trouble sleeping after leg days

[JC480]

Whenever I pray at night it seems like I have trouble not falling asleep...feel a bit guilty about that sometimes.

I'm in the "avoid aspirin/ibuprofen" camp...at least until I can't bear it...which is pretty damn rare.

[yamabeste]

Well, if you are training ur legs regularly week in week out then you shouldn't get so sore that you can't sleep. Having said that, I make sure i eat properly straight after legs..., and have a hot shower / sauna for those of you that have one in their gyms! Maybe also check your technique on the squats!

As for ibuprofen, thats a no no. Stick to aspirin, and it's good for your heart!

Also, try a product called 5-htp from all good health shops...helps in production of serotonin giving you a very deep sleep!

[coolfax]

im noticing a pattern here and just wondering if anyone else is affected this way. ive been doing doing a 4 day split for about a year now and have been very happy with the progress made. my 'problem' is....after a hard leg session, i can rarely get a decent nites sleep. i know im tired cuz i pushed myself to the limit during my workout...but i find myself tossing and turning throughout the nite. could this possibly be due to an overtaxed CNS?

I just experienced this last night after running the furthest I have in years on leg day. My legs aren't particularly sore but they do feel pretty used up at the moment. I am cutting right now and am low carb-no carb making your body low on glucose. Working the legs hard is probably putting you into your deepest level of glycogen depletion.

Glycogen is formed by the liver from glucose in the bloodstream and is stored in the liver; conversion of glucose to glycogen (glycogenesis) and hydrolysis of glycogen to glucose (glycogenolysis) together are the usual mechanism for maintenance of normal levels of blood sugar.

You are likely have depleted levels of glycogen and if you are limiting carbs, especially in evening, your brain doesn't have enough glycogen to properly rest.

There are two ways that I know to fix this: 1. Push through it, training your body to convert fat to glycogen, hope that your liver can keep up. 2. Eat carbs (the easy and gratifying way out). I took the easy way out last night and had a glass of apple cider. Instantly felt better as my brain has some food to rebuild with while I rest. However I am experiencing a sugar crash upon awakening and have ruined my ketosis. I would recommend to budget your carbs for after leg workouts if you can.

[misterponytail]

FWIW, I used to work in one of the research departments at The University of Arizona. One of the findings was that long term nsaid use was correleted with a reduction in incidence of dementia.

I used to be on diclofenac (Voltaren) a couple times a day. When you need it, you need it, and because it was the only way I could walk, i was willing to take the chance with side-effects. I tried switching to other drugs, but that was the only one that worked well for me, and I used it for several years. Two months after having my second knee replacement, I was completely off of all anti-inflammatories. (Well, maybe not *completely*. I've had a couple doses of ibuprofen in the two and a half years since then.)

That said, the thing that works for me on leg day is to put a scoop of Karbolyn in my pre-workout drink and a couple scoops of maltodextrin in my intra-workout drink. That helps a lot during the workout, and I seem to recover much more quickly afterwards. I haven't had much trouble sleeping since starting that, and when I have, it's more from dealing with soreness. Which is why I had those couple doses of ibuprofen...

[blue9steel]

If you're working out in the evening that might be part of the problem and you could try working out in the morning instead. My problem tends to run the other direction, leg day makes me want a nap.

[zGwild]

Necro thread

[OldFartTom]

nope...i work swing shift (200-1030pm) so i generally train from 1100-1200 in the morning. good observation tho.

Hmm...
1) leg day should make you so tired you sleep like a baby
2) Soreness can keep you awake --> but you never mentioned soreness or restless leg in your post
3) you work shifts !!!!!! I think this is significant

This must be something to do with the time you excercise and beat up CNS. Versus your body clock, which is always going to be beaten by shift work. I am no doctor but I'd bet it's a body clock issue.

I am not sure if there is a better time because after work will be too late. Sorry no bright idea as to solution! Win a lottery and give up that job?

[Watsonm5]

I completely changed the time I work out from PM to early AM. Since I have a difficult time falling asleep, constant flopping around for an hour or so, my sleep patterns have improved. No matter what workout it is the AM shift is working much better for me.

[scott487]

Try taking Magnesium. It’s a nervous system relaxant and prevents restlessness. Also aids to rid the body of lactic acid. I’ve used it and it works.