Sleep or lack thereof

[gbecca87]

I always have trouble sleeping a full 8 hrs and I feel like it’s affecting my training. I sleep anywhere between 4-6 hours a night but I do take a 1-2hr nap mid day. I can legit roll around for 1-2hrs before falling asleep at night.

What’s everyone doing to manage their sleep schedule to make sure they are well rested?

Writing this as I can’t fall back asleep.

 

[sandy33]

@gbecca87 Why are you napping for two hours in the middle of the day?

The reason you can't sleep at night is because you're sleeping in the day.

 

[gbecca87]

@sandy33 So I have energy to go to the gym when I get off work

 

[sandy33]

@gbecca87 Read up around sleep hygiene - some of it seems cheesy or not compatible with the 21st century, but it really does work.

The first thing would be eliminating those naps. You need to power through so you'll be tired enough to sleep at night. I wouldn't necessarily take caffeine, particularly if you train late afternoon/evening, as it'll likely create a vicious circle. Just accept a week of worse performance before you get into the swing of things.

I would be cautious and not try to do this in a peak week. Injury risk is arguably highest after poor sleep.

 

[rhymingwithorange]

@gbecca87 To piggy back off of this, I've heard it said by a sleep expert that a nap during the day that exceeds around 30 minutes will negatively impact sleep at night.

 

[gbecca87]

@sandy33 Hey Man, just want to say I took you and others advice and stopped taking naps. I’ve also stopped using my phone and hr before bed and my sleeps gotten a lot better not quite 8hrs but it’s around 7 hours now.

Thanks.

 

[ash2ash]

@gbecca87 Gotta eliminate the naps for sure. And try reading before bed. Always knocks me out

 

[yeshuabride]

@gbecca87 Give it time. Stick to a steady sleep schedule and no naps. Try to avoid staring at the TV, computer screens and phone for as long as possible before bed. Try to stop thinking of sleep and getting that sleep as something that’s so incredibly important - it puts you in stress mode around sleep.

 

[aranyi_zsolt]

@gbecca87 Force yourself to skip that nap and see if it allows you to fall asleep quicker at night. Because if you consistently skip the nap and are more tired as a result during the day, I can almost guarantee by the time you lay down your body will be 'thirsty' for sleep.

Another thing you could try is scheduling a work out session in the evening, like after 6pm. Physical exhaustion from exercise can help induce sleep.

 

[robninja]

@gbecca87 Take magnesium 1 hour before bed.

 

[predrag]

@gbecca87

1-2hr nap mid day

Morning nap = fine

Nap after noon = disaster

I suck it up if I'm tired at 2pm.

 

[vkm]

@gbecca87 Idk i have suspected hypersomnia i can sleep 12 plus hours on any given day but the 7 to 8 i get before work nearly kills me. I take about 600mg of magnesium spread throughout the day with the last 200mg being glycinate a couple hours before bed usually 20mg of cbd gummy too. But I'm never rested feeling. Maybe get a more strict night time ritual with teas and stuff and no phone or tv

 

[uzezi]

@gbecca87 Definitely one of my biggest fitness struggles . I wouldn’t nap

 

[rhymingwithorange]

@gbecca87 I'm not assuming that you do this on a regular basis, but don't check or get on your phone in the middle of the night if you have trouble sleeping.

 

[dowthut]

@gbecca87 It's all about pre-bed habits. I used to have pretty awful sleep patterns and was only getting 5-6 hours of decent sleep a night. I looked at what I was doing before bed and found I was snacking a lot in the hours leading up to bed time and was also consuming a lot of screen time with videogames and other things that excited my brain and got me in a more active mood. After looking at it I put some rules in place, where I don't eat after 10pm(bed time is usually around 12:30ish) and stopped doing anything on the tv or computer about an hour before I'd normally go to sleep. Last hour is spent winding down, hygiene, shower, and then I'll normally read in bed, which puts me right to sleep. After I made these changes my average went up to 7-8+ hours and I started feeling more refreshed in the mornings and had better energy throughout the day.

If you are doing a lot of activity before bed, consuming sugar, caffeine, etc. you aren't giving your body enough of a chance to wind down and prep for sleep.

 

[dawn16]

@gbecca87 You can nap midday but limit to 20 minutes

 

[gigilynn2]

@gbecca87

I do all the "right" stuff, but I still only manage 4-5 hours regularly. I blame it on ADHD and my brain not ever shutting off, but who knows for sure.