This topic has been covered plenty…but has anyone gone through a bout of insomnia or just plain not being able to feel rested/get up in the morning…I know I was always able to get up when needed hit the track at 6am, work from 9-9 train on lunch, get groceries, cook, sleep, repeat ad nauseum…the last year however, I lost my job, my apartment…slept in my car, battled an addiction and I’ve finally come out of it albeit still dealing with a bit of fallout, but slowly and surely it’s coming along…
the one thing however that is getting to me is that I can’t seem to go more than 2 or 3 days in a row of feeling rested and popping out of bed…then going into a week of just exhaustion…It’s really strange and the thought it even makes me anxious at times…
Just kinda sharing here as I’m really finding how not being rested can effect the ability for me to enjoy my life…luckily today is a day I feel rested…not to mention the effects this is having on my training. Just as an example. I dieted 1.5 years ago from 215, down to a lean 195.
All that shit happened, then I went down to 165, and have just recently rebounded to 195 (NOT LEAN). I’m 6’ so I spent about 10 years getting myself to that point…and it’s just fuckin depressing and overwhelming…God i’m trying hard…but i’m so tired…
depending on what time you wake up “in the middle of the night” says different things about how your body is reacting. I have been sleeping fan-fucking-tastic since looking more into it through poliquin and poliquin sleep products. So has everyone I have been working with for the most part. meditation and astral projection have helped greatly as well. Hippy and trippy I know
My sleep is absolute shit and I’m well aware it costs me extra time to recover. Part of the problem is I lift late at night, but still need to be up at normal working hours. It takes time to come down from heavy lifting, and I don’t fucking care how much someone tries to tell me about ZMA, melatonin, blah blah blah. Toss and turn like a mofo. Sleep number bed is arriving in another week, so hopefully that will help things a little.
[quote]hipsr4runnin wrote:
depending on what time you wake up “in the middle of the night” says different things about how your body is reacting. I have been sleeping fan-fucking-tastic since looking more into it through poliquin and poliquin sleep products. So has everyone I have been working with for the most part. meditation and astral projection have helped greatly as well. Hippy and trippy I know[/quote]
My sleep has been uber shit over the past 6 months. I work the overnight, and I would guess I get a solid 4-5 hours sleep on average, which is not too restful as Im sleeping through the daytime…I do get one day to crash and really sleep but I end up sleeping too much sometimes 12 hours (from friday night to saturday afternoon) and Im out of it all day and still tired.
I do have access to ambien and try to stay away from it as it leaves me in a fog on top of having an addictive personality. Melatonin didnt work too well for me either. Im kind of shit of luck, I had to train myself to go to sleep immediatelt when I get home from work in the morning which isnt natural as it seems most people dont go directly to sleep when they work traditional hours. If I dont try to go to sleep immediately when I get home I cant make it up as I usually have to be up at around 1 to pick up the kids.
So overall Im fucked with the sleeping, and I love to sleep.
To over-compensate I have been doing alot of stimulant type drinks while training, and it seems to be a decent band aid but its probably not the healthiest route…
I would be curious if anybody had any helpful tips for me as well.
I have the same problem, good thoughts or bad, I can’t rest my brain sometimes. Have recently tried melatonin, but it just makes it REALLY hard for me to wake up when I need to, but doesn’t help me get to sleep at all. Over the years I have tried just about every remedy you read about. None help.
I have had times where I will get 8 hours sleep over 4-5 days. Sucks so bad and sometimes I can’t figure out the reason why.
Some kinda random tips/suggestions. :-/
If I do not get enough sleep the night before I skip the workout and try not to do to much that day too. Sleep will do you more good than the workout you do while exhausted. Unless you feel you need a fitness goal to keep you doing something positive at this point in your life? I can relate to that too. Maybe you need a better fitness goal if that is the case and not one that adds to the stress.
Try to accept your sleep is going to be shitty for the next little while and just plan around it. <–You’d be surprised how much accepting this and having a plan can relieve some of the anxiety.
After many years I think I’m one of those that only needs about 6 to 7 hours a night.
Im almost 40 and by this age my dad was always sleeping on the sofa after dinner, or pretty much any time he sat down… I still only take about 4 or 5 naps in a year.
I rarely feel tired during the day and I go to the gym at 6AM about 3 days a week, the others I’ll exercise after work.
I go to bed at about 11PM and I need about 30 minutes to fall asleep.
