loosing sleep

ivory4646 · 02-09-2009, 05:30 PM

Hi all,
I recentley changed my workout time slot from early afternoon to evening (4:30-6pm) because of a job change ... I have also added a ton more cardio because I am trying to drop some weight. Anyway, its been four weeks now... with my work out routine and changing my diet drastically...I have lost 13 lbs (which I am pretty happy about!) Now, the only problem is that I am having a terrible time sleeping through the night. At first I figured it was just my body adjusting... but its been four weeks and still, almost every night, I wake atleast once every two hours, toss, turn, stretch...some nights I have layed in bed for hours in the middle of the night hoping to fall back asleep... but my body just wont let me... as a result, i am now more tired during the day, and also feel like its hindering my ability to work out as hard as I want to. Do any of you suffer from sleep issues? what do you do?

Lynn

CATRACCOM · 02-09-2009, 06:44 PM

Are you taking any supplements for working out? When do you eat compared to when you go to bed? Did you change your bedtime?
Supplements could be keeping you up. Could you work out in the morning? You may not be getting enough time to wind down.

ivory4646 · 02-09-2009, 07:14 PM

I am currently not taking any supplements. I eat an uber clean diet... and sometimes question if Im limiting it too much... but I have a goal to drop 15 lbs in a reletivley short period of time. I eat small portions (3 oz and under) every three hours. oats/tuna/broccoli/nuts...pretty typical bodybuilder food. I cannot work out in the morning...i work too early and live in an area where the only gym doesnt open until a bit later. so im stuck with the 430- 630 time slot. I feel like not having the time to wind down enough is probably a fair assesment... but I dont have a whole lot of options. When i get home from the gym, i am imedietley beat tired, and feel almost dizzy and so tired that I could easily almost fall right to sleep then... but force myself to stay awake until a decent time to go to sleep.. but by that time, it seems as though my body is wound right up again.

wendym1979 · 02-09-2009, 07:24 PM

You could be over training. Not sleeping is one symptom.

CATRACCOM · 02-09-2009, 08:55 PM

Have you tried going to sleep when you got home and you were tired? If you did, did you sleep the whole night? Maybe you need to back track a little and ease into a new bedtime.
I'm just thinking back that I had a similar problem. My kid used to go to school at 11am. The next year she had to be there at 8am. Our whole family had to change our sleep patterns. We eased into it by changing our bedtime by 10 or 15 minutes each night. You might try eating dinner at a different time too. If you eat early, maybe try eating later...or vice versa. Sometimes you have to try some things to make a new schedule work.

ainedb · 02-11-2009, 07:56 AM

When I train harder and limit my diet, I find this happens too. It's a classic symptom of over-training. I would suggest backing off a little on either the diet or the exercise until you are sleeping properly again, since without good enough rest you will be hampering your progress (as I'm sure you already know).

ivory4646 · 02-11-2009, 03:03 PM

thanks everyone... love this site... I think i am going to back down a bit... even though its kinda tough... i think you guys are hitting it right on the head. Thanks!

HardcorSancez · 02-12-2009, 02:07 PM

Just some other things to think about-

Do not watch tv, or work on the computer for at least an hour before bed.

Having this now "mental block" of knowing your going to wake up will in fact make you wake up.

It sounds like a case of fight or flight, where your pumped up, but your mind wants to sleep. Your body on the other hand is releasing adrenaline. Not to fun when you really just want to sleep. Babies have this when they are "overtired" they wake up in the middle of the night screaming, parents think they are having nightmares when actually they are not even "awake", their bodies are.

Also, I drink a tea by "traditional medicinal" called "night night". Its great, other brands are not the same. You can start drinking it on your way home from the gym and then more when you get home.

Good luck, we all need to sleep more!