Overtired

mwcervino

It seems that overtraining has been my problem for the past few weeks however, the only symptom that developed was that instead of feeling energized after ANY workout that I did, I would feel like I'd been hit by a truck. Also, every day my muscles would be screaming at me and it wouldn't matter how I'd worked out the day before. I also, couldn't get through any of my normal workouts without difficulty. Sleep deprivation is my definite enemy. I've never been a good sleeper and haven't been able to get past 3 hours of consecutive sleep without waking up and tossing and turning for the next hour. I've taken 5 straight days off where I've completely rested out and not exercised. Though I feel MUCH better I'm afraid the sleep deprivation is going to catch up with me again way too soon. Melatonin, Benedryl, Tylenol PM work for about 3 hours but I cannot get a full night's sleep. Anybody else have this problem and what do you do about it?

NitaCB

You sound like you're in a similar position to what I got into. Do you find if you don't get to bed by 10.00pm that you get a second wind and are wide awake again? You sound like you're suffering from either overtraining or adrenal fatigue (they can be similar, or interrelated).

The first thing you need to do is REST. I would recommend taking at least 2-3 weeks off, where you don't do any exercise other than some walks. I had to do this, I took a full 3 weeks and only walked, it drove me crazy, but it's what I needed. Most importantly, don't start back too soon, don't think you're fine and pick up where you left off, or you won't actually deal with it, and you'll be right back where you started.

Put things in place to help you relax. This might be scheduling 'me time', an afternoon off work, a gentle massage, a hot bath... Whatever will help you really relax and start to unwind your adrenals, which are probably coiled as tight as a slinky. Find time in your day to slow down and breathe deeply.

I would also highly recommend you start taking magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that many people are actually deficient in. It plays a crucial role in a healthy nervous system. It helps your body to relax, not just in your muscles, but your whole nervous system. With proper supplementation of it many people find that they can sleep better, they feel calmer, less anxious, and their mood improves. At the moment you are probably operating just about completely in your sympathetic nervous system, which is your 'fight or flight' system. Do you feel nervous and jittery all the time? Wired? Can't sit still? Magnesium can help with this, help to relax you, calm you down, and try and get you back into your parasympathetic nervous system. A good B Vitamin supplement would also probably be a good idea.

To let you know, I was partway through my personal training study when I was hit by overtraining, so through that, and a lot of my own research (and especially on the benefits of magnesium) I have learnt a lot about this area.

Let me know if you think this is where you're at.