Recovery Time

[AverageJoe]

Anyone have any tips on speeding up recovery time?

I currently lift, run several miles per day, and I'm on a calorie deficit. As a result, I sleep about 10 hours a day, but I recover pretty well given the crap I'm doing. I've been doing this for a couple weeks without a problem. However, now my sleep is starting to get messed up, and I'm not recovering well at all.

I know I need more sleep, but something always keeps waking me up. Neighbors, phone, traffic, etc. I think I'm probably a little more stressed out which doesn't help.

I've been staying very hydrated, taking vitamins (multivitamin, calcium), taking creatine, and avoiding stimulants at night. I think I might try to start napping during the day, but I'm not sure how well that will work out.

Any other suggestions?

 

[KaraBulut]

Just to clarify-

Your normal sleep pattern is to sleep 10 hours a day and that's what you're currently getting?

Or is the problem that you normally require about 10 hours a day but your normal pattern has been disturbed and you're not getting your 10 hours?

 

[AverageJoe]

Normal if I'm not working out is about 8 hours. Normal when I'm working out is about 10.

I'm probably getting < 7 right now, and even then, it's crappy. I can't fall asleep, and when I do, I'm up again every 1-2 hours. That's just the last few days though. Everything was great before that.

 

[xXSeanXx]

Could you not just be so pumped up, you are to awake to sleep?

 

[KaraBulut]

Assuming that you're not taking any supplements that contain caffeine and assuming that you're not working out too close to your bedtime, it sounds like you just need to take something to help you relax into sleep and then stay asleep.

The simplest option is comfort foods like warm milk or an herbal tea like Sleepy Time.

There are a couple of supplements that you can try- melatonin and valerian root are the two that are most commonly suggested.

And there are also antihistamines like benadryl (diphenhydramine) and Unisom (doxylamine succinate) however these can sometimes cause a bit of a hangover sleepiness in the morning.

 

[3nipples]

When you say "per day" do you mean every day? Maybe you need to change to a lighter routine on alternate days to give your body a chance to recover. I think your aim should be to get enough rest within your "normal" average of 8 hours.

If I understand you right, then you are able to fall asleep ok, but you wake up easily when there's noise and can't fall back to sleep immediately, like your stress is flooding your brain with thoughts.

Do you have an idea where the stress is coming from?

If you didn't have the noise, would you be ok? Have you tried something simple, like ear plugs?

 

[AverageJoe]

Sean, I work out about 3-4 hours before I go to bed. That's a little later than normal, but I keep having to fight for equipment now. I'll try going earlier and seeing what happens.

And Kara, I admit to taking stimulants, but it's never really screwed up my sleep before. I kind of wondered if I had too much accumulate from chronic use, but I weaned down awhile ago, and it got worse. That's part of the reason I don't want to try any drugs/herbs to knock me down at night. Seems kind of counter productive to take an upper and a downer. If exercising earlier in the day doesn't fix it, I guess I could try stopping altogether.

Thanks for the tips. Now that it's the weekend, I'll try working out in the morning tomorrow instead of at night.

 

[Georgiadude]

try getting a massage. It will help relieve some of the stress both physical and mental. It will help you relax and let you calm down. I'm talking a real massage from a licensed therapist. You will be surprised at how much a good massage can help. Try getting it later in the day, after your workout.

 

[rotary]

Sean, I work out about 3-4 hours before I go to bed.

And Kara, I admit to taking stimulants, but it's never really screwed up my sleep before.

Working out that close to bed time can mess up your sleep- adrenaline and all that. Also what stimulants? Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours, so if it's still in your system at bed time your REM sleep is affected, meaning you wake up feeling incredibly tired.

 

[AverageJoe]

Just thought I'd give an update. I took the advice on here and started working out earlier. The helped a lot. My gym was just too busy earlier in the day, so I switched to one that isn't quite as busy and has more equipment. Best decision I've made lately.

 

[KaraBulut]

There are some people who aren't bothered by working out close to bedtime. But for many people, working out later in the day interferes with the normal circadian cycle where most people begin to slow down after the sun sets, their temperature begins to decrease and their overall metabolism slows. Since exercise increases metabolism, raises the heart and increases body temperature, this throws off the normal pattern.

I mentioned supplements because many of the bodybuilding supplements that guys are using have a lot of caffeine and other substances that increase the metabolism, so they can also be problematic if they're taken too late in the day.