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Group: General Fitness & Exercise

General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 381, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Sleep

shredder89 Posts: 38 Joined: 2004/09/30	2005/05/31, 07:05 PM I have lots of trouble sleeping at night ( as I'm sure many of you do ) and I was wondering if anyone out there has any tips? I have a quiet and dark room, with good air quality, what could be the problem? I go to bed around 10 and I usually cant fall asleep until around 12

	2005/05/31, 07:11 PM -take ZMA(zinc and magnesium)(30-50mg+400-500mg) -take melatonin(1-3 g)..start with 1 and build to 3...and don't take it every night..or it will los eits effectiveness... don't lay in bed if you can't fall aslp in 20 min...get up walk around....read a book, do something productive... try to take a light walk for 15-20 minutes around the block before going to sleep.....
dvelswk Posts: 192 Joined: 2005/05/07	2005/05/31, 10:04 PM I know some people that lift at night so they can fall asleep easier.
fastpacenation Posts: 44 Joined: 2003/12/04	2005/06/01, 06:55 AM Take some carbs 1/2 hour to 1 hour before bed eg toast is good (brown bread). or a warm malted drink...eg Horlix. Dont have a tv in your room. You only need 7 hours of sleep a night are you overly stressing about getting enough sleep? 12 is not that late... although 2 hours is a long time to get to sleep, are you going to bed to early? When in bed do some slow breathing excercises while lying in bed, you will find it relaxes you. eg inhale fully and deeply (slowly) and exhale slowly, rpt. write down anything that is troubling you on a pad of paper, you will find it helps clear your mind on nights you cant settle. Reading helps I do in bed but some people find it better to do that for 1/2 hour to 1 hour outside your room. Take a bath or shower before bed. Stick to a night routine that will put you in the frame of mind for sleep....i.e doing these actions preps your mind for sleep. Dont sleep during the day, maintain regular going to bed and getting up times. Try http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/06/01, 09:03 AM Thing I find that works is kinda like a meditation thing. If i'm having trouble........heres what I do.... Lay in bed in the most comfortable posistion...for you. Clear your mind......don't think about school, work, friends...carmen electra lol" I can lay there with a "blank slate" nothing on my mind, somtimes its hard......so I use a yellow ball trick. I lay there and think about and picture it in my mind....a yellow ball. I can usualy fall asleep in like 10 mins. -------------- " The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
spamalope Posts: 149 Joined: 2004/12/20	2005/06/01, 09:33 AM BTW - a symptom of overtraining is sleeplessness. Ironic, huh? Tired as all get-out and can't fall asleep. I have been having issues sleeping "well" the past couple months and I attribute it largely to stepping up my workouts and my body adjusting to a new degree of stress. To compensate, I have been able to squeeze in some naps. -------------- _Shane I dont have to outrun the bear - just you....
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/06/01, 09:43 AM usully overtraining is more along the lines of needing more sleep........if your always broken down from training, body needs more rest to recover. -------------- " The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
spamalope Posts: 149 Joined: 2004/12/20	2005/06/01, 09:52 AM BA - not sleeping enough can DEFINITELY cause problems as your body cannot repair itself. (Damned if you dont) Believe it or not though, sleeplessness itself is also a quite common symptom of overtraining. This happens to people quite frequently that step up prematurely to marathon training (or a wrong level of marathon training). (Damned if you do) It's kind of a chicken or the egg scenario. -------------- _Shane I dont have to outrun the bear - just you....
bigandrew Posts: 5,146 Joined: 2002/10/21	2005/06/01, 01:35 PM I think its more a stress related problem.......than a training thing -------------- " The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
spamalope Posts: 149 Joined: 2004/12/20	2005/06/01, 04:06 PM In the case of Shredder, it's hard to say because he hasn't replied back. Based on his profile though and comparing that to what I was like when I was 14, I would say you're probably right. -------------- _Shane I dont have to outrun the bear - just you....
	2005/06/01, 05:31 PM agreed...I had trouble falling asleep also when i was in HS...I would sometimes lay awake for 3+ hours....it would make me go insane....
Apneac Posts: 31 Joined: 2005/06/01	2005/06/01, 06:58 PM shredder89, I have sleep disorders (sleep apnea & delayed sleep phase syndrome). Unfortunately, I can relate in the WORST ways. My suggestion is to do a search with "sleep disorders" as the key word. Most of these sites deal with overall healthy sleep habits ... for the lucky people that are only suffering the "normal" temporary difficulties with sleep that we all experience from time to time. For me, in my case: no stimulants (if you must have caffeine, etc. ... do it by 3 p.m.), healthy diet, exercise, and get outside in the light during the early part of the day for two hours (not necessarily direct sunlight, by any means!); go to bed and arise at the same times every day (it is best for the body to sleep at night during the darkest hours), watch all prescription/over-the-counter meds for sleep side-effects, have a "before bed" routine, use the bedroom for sleep and sex only (no TV, especially), do not eat for at least two hours prior to retiring to bed for the night. (I'm also on CPAP, but not applicable here.) Probably just one or two of these things may solve the problem for you if you typically don't have sleep problems. -------------- ~ Apneac
mmaibohm Posts: 1,621 Joined: 2003/09/30	2005/06/01, 07:06 PM apneac do you use a cpap? I have been using one for 6 years now. -------------- I am that which must be feared, worshipped and adored. The world is mine now and forever.No one holds command over me. No man. No god. I am ANIMAL! and that is enough.
Apneac Posts: 31 Joined: 2005/06/01	2005/06/01, 07:19 PM Yes, I use CPAP. Hope yours is going better than mine! ROFL
fastpacenation Posts: 44 Joined: 2003/12/04	2005/06/02, 09:45 AM I sleep walk and sometimes get sleep paralysis - often running round the house shouting!! ha ha freaks guests out What is cpap?
Apneac Posts: 31 Joined: 2005/06/01	2005/06/02, 09:50 AM CPAP = Continuous Positive Airway Pressure About those guests ...... :big_smile: -------------- ~ Apneac When I die, I want to go peacefully like my grandfather did, in his sleep ... not screaming like the passengers in his car.
Artemis-75 Posts: 208 Joined: 2005/03/25	2005/06/02, 07:43 PM Great suggestions! No caffine after 3pm, keep your routine of going to bed and getting up consistent throughout the week (yes, that includes weekends!) Andrew - I like the yellow ball theory. I'm a bedtime thinker - can't seems to shut my mind off. So I've developed a "game" for myself. I close my eyes, concentrate on getting some good deep breaths and then count at a moderate pace (not out loud just incase you're wondering how weird I REALLY am!) The game part of it is that if I open my eyes I have to start counting all over again! Just a little thing that works for me.