Winter nights and insomnia - are spirits more active when you're sleep deprived?

Not sure if this belongs here but I'm struggling with terrible insomnia through the winter months and I've noticed that on the nights I can't sleep, I seem to experience more... activity. Noises I don't usually hear, shadows moving, that sort of thing.

Last night I was awake at 3am (proper freezing, couldn't get warm) and I swear I heard footsteps in the hallway. Checked everything, nothing there. But it got me thinking - am I actually experiencing something paranormal or is my exhausted brain just processing normal sounds differently?

Does anyone else have weird experiences during their sleepless nights? And more is there any actual logic to spirits being more active in winter darkness?

Sleep deprivation absolutely messes with your perception. Your brain's running on empty and gets hyperactive trying to make sense of random stimuli. Every creaking floorboard becomes a ghost, every shadow movement is sinister. Could be paranormal or could be your exhausted mind playing tricks. Probably best to focus on the insomnia itself - that's the real issue.

The winter solstice period does supposedly have thinner barriers between worlds according to various spiritual traditions, though that's more about the cycle of the year than just darkness. But also mate, sort out your sleep. If you're up at 3am in winter, of course everything feels creepy and strange. Your nervous system's stressed.

I had exactly this problem - turned out I had sleep apnoea. When you're not getting proper sleep, your brain gets weird and paranoid. Went to the doctor, got it sorted, paranormal experiences mysteriously stopped. Might be worth getting checked out?