires. It activates your mind instead of relaxing it.

This is where the Sunday-night spiral begins.

So yes — even sleep coaches struggle.

And that’s why I’m writing this blog. Not to give you solutions. But simply to normalize your experience.

Because if you’ve ever thought:

“Why am I the only one who can’t sleep on Sunday?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Why do I sleep perfectly on Saturday but fall apart the night before work?”

Nothing is wrong with you.

Sunday-night insomnia is incredibly common — even for someone who has taken sleeping pills, even for someone who has healed, even for someone who teaches this every day.

Me.

You’re normal. You’re human. And you’re not alone.

If your Sunday nights feel like this too… let’s talk. (CTA)

You don’t need to keep battling your mind every Sunday night.

You can book a free 30-minute discovery call with me: 👉 https://calendly.com/chevymermelstein/30min

No pressure.

Just a warm conversation to see what’s going on in your mind — and how we can shift it.