Having difficulties sleeping

[EthanBrooks]

Sleeping is a major part of recovery and therefore making gains. I wake up at 6am and I try to get 8 hours of sleep each night, so I go to bed at 10:00. The problem is the quality of sleep is typically awful, I wake up all the time, can't fall asleep, and I typically feel tired in the morning. If anyone has any tips to get a better sleep it would be much appreciated.

[PA Kodiak]

I deal with the same issue from time to time. You could try Animal PM to improve your quality of sleep AND recovery. If that doesn't do the trick some straight melatonin will knock you out for sure. The thing I don't like about melatonin though is it's too damn strong. It's caused me to sleep through alarms and when I do wake up I'm groggy as shit. So I would opt for Animal PM first.

[P Diesel]

Kodiak brings up good points. a lot fo guys swear by Animal PM, ive heard great things. i also agree with what he said about the melatonin. i often would wake up still tired from it. there are two different types tho. one hits u all at once and the other is time released. u may have better luck w another type.

also i would take a look at what ur eating and when, sugars and such. i, not sure hwen u train but perhaps if it is at night ur preworkout isnt being expended during training and is keeping ur heart rate up.

ur right to try and correct it, sleep is just as important as eating well. jj watt gets 10 hours a night.

P

[Rex]

Sleeping is a major part of recovery and therefore making gains. I wake up at 6am and I try to get 8 hours of sleep each night, so I go to bed at 10:00. The problem is the quality of sleep is typically awful, I wake up all the time, can't fall asleep, and I typically feel tired in the morning. If anyone has any tips to get a better sleep it would be much appreciated.

What´s your bodyweight?
What you are describing are typical signs of sleep apnea.

Also, what are you sleeping on? A good matress and pillow make a hell of a difference in sleep quality

[physlift314]

I've struggled with this before. I have never tried Animal PM but, like every Animal product, I'm sure it's awesome.

Here's several things to think about:

1) Does your disruptive sleep happen regardless of if you workout? If I REALLY hit the weights hard, that night it will be nearly impossible for me to go to sleep. My body hurts, my mind is going crazy, etc. If this is something that you experience, maybe try taking an over the counter analgesic to help with the pain. Ibuprofen or naproxen sodium works fine for me.

2) I did not like my experience with melatonin. Melatonin is naturally produced in your brain. When you start to get ready for bed, when it starts getting dark, etc. (all things being equal), your brain will produce this to help you get to sleep. Supplementing melatonin will increase its presence in your brain and help you get to sleep. I feel like with melatonin, you have to be able to commit at least 8 hours of sleep. If you only get 6 or 7, you will likely feel groggy in the morning. Also, you may sleep through alarms like others have mentioned. What I particularly didn't like about it was how it affected my memory. Mind you, I took it when I was ~19 years old so maybe that had something to do with it. After about 2 weeks of taking it, I couldn't remember jack shit. I remember looking this up and finding that melatonin can have that affect. Aside from that, it's good at what it does provided you set up right.

3) I did some short sleep research on my own recently. Turns out, we sleep in cycles lasting about 90minutes. If I recall, you will actually "wake up" after each one of these cycles whether you realize it or not. If you try to round out a block of sleep consisting of 90minute cycles, you will find that the most effective is 6 - 9 hours. The average of 6 and 9 is about 8 hours and I think this is where that 8 hours average number comes from. I tested this for about 2 months. I didn't set an alarm or anything for 2 months. I went to bed when I wanted to and estimated the time I went to bed. About 80% of the time, I would wake up about 6 hours later (maybe 5h 45min maybe 6h 15m). Then I would just get up. No alarm, no snoozing, no laying in bed. Just get up and slam a glass of water. I found that even though I was getting 6 hours of sleep, it did not affect my energy throughout the day. I felt rested and ready to rock and/or roll.

4) Depending on the day, I will personally take valerian root. Oddly enough, I first heard about it in Fight Club. I have taken this shit for years and it works great. You can get it at the grocery store and it's pretty cheap. I take it, can fall asleep, and when I wake up I feel great. Valerian root is a bit tricky though. Take the recommended dosage for about a week or two. Modify it accordingly after that. Keep this in mind though. Valerian root is not Ambien, muscle relaxer, tranquilizer, or anything like that. It will HELP you get to sleep. It will NOT lay your ass out and force you to sleep. I take it about 1 hour before I want to be asleep. Either then or, say, 30 minutes later I will get in bed and read to prepare myself for sleep. Then I will hit the lights and go to bed. Valerian root will help you get to sleep and help you develop good pre-sleep habits.

And lastly (sorry for the long ass post),

5) Count your blessings, homie. I'm a big fan of taking control of your emotions, your body functions, and reflecting/meditating. I have found that simply lying in bed practicing good breathing (from the belly not the chest) and meditating on the things your are grateful for will eventually make me relax and fall asleep and stay asleep.

I hope this helps.

[EthanBrooks]

What´s your bodyweight?
What you are describing are typical signs of sleep apnea.

Also, what are you sleeping on? A good matress and pillow make a hell of a difference in sleep quality

I'm about 190