[quote]Nards wrote:
After many years I think I’m one of those that only needs about 6 to 7 hours a night.
Im almost 40 and by this age my dad was always sleeping on the sofa after dinner, or pretty much any time he sat down… I still only take about 4 or 5 naps in a year.
I rarely feel tired during the day and I go to the gym at 6AM about 3 days a week, the others I’ll exercise after work.
I go to bed at about 11PM and I need about 30 minutes to fall asleep.
Identify your individual stressors, work out a plan to handle them and then do it. Forgive things you can’t change or genuinly control.
As you begin to regain control over your life you will sleep better.
Also, in contrast to CH, even if you feel tired after a bad night hit the gym hard. Slam your legs, wear yourself out. In my case this causes physical weariness to outweigh mental stress and I zonk hard.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
My sleep has been uber shit over the past 6 months. I work the overnight, and I would guess I get a solid 4-5 hours sleep on average, which is not too restful as Im sleeping through the daytime…I do get one day to crash and really sleep but I end up sleeping too much sometimes 12 hours (from friday night to saturday afternoon) and Im out of it all day and still tired.
I do have access to ambien and try to stay away from it as it leaves me in a fog on top of having an addictive personality. Melatonin didnt work too well for me either. Im kind of shit of luck, I had to train myself to go to sleep immediatelt when I get home from work in the morning which isnt natural as it seems most people dont go directly to sleep when they work traditional hours. If I dont try to go to sleep immediately when I get home I cant make it up as I usually have to be up at around 1 to pick up the kids.
So overall Im fucked with the sleeping, and I love to sleep.
To over-compensate I have been doing alot of stimulant type drinks while training, and it seems to be a decent band aid but its probably not the healthiest route…
I would be curious if anybody had any helpful tips for me as well.[/quote]
Matty did it when I worked ER for 14 years, black out the windows, get a box fan for white noise, turn off phones and like you are doing just go do bed when you get home. Not much else you can do. I averaged about 4-5 hours for that 14 year span.
[quote]Nards wrote:
After many years I think I’m one of those that only needs about 6 to 7 hours a night.
Im almost 40 and by this age my dad was always sleeping on the sofa after dinner, or pretty much any time he sat down… I still only take about 4 or 5 naps in a year.
I rarely feel tired during the day and I go to the gym at 6AM about 3 days a week, the others I’ll exercise after work.
I go to bed at about 11PM and I need about 30 minutes to fall asleep.
My bedroom has some ambient light that comes through the windows…I’m going to get some blackout blinds which will hopefully fix the problem.
I also have levator scapulae issues, and it often hurts flipping from one side to the other.
I’ve tried ZMA, 5-HTP, Melatonin…none of them have helped much. The only thing that works is Zopiclone (same family as Ambien), but I don’t want to become reliant on it.
Like someone said I also use Zoplicone at times…sweet jesus that stuff is amazing…I just never had sleep issues before. I find that killing myself in the gym without adequate sleep/rest makes me feel like i have a fever coming on our something…or almost a hangover feeling…weird I know. As for the stressors I am working on them, definitely making progress.
My current work is 12-8 which I think is fucking brutal, combined with the low income it provides, I can’t afford a decent gym membership, adequate food and the times to go train are all fucked up…it’s brutal. Luckily i’m young (25) and plan on switching over to the trades (for the second and last time) for the luxury of benefits, reg hours, a pension, and a good wage…that coupled with not being at a desk and being involved/immersed in my work will help…
The worst part is I know what the problems are but i’m just like “where the fuck…do I start”…then proceed to fetal position on the shower floor…thats on a good day, otherwise I dive into a bottle…(self-deprecating exaggeration)
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
I don’t sleep very well.
My bedroom has some ambient light that comes through the windows…I’m going to get some blackout blinds which will hopefully fix the problem.
I also have levator scapulae issues, and it often hurts flipping from one side to the other.
I’ve tried ZMA, 5-HTP, Melatonin…none of them have helped much. The only thing that works is Zopiclone (same family as Ambien), but I don’t want to become reliant on it.[/quote]
Also wax ear plugs. Sometimes a small noise is waking you up in the night/day and you don’t even know it because the noise is gone by the time you are aware of anything. My ear plugs filter out most noise but I can still hear the fire alarm and the clock alarm.
I have used melatonin too that can work really well sometimes.
