What does the 'wired-but-tired' mean? Context as follows : ... Now, every night at 10:30, I tell myself, "It's my bedtime," and if I'm still up at 11:00, I say, "It's thirty minutes past my bedtime." Using a clear rule, instead of "feeling sleepy," helps because too often I get into that restless, wired-but-tired state that tricks me into thinking that I'm not ready for bed, when I'm actually exhausted.