Waking up ravenous at 3 - 4 AM

km1415
km1415 Posts: 10
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi everyone,

I bought a road bike about 5 days ago and have ridden daily since then. The first 2 days I rode 10 miles, and the next two days I rode 20 miles (at about 15-17 mph). To preface my question, I'm no stranger to exercise, as I work out 6 days a week (either 40 minutes of moderate cardio or weight training). However, the past 2 days I've woken up at 3 or 4 AM absolutely ravenous. I suspect this may have to do with the addition more strenuous activity than I'm used to.

Can anyone with similar experiences share their input? I am maintaining my weight at 2200 calories daily (my TDEE is between 2100 and 2300). Both times I've woken up in the middle of the night, I've eaten an additional ~500 calories. Any advice on how to balance situations like these with maintaining my weight? Is cycling really burning that many calories? Am I just adjusting?

If this information is helpful, I am 21, female, 5 ft. 4, and about 140 lbs.

Thank you!
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Replies

  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    You need to eat more. It's something with strss hormones, the levels of that increase during the night, causing you to wake up every night at that time.
    Just try eating a bit more in the evening, a bowl of greek yoghurt around 9 helps me a lot and see if it helps.
  • Hannahp1402
    Hannahp1402 Posts: 85 Member
    This reminds me of my mother telling me when I was a child to 'forget about it and go to sleep' lol
  • Stephen318
    Stephen318 Posts: 19 Member
    Try a slow digesting protein @ night like a Casein protein shake or cottage cheese or egg white shake with ff pudding mix (delish)
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    This is exactly me - I have posted a topic about this today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Its so annoying!!! What foods are you craving?

    Im craving chocs & biscuits? Sugar
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 531 Member
    I get the same way after I have a High Intensity workout... and the conundrum is whether I should eat and go back to sleep (which means my body will be digesting food and I won't get as great of sleep quality), eat, and try to stay away forty five minutes for the food to digest (and miss out on sleep), or just stay hungry (and lose sleep anyway!).

    Lately, I try to have a small bite of something like yoghurt or cottage cheese, then go back to bed. I still often wake early morning and am famished.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    I have only had this happen once. I woke up just starving to death around that time. I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep but I never went back to sleep. When breakfast time rolled around, I never tasted eggs that tasted that awesome before. Now, I try to make sure I have some kind of a snack before bed and I don't have that problem.
  • kristen2713
    kristen2713 Posts: 253 Member
    Try a slow digesting protein @ night like a Casein protein shake or cottage cheese or egg white shake with ff pudding mix (delish)

    Casein right before bed does the trick for me on this. I love Optimum Nutrition chocolate or cookies and creme :)
  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
    If you're riding 20 miles at 15-17 mph, you're riding for about 80 minutes, so you're working out almost twice as long timewise as you normally do (and burning a fair number of calories). You need to adjust your TDEE to compensate. I bike that distance most days, and I find that I have a better ride if I eat something right before I leave (5 or 10 almonds and a couple of dried apricots, is a go-to for me, as is chocolate soy milk blended with yogurt) and I MUST leave a snack out to eat when I get back or I will just shove food into my mouth. (I have on occasion given up and eaten lunch at 11 a.m. when I failed to do this.) I generally go in the morning, so I used to think the fact that I'd eaten breakfast an hour or two before was enough, but this works better. Fuel yourself.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Have you logged your extra exercise and eaten back those calories? If not, make sure you do. It sounds like you're not eating enough.

    Otherwise, I'd do a protein snack a few hours before bedtime. I usually have ice cream and nuts around 9 (1/4 ice cream - around 150-200 calories total).
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    Riding a bike is one of the most energy efficient exercises there is. Meaning you don't necessarily burn a lot of calories doing it. But its still possible you need more calories. Maybe you are not eating a good balance of foods. Maybe your carbs are hi GI. Try eating more LOW GI carbs or (Glycaemic index).

    I'm speaking as someone who goes on cycling tours with a fully loaded bike and i tend not to get hungry much between meals let alone wake up in the middle of the night to eat.

    Are you well hydrated? Are your body salts in check? Are you hot or cold in bed? Are you worrying about something? These are other things that could be waking you up.

