Anyone have a hard time sleeping after tough workouts?

NicoleC

After tough workouts (3 hours or more) I have a hard time sleeping that night (I am unable to take a nap either).  I am really tired, but the sleeping isn't coming easy.  In contrast, if I only work out an hour or two I sleep like a log, and get a nice fitful sleep in.  

Anyone else have this problem after long workouts?  If so, what do you do to combat it? 

Thanks,

Nicole

henrysacco

Hi Nicole, I haven’t had many long workouts lately due to the OS, but l had the same problem last year later in the season. One thing i started to notice was that my nutrition had a lot to do with sleep habits. Those times when i didn’t refuel properly, i had trouble sleeping as well as just a general feeling of malaise. I'm definitely interested in hearing what others have to say about it.

Carl

Nicole-
Agree 100% with Henry. Also be sure to listen to your body. One of the # 1 signs of over training is poor sleeping. I like to check my resting pulse as soon as I wake up in the morning and before really moving. If it seems high for you then take a day off. What I have learned throughout this OS stuff is #1....it is no joke and it will take you out of you allow it. I was lucky to have a friend that would stay on top of me in the beginning and tell me to stand down d/t the fact I was trying to lift and add extra things in because I didnt think what I was doing was enough. It only took me two weeks to fiqure out that I was getting SMOKED in the OS.

Bottom line my friend is to listen carefully to your body and take all the days off you need. Better to take a few now then weeks or months for a nagging injury lurking to bust out.

Steve West

x2 on the fatigue issue as a possible cause. Like Carl, I moniter my resting HR daily. I track it in a spreadsheet along with weight so I can look at it in graph form. Lets me see trends that warn me if something is off....

jwpicciotto

@Nicole, I have issues with body tempurature regulation after hard workouts. I find that I feel like I am hot. I am not a fan of ice baths, but I do find that if I use a cold pack on my forehead or the back of the neck, I can get to sleep. Soemtimes I also have issues with fatigue where my legs don't necessarily ache, but they definitely let me know that they are there. Not sure what symptoms you are seeing that are interfering with your sleep. Overtraining can be an issue, but 90% of people can never push themselves to the point of actual overtraining, but they always worry about it. You might be the 10% so it doesn't hurt to check. Part of the issue is to be mindful of your body. If you are having issues falling asleep do a quick mental inventory. Start at your toes and work your way up. See if you can isolate what is causing the issue.

I also assume that you are not using any fuel during your workouts that contain caffeine. I had a guy I worked with who used gels with caffeine when he ran in the evening and then he complained that he couldn't get to sleep at night after a workout.

CharlieH

Have you tried Melatonin? Google it, I used to find sleep didn't come easy after hard workouts a few years back - the tried this after googling it and finding many sports people recommended it. I use it to combat jetlag, it's a gem. All natural, just keeps your circadian rhythms in check.

Mike Hedman

To answer your question - Heck no! I don't think I've had trouble falling asleep.

The one situation where I do have trouble is when I workout late in the day or early evening. The mechanics of post-workout recovery tasks keep me from going to bed as quickly as I would like. I've always had a trouble with reflux, so a post workout meal (or two!) means I won't be lying down anytime soon.

Caffeine could also be a trouble. So I don't have caffeine in any of my drinks, but I do eat pills in the morning if I want caffeine.

Mike

Nemo Brauch

Great advice and options already offered. I'll only add that you aren't alone. I have a hard time sleeping after hard workouts, sometimes it feels like my legs are still "buzzing" as I lie there. But the combo of good recovery/rest protocol and checking for overall fatigue are usually the solution. I had forgotten about melatonin- Kitboo introduced it to me at TOC last year when I was having trouble sleeping (combo of jet lag and tough workouts). It did seem to help, but I wouldn't want it to become a crutch.