Trouble sleeping after sparring hard in the evening

So basically my boxing class runs from 6:30pm to 8:00pm . Whenever I spar hard or do very hard bag work at that time of night, I have trouble sleeping. I'm up until 2-3am....

I can feel the adrenaline running through my body.

Is there anything I can do/eat/drink etc. to relax myself and fall asleep quicker?

Thanks

 

If you're still 'warmed up' when you get home, some gentle stretching or yoga type stuff? I find an audio book is helpful, you can be in the dark, in bed, with someone reading to you!

 

Not really the same thing, but working in the Restaurant business as I do you get a pretty hard dose of adrenaline in a busy kitchen which can pretty much end any realistic early bed time, with the same sort of buzzing from my boxing sessions. During my white collar office days I could easily doze off before midnight. After a busy night in front of the hobs I rarely begin wind down before 2am and end up surfing the net, watching a film or aimlessly watching youtube. While I am an avid reader I find that my mind races too much for reading. Even what little Tai Chi I know can't mitigate it. The only thing I found that helped was sounds in particular water sounds such as waves on a shore (theres plenty of apps) as its a sound I associated in tranquility in my youth when I used to live close to the sea and chill on the shore. I stick it in the background turn the lights off and concentrate just on the sounds it sometimes works for me. Just a suggestion. Delve into your past memories and see if there is something that you associate with tranquility. Try and recreate it.

 

Italian. And no, carbing on pasta up before bedtime is not a solution to sleep deprivation. The very worst thing incidentally to eat before going to sleep I find to be cheese of any sort. I've had some trippy dreams and bad nightmares on a hunk of parmeggiano. Avoid

 

Ah, The Fry narrated Potter books <3 My only issue is I so often use them for bedtime that if I listen while driving I get sleepy! (Freemans narration of the Hitchhikers series on the other hand is a roadtrip favourite, though not with the long suffering shewho!)

Slightly more on topic, here is a list of stuff that sometimes helps me sleep:
warm milk, not looking at screens, counting breaths,being hydrated, and possibly slightly too much information but I find clear nostrils are a must.

 

Off the top of my head

Antipasto: Gamberi All'Arancia - Small King Prawns in a Zesty orange sauce (white wine, butter, orange juice, salt, pepper, Corn flour or stock to thicken)

Primo: Spaghetti (or even Vermicelli) in Broccoli Sauce (make the portion smaller as sauce can be quite heavy, depending which recipe you follow.. me personally simpler - broccoli some olive oil, garlic, salt. Some people use Vinegar if they are willing to go for a longer procedure, but its a first dish so i would just cook for 10min then blend until smooth)

Optional Sorbetto to clear the palate.

Secondo: Branzino Mediterranea - sea bass pan fried, but you can also grill - with a delicate sauce: garlic, cherry tomato, oregano, white wine and parsley. Don't add too much thickening. Butter or fish stock is ok. Avoid flour.

I suggest obviously a White wine. Monteferrato Bianco is just on the cusp of dry and quite clear.

 

This thread is making me hungry

 

Guided meditation helps me I find. I also like binaural beats. Please nobody tell me if they don't work because I'll happily take this placebo.

 

After a hard class that finishes close to 9pm and I wake to go to work at around 5am... is a bit of a struggle.

But I always have had sleep issues anyway. My average is about 4 to 6 hours. And on one day a week or so, I could collapse and go comatose for 10hrs...but that really screws me over.

I find a hot shower and a bit of comfort food and then whatever you do to chill out helps.

Meditiation is one, yoga is another. But I clear my mind with a bit of gaming (xbox), or Netflix/Whatever.
Ive cooked at the end of a class, but my hands are shaky etc, I rarely do anything more complex than noodle soup (boil stuff).
Or grab a pre marinated chicken in the freezer I forgot about and oven/broil that.

Also, I am very much a nap person. My energy drops all the time around 4pm. On my days off (when I have one) I getva quick 20 mins

 

Thanks for the responses guys! Ordered a deep sleep cd.

 

Could always try popping some form of sleeping pill I guess.
Over here we have a brand called Nitol, which you can get over the counter, for example.

Used them a few times, not related to sparring, and done the job. You can feel a bit drowzy in the morning but not for too long.
Maybe not the most PC answer on an MA board, but can be convenient, relatively fast, and effective.

 

I don't think it's a matter of PC or not, they can just be detrimental in the morning if you're up early. I hate waking up drowsy.

 

In kungfu classes, the class would always end on breathing/meditation - this helped a lot after a few rounds of sparring.

BJJ always ends with a warm down and I find that helps, sometimes a bit of breathing.
It won't cut it out completely, but it will make it easier!
My experience of boxing sparring is that it's often intense, so that adrenalin gets pumped up. Trying to ease the adrenalin within boxing will come with experience, and that will help also.

Even with the meditation/breathing at the end, I still find after a few hard rounds it takes time to switch off.

 

Definitely don't drive to work.