    If you are hungry from real hunger, your glycogen stores or blood glucose must be low or getting low so you do need to eat but you should look at the types of foods you are eating and adjust them. I'm curious now so i'm going to see what your food diary looks like. …
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    It looks like you are keeping it private. Oh well.
  • km1415
    km1415 Posts: 10
    Thank you everyone for your responses. I do tend to eat a snack before bed (150-300 calories) but I will look into casein protein. I think my diet has been rather carb-heavy lately so I will pay more attention to that, and try to drink more water- I've noticed I've gotten quite thirsty in the night the past couple days
  • Laura3BB
    Laura3BB Posts: 250 Member
    You're probably not eating enough cals in the day. t's not just the evening snack.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    This happened to me when I started running. I added about 200 calories to my day every day of the week and that seemed to do the trick I haven't woken up once in the middle of the night since.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I am always hungry when my carbs get over 50%.
  • butterbear1980
    butterbear1980 Posts: 234 Member
    Try eat a bigger breakfast. We are same height/weight/activity level/intake except I just started another cut so I'm at 2000 right now (Boohoo!). Look at my diary for Big Breakfast inspiration if you like. I find eating more in the morning really helps. I'd say the most likely thing is your undereating. The second possibility is it could be tour adrenals out of whack, but that is far less likely and I'd try just eating that 500 cal in the morning first. You could Google adrenal natural per bed drink recipe, I forget what all is in it but it helped me with night waking about 6 months ago...I ended up giving up coffee but hope you don't have to do anything so drastic :). Good luck getting this figured out!
  • km1415
    km1415 Posts: 10
    Good idea on a bigger breakfast- I usually stick to 300 calories but I will up it to 500 :)
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    if I get up early and am hungry I eat and count it as early breakfast
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Sounds like low blood sugar to me.

    Eat a high protein snack before bed.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    Bigger breakfast, more protein and more water. Sound like you have a plan now. Let us now how it goes.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    that used to happen to me. nowadays i have cereal and half a cup of non-fast milk plus a 1/2 scoop of protein powder or a non-fat greek yogurt and 75 to 100 calories of carbs just before bed.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    That was happening to me, and now every night I have a cup of no salt cottage cheese with some fresh strawberries cut on top and a sprinkle of Truvia/cinnamon/unsweetened cocoa. It's delicious and filling, and the CC helps your muscles recovery (so I hear) the casein is a very slow moving protein. Give it a shot. I always thought CC was nasty....but this has turned out to be a treat. Look Ma! I'm all grown up! :laugh:
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    Thank you everyone for your responses. I do tend to eat a snack before bed (150-300 calories) but I will look into casein protein. I think my diet has been rather carb-heavy lately so I will pay more attention to that, and try to drink more water- I've noticed I've gotten quite thirsty in the night the past couple days

    Be sure to carry water bottles with you on your rides. Your diary is closed....but I bet you just need to tweak your macros a bit. I myself eat alot of protein on cycling days and find rides after 2hrs need a liquid sugar or a protein snack kick (depending on how hot it is). I also eat 50gm protein @ breakfast before riding in the morning.

    good job on biking!
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    Try a slow digesting protein @ night like a Casein protein shake or cottage cheese or egg white shake with ff pudding mix (delish)

    Casein right before bed does the trick for me on this. I love Optimum Nutrition chocolate or cookies and creme :)
    +1 on casein. I like the bodybuilding.com's vanilla
  • butterbear1980
    butterbear1980 Posts: 234 Member
    Good idea on a bigger breakfast- I usually stick to 300 calories but I will up it to 500 :)

    Yes 500 at least. I'm your same size/weightactivity level and 800 works for me.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    You know, I remember when I first started cycling outdoors for longer miles, higher intensity, etc., that I would be raving starving if I didn't eat the right amount of protein. Sometimes it would catch up to me even the next day. Now its tapered down, kinda "settled" if this makes sense.
  • km1415
    km1415 Posts: 10
    Good idea on a bigger breakfast- I usually stick to 300 calories but I will up it to 500 :)

    Yes 500 at least. I'm your same size/weightactivity level and 800 works for me.

    I just looked at your diary- do you get hungry in the evenings? I see you eat the bulk of your calories in the morning and taper off. I find I'm hungriest in the afternoon, but maybe this would change if I ate more calories earlier.
  • jakeg676
    jakeg676 Posts: 1 Member
    Try getting a few more calorie in throughout the day. Also I would suggest eating more green, leafy veggies later in the day and right before you sleep. The fiber will keep your stomach busy and you won't wake up feeling like a bear that just came out of hibernation, eating everything in sight
  • mrschains
    mrschains Posts: 12
    Try a protein shake at night before you go to bed. If you drink it with water or almond milk, you'll cut some of the calories but feel fuller for longer. AND it gives your body the nutrients it needs to rebuild that muscle.
  • Sarahliquid
    Sarahliquid Posts: 201 Member
    Keep a can of almonds right next your bed and just have a few or a small handful if you wake up.

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