Dr. Antonio Hernández, expert in nutrition: “If you start sleeping poorly and wake up at night, it means you’re on high alert”

Stress tends to show up when you least expect it, quietly taking a toll before you notice. That is the warning from Dr. Antonio Hernández, a physician specializing in nutrition, integrative medicine and anti-aging, who recently spoke about the first signs of nervous system overload during an interview on the entrepreneurship podcast “Tengo un Plan.”

During the conversation, Hernández outlined a series of symptoms many people tend to normalize but that, according to him, clearly indicate a prolonged state of alert. “If you start sleeping poorly, have trouble falling asleep, and wake up during the night, it means you are on high alert and have a lot of leftover adrenaline that keeps waking you up throughout the night,” he said.

Poor sleep a red flag for unmanaged stress

Hernández explained that sleep problems are usually accompanied by noticeable emotional changes. “You get irritable, snap at people, become hypersensitive. Light, sounds and other people start to bother you, and you feel an urge to isolate yourself,” he said.

According to the doctor, these symptoms are linked to a nervous system that has exceeded its capacity to process stimuli. The instinct to withdraw, he added, is not a personality flaw but a built-in defense mechanism of the body trying to protect itself.

Everyday symptoms the key to spotting the problem

Another key point Hernández emphasized is that clinical tests are not always necessary to recognize what is happening. What matters most is paying closer attention to everyday symptoms as a form of prevention.

“There is no need to go looking for cortisol,” the doctor said, stressing that the body often sends clear signals long before bloodwork confirms anything is wrong.

Do you agree with his reflections?

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