Freak early a.m. insomnia after any lifting - any ideas??

Hello all!
New here but at the end of my rope, thanks in advance for taking a look...

As of maybe 2 years ago (I'm 33 now) I realized I was no longer able to sleep through the night if I did any kind of resistance training / muscle work. I can't even do just 20 pushups now without my body suddenly waking fully wired anywhere between (specifically) 4 am and 6 am the following morning. Going back to sleep is usually impossible. I have no trouble falling asleep at bedtime.

Background info:
I'm 33, 6', 165 pounds. Despite the insomnia, I've loosely kept up with very light bodyweight exercises (pull-ups, pushups, sit-up, curls, etc.) maybe two or three times a week. I run and bike maybe once a week each, no insomnia there.
I've always been a light sleeper and if I eat under 1900 calories I have trouble sleeping... That number used to be closer to 2200 until I recently upped my protein intake so my macros are now 154/171/62 (before, carbs had been at 50%).
Melatonin and Zzzquil (and even Temazepam, which my doctor prescribed) are no match for the sleep disruptions. Workouts (or one set of pushups...) are equally disruptive whether done afternoon or first thing in the morning. Usual bedtime is in neighborhood of 12 to 8 am. (Am I leaving anything out...?)

My doctor is confounded and after months of looking I haven't found any posts, anywhere, with similar issues. Any ideas??
Thank you kindly!

Replies

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    Why is your bedtime 12-8? That is a huge range. My first guess would be to work on a consistent nightly routine. Do you need to stretch more? Foam roll? Have you tried magnesium?
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    edited May 2020
    So you are saying on days with no planned exercise you sleep well? (I think, @DancingMoosie, that his usual sleep pattern is midnight to 8 AM).
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,091 Member
    How do you ‘know’ it’s resistance training rather than any other factor?

    I’m assuming you have tried the standard sleep routine advice? If not try that.

    If you have then maybe get referred to a specialist.

    Not everyone needs 8 hours sleep I do fine on 6 to 7 hours.
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
    This is interesting. I also snap awake 4-6am if my body is too wired, but that happens when I'm stressed instead of after workouts, and workouts are stress relievers for me. What usually helps future nights during those super early wake-ups is that I go work out first thing in the morning, so I'm at the gym 5-6AM. I know this sounds weird and counter-intuitive to your problem, but have you tried fitting your workout in that early?

    But really, it sounds like if none of the usual sleep routine and sleep hygiene ideas aren't helping, seeing a specialist might be good.
  • klove808
    klove808 Posts: 346 Member
    edited May 2020
    My body does similar when I exercise daily- totally ready to wake with the sun or roosters. I just try to go to bed earlier. Midnight is way past what’s considered the body clocks natural timing for sleep. It took some gradual movement of time til sleeping earlier was workable but. The early morning is a great time to meditate, stretch, read, some folks even workout predawn-what?! Worrying about is too stressful - so I go for the work around.

    Although if I feel like the wired at night might extend thru sleeping, I’ll take a bit of magnesium before bed.

    And I’ve noticed, in the middle of the night, that if I just drink a little water and stretch a tiny bit my body is ready to go back to sleep.
  • coolsn1251
    coolsn1251 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you all for your help! I will try some of these out and then see a sleep specialist already...
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
    Are you taking pre-workout? If you are, perhaps you are caffeine sensitive.
    My husband can't take pre-workout past a certain point in the day or he will be up all night. He has to lift in the morning. Me? I can take pre-workout, go to the gym, come home and shower and go straight to bed with no problems.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    Since you've had insomnia when eating under 1900, and found things better by switching to (if I read you right), more protein, have you tried bumping your calories up a little bit on strength training days, or shifting your macros further toward protein on strength training days?

    I had very severe sleep interruption insomnia for several years (not strength training caused - unknown cause). I tried dozens of things, with no help (including sleep clinic that determined I had sleep apnea . . . treatment did help me sleep more restfully between interruptions, but it didn't change the interruptions themselves at all. FWIW, eventually I did a short course of hypnosis with a licensed psychologist. That didn't cure it, but it made major, major improvements. If you're at the end of your rope, might be worth a try.

    Also, I'd underscore what DancingMoosie said, about whether you'd tried magnesium supplementation. There is potentially some link between less than ideal magnesium, muscle tension/cramping, and possibly protein synthesis. That's completely hand-wave-y and speculative on my part, but suboptimal dietary magnesium is a fairly common thing, so you might want to think about whether your food sources are bringing you enough, and supplementation has relatively little risk (though over-supplementation can cause diarrhea or other digestive distress).

    More info here about magnesium, food sources, risks, etc.:

    https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium-HealthProfessional/

    Summary of research findings (from an independent, evidence-based, generally well-respected site) here:

    https://examine.com/supplements/magnesium/
  • coolsn1251
    coolsn1251 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you Ann!
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    I'd suspect adrenal fatigue, if you believe in that sort of thing. I would recommend consistently going to bed by 10pm, and possibly eating a little fat before bed...a tsp of peanut butter or a piece of cheese or similar.