Terrible Insomnia after training :(

before i started sparing i was sleeping just fine... but now about 3-4 weeks or so i started to spar at the end of every season and it gives me insomnia. It takes me hours to fall a sleep and when i finally fall a sleep i randomly wake up at about 4 in the morning with out being able to get back to sleep. My mind keeps going through different techniques and it gets very annoying and hard to stop to think about.

Any one else experienced same problem ? will my body adjust to it in time ? any tips on how to relax after my training and take my mind off it

thx in advice

 

Are you taking any stimulants to assist your training like Nox, Caffeine, L-Carnitine etc? All these things can mess up your sleep patterns.

Yes. I get the same problem after training. I feel it's because of your Central Nervous System becomes over-stimulated.

There are many supplements, herbs etc that'll calm you and may help you drift off.

Like 5-HTP (a naturally occurring substance). Or it's precursor amino acid Tryptophan. Or another natural substance called Gaba (what your body releases when you have a glass or two of wine - No don't drink wine - that's just an example).

Also camomile, lavender etc drunk as tea can relax you.

Most of those things work well enough. But the thing that has consistently helped me is Lemonbalm (in supplement capsule form).

If this works for you then get some to grow in your garden (so you pick the leaves and make a tea out of it).

Lemonbalm made as tea usually causes me to feel really drowsy about 20 minutes after consumption. Sometimes quicker. And I've had insomnia for years.

I also listen to 'tuned frequency' recordings like entrainment etc. These usually help drifting off too. Because they cause yoru brain to go into an Alpha (relaxed focus) then Theta (nearing sleep) then Delta (lights out) state.

Oh and combine that with *ahem* 'self-pleasuring' ...And you should be fine.

Good Luck

 

nope i dont take anything cept protein shakes, thanks for your advice i will look in to Lemonbalm that sounds promising

 

This is perfectly normal. It's most likely adrenaline from the sparring combined with just wanting to think about what happened.

What I do is I take melatonin, 10mg, about an hour before I go to bed. It's OTC here in the States, and it really helps me sleep. YMMV.

 

Try ZMA, makes me sleep very well

 

I have no problem sleeping, ever.....no matter what! But I have heard good things about melatonin and it's worth a shot!

 

I think taking drugs as a normal means of getting to sleep is a very, very bad idea. If you can't fall asleep there is a reason for it, and using drugs is only taking care of the symptom. Not only that, but you'll be nurturing a dependency on sleep inducing chemicals.

I figured out that working dumbbells on large muscle groups after 10 PM means I will be wide awake until 3 AM, because of the hormones flooding my system. The solution is not to take sleeping pills but to not work dumbbells late at night.

 

Train harder? to wear yourself out?

I've been suffering with sleep problems for a while, usually only a few hours a night. Once a week or so, I'll sleep for a day because I'm so exhausted.
I don't take any pills or drugs for the sleep, because I don;t like the idea of it.

However, I do go into a deep sleep from heavy/hard training but that is in the afternoon and with a bit of a calm down afterwards.

 

Zma is zinc and magnesium, helps improve the quality but not quantity of sleep.

Try no tv and a protein shake before bed.

If that fails a little meditation or reading helps me too.

 

ZMA is a combination of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6.
its like a multivitamin and isnt a drug really

*edit fusen beat me to it

 

Warning on ZMA....

I've had some weird gnarly cheese-induced like dreams from it. Woke up very groggy too, chatting to other people on it, some said they experienced similar, other said no...

 

ZMA is not a drug.

 

Did you take it with Calcium or Food?

 

You're talking like your a sleep expert. I've seen your "article" on entrainment before. It's quite informative, "the are you getting enough sleep" one is a little simplistic and goes on to show how little you understand about the matter.

 

Then why do you keep plugging your own articles whenever it is a question on hydration or sleep? "This might help, Simon adds his own link".

I would add my own info, Sokklab asked good questions, someone mentioned 5HTP, which I would not recommend straight away because it can give people a hangover feeling the next day and not wake up properly, ZMA I would for quality of sleep but not getting to sleep.

I want to see how the OP does with Lemon Balm, before making a suggestion.

I would also ask what time OP trains. Not much he could do about that.

If no one else had given valid suggestions, or asked relevant questions I would have. But to call ZMA and Melatonin "drugs" is very misleading.