Hello everyone
I have always struggled with insomnia at some points since I started lifting. I have tried many things so far, but none of them seemed to work in the long run.
Here is some background information about myself. I am 21 years old, and I am 171cm (5’7) tall. I started lifting and bulking 13 months ago when I only weighed 52kg (115lb) at around 14% BF. Now I am 77kg (170lb) at around 18% BF.
Personally, I am happy with my progress, my life completely changed in this year. However, I think I could gain muscle faster if I fix my insomnia issue.
The sleeping problems start when I work out intense for ~3 days in a row. I always work out for around 90min in one session and I always go to complete muscle failure during each set.
The problem is not falling asleep, but staying asleep. I fall asleep fairly quickly, but I tend to wake up after like 5h, and I have big troubles falling back asleep again. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, it depends on how intense my workouts were the days before.
Due to this issue, I can only work out around 4 days per week maximum without getting sleep issues. I always need to take 3 days off per week in order to not disturb my sleep too badly.
I have tried many things already, but nothing seemed to work well. Melatonin only works for falling asleep faster, but it does not keep me asleep. I also tried ZMA, Ashwaghanda and other herbal stuff but nothing seems to help. I even went to my doctor, and he prescribed me 15mg Mirtazapine for sleeping. Initially it worked well, and I could get my 8h sleep, but after a few months it stopped working also. And I also don’t think that taking sedating antidepressants for sleep would be a good idea in the long run. Luckily, it did not make me addicted, and the sleeping situation did not worsen after I stopped taking Mirtazapine.
I also tried eating carbs before bed, but it didn’t help. I kind of find it hard to believe that I am in overtraining since my volume is not that much, but this could be one explanation since my symptoms get better after a few days off. I am also rarely getting DOMS, so maybe it is overtraining of the nervous system that drive the muscles?
Did anyone here have similar sleeping struggles with staying asleep at night?
Thank you in advance!