Trouble Sleeping

TornHaze

I've been exercising and eating healthier for the past week, but I'm encountering a major problem: the return of my insomnia. I've always suffered from it, but have not had any issues for the last year as I've removed myself from stressful situations that induced it. Now, however, I suffer from it on the days that I work out.

I do not workout before going to bed; rather, my routine is to do a dance workout for 45 minutes a few hours after I've woken up. I'm eating between 1200 and 1500 calories, depending on whether or not I add resistance workouts to the day.

I was up for three days straight. I just do not get tired. If I do feel sleepy and I lay down, I toss and turn for hours, sleep a fitful 30 minutes or so, then I'm up until the next night only to do the same. I had an "off day" on Sunday and I crashed. I took Monday off just to test the theory, and I slept that night, too. Worked out Tuesday, and I slept only 1 hour, and even that is not what I call quality sleep.

This has been going on for a week, and while I know this is too early to tell if it is in fact my working out habits that are causing the problem, it seems rather coincidental that it didn't start up until I worked out and only happens on those days that I engage in such activity.

Does anyone else experience issues sleeping on the days they workout? The material I've read only details issues for those who workout later in the evening, no accounts of those who workout earlier on in their days.

BigT555

i find i sleep better on days i workout. your problem could be caused by a number of things, one being perhaps you are not eating enough, and it is mostly experienced on days that you work out because you are burning more calories creating a bigger deficit.

i would consult a doc. sleep is too important to mess around with, and you wont get proper advice here, there are too many variables to account for

Unknown

This content has been removed.

LMuench09

I have insomnia too… and I've done the 3 days up in a row, some how I always see imaginary Moose after that amount of time lol. I started meditating before bed to help with falling asleep I also take Melatonin as a sleep aid. Our bodies produce Melatonin naturally when we are sleeping but some of us need that extra boost. Plus its not as harsh as some other non natural sleep aids.

Good luck

TornHaze

Seeing a doctor probably is the smartest thing, BigT. I'm just waiting for my insurance to kick in (had to switch providers), then I'll set up an appointment.

For the time being I'll just try eating a bit more on the days I do workout, and work out less, unfortunately. I hadn't thought of the fact that having too much of a calorie deficit might be a factor, so I'll play around with my food consumption to see if anything helps. I really hope it's not just the after effects of actually working out. *sigh*

I forgot about Melatonin, LMuench. I think I still have some from when I had problems before. It never seemed to help me much, but it's worth a try! I don't see a moose, luckily. I just hear ducks. :P

Thank you for the advice!

bcf7683

Also watch what you eat before bed... High amounts of protein (or a large meal) before bed can make it harder to fall asleep. Something about your body working to digest it keeping you awake....I've seen it a in a few articles about sleep problems/disorders.

I have the opposite problem, I have trouble sleeping on my rest days. I take a chamomile supplement about 45 minutes before bed and it usually does the trick... I've tried melatonin, doesn't work that well for me.

mjudd1990

1)workout in the morning
2) no caffeine after noon
3) get off your tv/computer/phone an hour or so before bed
If light is hitting your retinas then your body stops producing melatonin and it can screw up your circadian cycles.
4)as such, try taking melatonin an hour or so before bed. Theanine can help too.
5) if none of these helps then go see a doc and talk to him about meds like lunesta or ambien

RinnyLush

I have sleep issues as well (stemming from night terrors and anxiety that began as a child) but I find that working out actually helps. If you are finding the opposite, especially to such a severe degree, you should definitely consult a doctor.

For my sleep anxiety issues, I find that having a solid night-time ritual (along with regular exercise throughout the day, not at night) paves the way for a good sleep. I have a cup of sleepy-time herbal tea, put on some lavender scented hand lotion, and keep a dish of lavender "sleeping stones" by my bedside. If I still can not sleep, I will take a melatonin tablet. I try to keep that at a minimum, however, as it often works too well and I end up a little groggy the next day at work! Sometimes it's worth it though, just to get in a few hours on a night I might not sleep at all without it.

segovm

So if you are like me, it's not just the exercise that has changed but the eating right before bed too. Your body is probably trying to adjust to a whole new set of criteria for what constitutes tired. For me, tired was the thing that happened after a few doughnuts or a bag of Oreo's was stuffed down my throat.

I'm sure most people don't take it to extremes like that but if eating healthier also means changing night time eating habits than you might want to consider that as a possible cause too. Even though the conscious mind can rationalize the desire for fewer calories, the subconscious understands when there is a deficit against the established norm and will do its best to help you sustain it. People are more likely to eat when they are awake so that's the tool it can use to keep you feeding.

Clearly this cause and effect would be most notable on days you exercise since those are the days you are most calorically deficient.

A no harm tactic you might want to try to see if you can get back to a good nights sleep would be to save some calories for later at night and try to drop in something reasonably healthy before bed. I find a protein shake blended with a little fruit and some ice helps me quite a bit (the fruit and ice make it more of a treat that takes a while to drink). If I am still craving after that I might toss in a tiny high protein snack to finish me up.

The above may not apply to you. I was definitely a night time eater and never went to bed hungry. Switching to lower calories and going to the gym to burn more calories definitely left my body demanding more by bedtime. Working in the late night protein shakes and snacks seems to help me get less anxious before bed now.

Whatever the cause, it should eventually go away. The body eventually adjusts to most everything but it does take a while when you change everything up for it to find a new norm.

gooserocks85

1)workout in the morning
2) no caffeine after noon
3) get off your tv/computer/phone an hour or so before bed
If light is hitting your retinas then your body stops producing melatonin and it can screw up your circadian cycles.
4)as such, try taking melatonin an hour or so before bed. Theanine can help too.
5) if none of these helps then go see a doc and talk to him about meds like lunesta or ambien

This, especially #3. I would add to this list - try putting on soothing music or a sound machine when you go to sleep. I'm a really light sleeper - takes forever for me to fall asleep and it's not uncommon for me to wake up 6-7 times a night. the past two weeks i've started listening to a calming meditation track before bedtime, and then leaving a sound machine with ocean wave sounds on throughout the night. ive felt more well-rested in the morning, and according to my fitbit i'm less restless during the night.