poor sleep

[Parrott]

Starting to ramp it up abit for summer season after taking winter season off (hate training in the cold and dark). Finding I don't sleep as well that night after a good workout anyone else noticed a change in sleep patterns?

[sogood]

Disturbances in sleep can be associated with over-training.

[Parrott]

I wonder whats happening, is it liver and muscle glycogen being replaced and the change in metabolism thats changing sleep patterns? Or just a case of being more alert for some reason

[casual_cyclist]

I haven't been sleeping that well either. After a 150km epic ride through the hills (which took 11 hours) I could not go to sleep. I rode to exhaustion twice on that day and thought I would sleep well. In that case my mind was racing because the day was so amazing I found it hard to relax after wards. I ended up messing around on the computer for a couple of hours and then went back to bed around midnight and managed to sleep after that.

Lately, even though I have not been riding so much, I find that I am waking up very early (as in before 7 AM when I usually sleep until nearly . Now I am thinking that I might be slightly dehydrated as I don't drink much water and I believe that being dehydrated can cause sleep disturbances.

[sogood]

I wonder whats happening, is it liver and muscle glycogen being replaced and the change in metabolism thats changing sleep patterns? Or just a case of being more alert for some reason

Over-training and body stress can certainly alter one's hormonal system and sleep disruption is just one of the symptoms. It's a whole body change, much more than just glycogen and other isolated pathways. It's all linked in to our body's fright, fight and flight responses and longer effects, one that has evolved through millions of years to help keep us alive under situations of threat.

[Parrott]

Thanks for the info Sogood. Wouldn't have thought I'd been over-training, usually too lazy for that. It just seems after I have done a hard session that day, find the same thing after a hard race.

[james99]

pattern i read is "after a hard day".... i would be guessing that you are still aroused/ excited, i would suggest some form of relaxation in the evening... maybe after a hard day try tapering back for 20-30min after the ride, may slowly decrease your body's excited state

[twizzle]

What poor sleep? No idea what you are talking about.

[Parrott]

Mate at work who is training hard for his black belt in Tae Kwan Do said he has noticed the same thing, he brought it up not me. Restless sleep and feeling hot. Maybe it's menopause

[twizzle]

Mate at work who is training hard for his black belt in Tae Kwan Do said he has noticed the same thing, he brought it up not me. Restless sleep and feeling hot. Maybe it's menopause

Lol - I'm just sick at the moment, virus plus throat/middle ear is giving me some weird sleep habits. Hence the 1am post.

Re. intensive exercise and sleep, you might want to look into cortisol (stress hormone) impact, as intensive exercise increases this. There is supposedly a tie-in with cortisol and serotonin levels, and as someone who suffers from depression I know that my serotonin levels impact my sleep badly. Try St John's Wort (serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) in the dosage recommended for therapeutic use on the container (much lower than clinical trial levels) to see if this has an impact - you will know within 1 - 2 weeks.

[jules21]

putting the body into shock, such as with a sudden increase in training intensity and duration, is likely to impact on sleep. it's certainly been my experience.

lots of athletes don't sleep well after a big event, such as footballers. presumably adrenaline can play a part, but i reckon that it's important (and just prudent) to ensure you are properly hydrated after a ride. i find that dehydration negatively affects my quality of sleep, including state of mind, as well as waking up with cramps.

[Parrott]

Lol - I'm just sick at the moment, virus plus throat/middle ear is giving me some weird sleep habits. Hence the 1am post.

Re. intensive exercise and sleep, you might want to look into cortisol (stress hormone) impact, as intensive exercise increases this. There is supposedly a tie-in with cortisol and serotonin levels, and as someone who suffers from depression I know that my serotonin levels impact my sleep badly. Try St John's Wort (serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) in the dosage recommended for therapeutic use on the container (much lower than clinical trial levels) to see if this has an impact - you will know within 1 - 2 weeks.

Didn't pick up on the post time til you mentioned it Thanks, very informative post, gives me something to suss out. Been using valerian occaisionally which seems to help. It seems to be settling down a bit as my body is getting used to the increased workload.