Lennon wrote the song during the Beatles' stay in India about insomnia he was having due to constant meditation and because he missed Yoko Ono.

Lennon wrote the song at a Transcendental Meditation camp when he could not sleep; the Beatles had gone on a retreat to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India.

After three weeks of constant meditation and lectures, Lennon missed Ono, with whom he had yet to start a relationship, and was plagued by insomnia, which inspired the song.

One of dozens of songs the Beatles wrote in India, "I'm So Tired" detailed Lennon's fragile state of mind.

The Beatles later performed the song, with McCartney singing lead vocal, in a jam session in Twickenham Film Studios in 1969.

"[5] Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its release, Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent listed "I'm So Tired" at number 18 in his ranking of the White Album's 30 tracks.