trouble fall asleep linked to increased exercise?

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jeda1231
jeda1231 Posts: 63 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Two months ago - i was light walking and doing t25 videos due to an injury. I was sleeping great. A few weeks ago, I started getting back into a routine i was in a few years ago. I love waking up early and running 2-3miles (9:30pace) before work at 5am so i have been doing that 3-4 times a week. I also started doing yoga after work at 6pm twice a week. I know this is a lot to jump back into but i'm really focused on getting back into shape. I usually go to bed at 9:30PM and i have still been tired at that time, however, I canNOT fall asleep. My body throbs a little and I tend to stop myself from falling asleep by twitching. I have tried melatonin and that hasn't worked and even pain medication has not helped. Once I fall asleep (after taking anxiety medication which i want to stop doing), i don't wake up until morning so staying asleep is not the problem. Any suggestions on how to continue working out but fall asleep easier?

Replies

  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
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    Maybe you need to take a few days rest. Insomnia is a symptom of overtraining. Has your resting heart rate been elevated? How about your mood in general, any changes?
  • jeda1231
    jeda1231 Posts: 63 Member
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    mood has been good for the most part - excited to be running again - but i have been stressed with work, thinking about moving and being in a friend's wedding so i know that HAS to have something to do with it - mind is going a mile a minute when I lay down
  • jeda1231
    jeda1231 Posts: 63 Member
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    resting heartbeat is between 56-58bpm
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2015
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    WhatMeRunning wrote: »
    Maybe you need to take a few days rest. Insomnia is a symptom of overtraining. Has your resting heart rate been elevated? How about your mood in general, any changes?

    Not this... It takes a whole lot of hours doing exercise and regularly (strenuous) to put you what is considered "over training"..

    Can you move the yoga up earlier in the day? If not, I would just do my regular morning workout and see if this helps..

    I eat a very small portion of protein before I go to bed (about 30 minutes) on exercise days.. Dont ask me why this helps me, it just does. And I do not drink any water or anything for that matter for several hours before I go to bed but the snack is fine (and I am talking about 50 to 100 calories only)..

    I have to stove off the energy through out the day.. Eating the snack helps get to sleep and prevents me from waking up in the night and of course the water and going to the bathroom..

    Shut everything down before sleep time, only do the things that help aid you into getting sleepy nothing that promotes more energy.. Wind your mind down from thinking about anything you have to do the next day!!!!!

    these are just thoughts..
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 701 Member
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    This sounds more like stress than over exercising. You might want to come up with some kind of ritual before bed to decompress. You also might want to try meditating.
  • GeeWillickers
    GeeWillickers Posts: 85 Member
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    Agree with Wicked. Without knowing your pre-bed routine and from the information you have given it's highly unlikely your exercise is the root of it. If anything exercising usually helps counter stress. Based on the current research I've read disconnecting from technology at least an hour or two before going to bed has benefited me to some extent and there are app's such as F.lux for the computer that help counter the daylight effects from technology. Can't speak enough to how beneficial meditation or even listening to some of Kip Mazuy's music has been to clearing the daily cobwebs out.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Its not overtraining but it is caused by overstressing yourself with inadequate recovery. It has happened to me many times when I first get started after a break. A day or two off will fix it. As your body adjusts back into the routine it will stop.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,691 Member
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    If you like yoga, try looking up some relaxing poses or something that could aid in sleep. Maybe try to turn of the tv and set down the cell phone around 8:30, really give yourself a chance to wind down. Take a hot bath to relax your muscles and just do nothing but soak for a while.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    Without knowing your level of base fitness it's hard to know if you are not getting enough recovery time from the runs, but since you've been back at it for only a few weeks, recovery is one possible factor to consider. If your heart rate is way up there at your 9:30 mile pace (~6 min/km) then you probably are overdoing it. If so you would find recovery is faster and more complete if you slow down a little; you can even run a little longer and continue to get the same calorie burn benefit and your endurance will continue to build.

    When I can't sleep because my mind is fixed on a wide variety of things I listen to a podcast and set the auto-off timer on my phone app to 30 minutes. Works every time.

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