training after bad night's sleep?

neeb
neeb Posts: 4,473
edited January 2009 in Training, fitness and health
Occasionally (not in general) I have a bad night's sleep. Resting HR is sometimes slightly elevated the next day. Is it a good idea to train intensively when poorly slept or is it likely to do more harm than good? Usually I feel fine once I get going, although I feel more tired afterwards.

Comments

  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,473
    P.S. Just to put it in perspective, I'm talking a really bad night's sleep, like 3-4 hours instead of my normal 7.
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    I don't find lack of sleep to be a physically limiting factor. I was up 29hours the day my daughter was born and got home and knocked out a training session on the turbo without too much drama. I've had a few other sessions where I'd had a poor night for one reason or another and it's purely mental - like you say when you get going it's ok. The raised RHR, though - are you sure it's not some underlying lurgy you're coming down with?
    -- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,473
    The raised RHR, though - are you sure it's not some underlying lurgy you're coming down with?
    It's just very slight, probably down to the coffee to get me going as much as anything else :D My RHR is always up and down like a yoyo anyway, something to do with a hair-trigger autonomic nervous system I suspect (probably explains the occasional insomnia too).

    I'd planned to time trial up Mt. Ventoux on the tacx fortius today but didn't get to sleep until 4am... I've only done it once before and it was a tad knackering.... :wink:
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    [/quote]
    It's just very slight, probably down to the coffee to get me going as much as anything else [/quote]

    No point taking your RHR measurement after a coffee. I sometimes struggle getting a decent measurement if I've had a rude awakening (think screaming baby) but if I suspect it might be a reading not in the usual ballpark I persist. No point trying to do it when you're up and about.
    -- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --
  • shockedsoshocked
    shockedsoshocked Posts: 4,021
    Speaking from experience I usually get a terrible couple of nights sleep friday/saturday nights before club runs and it hasn't really affected me. As long as i've eaten properly the day before i'm fine, if a little bit tired when i first start off.
    "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"

    PTP Runner Up 2015
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,473
    Well, I made it without heart failure (the Mt. Ventoux climb on the fortius). It was brutal though! I need to get something lower than a 36-23 before I do the real thing.... :wink:

    No obvious influence from the lack of sleep; I was about a minute slower than last time, but I didn't have a break half way up this time...
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,313
    Do you measure your heart rate every morning? Now... that's quite worrying really
    left the forum March 2023
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    When I have a lack of sleep I find cycling wakes me up :wink:

    Although when I oversleep I get headaches and cycling is not good then.
  • bahzob
    bahzob Posts: 2,195
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Do you measure your heart rate every morning? Now... that's quite worrying really

    I measure my heart rate every morning. If it shows 0 I know I will be staying in bed.
    Martin S. Newbury RC
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Do you measure your heart rate every morning? Now... that's quite worrying really

    When I have training scheduled I measure it, usually finger + watch method. If I think I'm coming down with something I use the HR strap. If I am not training I don't measure it. Nothing worrying about that, it's a piece of piss
    -- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --

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