Increased exercise and needing more sleep and hunger increased

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juststartedrunningagain
juststartedrunningagain Posts: 168 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’ve upped the exercise for the past four weeks, mainly walking - so my daily walks during lockdown can be v long ranging from 10k to more. My issue is I’m needing loads more sleep and often falling asleep in the day. I’m also noticing I’m loads more hungry.

It’s a bit annoying my husband feels full of energy and fit. I eat really well, take a vitamin and mineral supp have no health issues. Exercise isn’t making my body feel energetic and ready to go. I’m also eating large amounts do the weight is quite static and my body fat has slightly increased - likely due to lockdown. I’ve had a few weeks whew it’s gone down again as experimenting with time restricted eating but I digress, my main issue is just feeling shattered.

I love the walks and mainly go to be outside and with the family but frustrated surely I should be athlete like with a low body fat by now!

Replies

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,676 Member
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    Being hungry and needing more sleep are a normal result of doing more exercise. However feeling exhausted all the time isn't. You may have some health issue that is making itself felt, like low ferritin or vitamin D or low thyroid. Talk to your doctor about it. OTOH, since this level of exercise is new to you, it may just take some time for your body to adapt. When I was a long distance backpacker, the first couple of weeks I would sleep 10-12 hours every night. After a while my body got used to the heavy exercise and I'd be back to a more normal 8 or so. Same with food. I'd be starving for a while, but then I learned how much food I needed to fuel my hiking.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,968 Member
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    10K per day is quite a lot.

    Why not cut back to a more reasonable amount of exercise, say, whatever you can do in an hour or so?

    Then start logging food so you know how much you're eating.

    Are you trying to lose, gain, maintain?


    The other thing is that this lockdown is causing all kinds of anxiety and depression in people, so I don't think your emotions are necessarily due to the exercise - but cut back and give yourself one rest day per week, and make sure your nutrition is on track. That will help, regardless. If I'm not eating enough or not getting proper nutrition I feel like you're feeling too.

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