Sleepless nights after hard rides - normal ?

Yeti_man

Hi.

I'm only just recently getting into road riding. I started originally as a way to get miles in and gain fitness mainly for mountain biking but have actually started enjoying road riding itself and have made the committment and bought myself a nice Giant TCR Advanced !

I've recently started doing some group riding and the last two weeks have done some pretty hard (for me) evening rides of around 50 miles and 18/19 mph average speeds, the problem is, the nights I do these rides although tired when I go to bed, I either can't get to sleep at all or just dose very lightly until around 2 O'clock at which time I wake up pretty much wide awake ! I then have to get up go and do something for a couple/few hours until around 5am before I feel tired agian & can go back to bed/fall asleep.

This is most unusual for me, I'm the type of person people would describe as being able to 'fall asleep on a washing line' (incase anyone is interested - http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/slee ... sline.html) so do not have a history of bad sleep.

I have a carb and caffeine drink about an hour before heading out and a carb sport drink while out riding, I then have a recovery drink once home (within the magic 20 minute window) then after a shower I have a meal (probably about 10pm by this point), generally containing protein in the form of Turkey, carbs (either brown rice or sweet potatoe) and veg and green leaves (rocket, watercress etc). I wouldn't have thought that any of these could be at fault ?
I have a very fast metabolism and by the time I wake at 2 ish can feel I'm starting to get hungry already, so wouldn't think its the food doing it ?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as if this continues it will either affect home & work life or I'll have to ease off on the rides and I'm just starting to up the miles/get faster so don't really want to have to do that !?

Many thanks

Michael

danowat

It's not unusual, mid-week evening time trials can be a bit of a nightmare for me sleepwise, I've found SIS Nocte helpful though.

Slack

I'm the same. Probably just the buzz/invigoration of an evening pacey ride, a few hours before bed time.

Headhuunter

I get the same thing sometimes, although it happens less these days. My rides are generally in the morning/early afternon yet it still affects me in the evening. I also used to do a lot of running after work woth a running club and that used to keep me awake. Camomile tea helps me sleep...

mr bricolage

You may want to try eating smaller meals with one a few hours before your evening session and one shortly after. This will give your body more of chance to slow down rather than working hard to digest the food you have just given it.
I would also suggest you drink some milk as part your recovery and it will help you sleep by assisting in the release of seratonin.

SBezza

Don't take caffiene so late in the day, hardly likely to help you sleep. Other than that yes sleeping after a hard ride can sometimes be difficult, and as Danowat has said SiS Nocte (or whatever it is called now) does help you sleep and helps you recover as well.

Yeti_man

Thank you for all the replies. I'll look into that SIS recovery drink as I already take one anyway so could just switch to that one ?!
I've only had the problem the last couple of weeks and it clicked yesterday that its only these weeks that I've ridden to our meeting point/the start and home again (adds another 15 miles or so) instead of driving there and back. Maybe either its the extra mileage thats doing it or maybe when I drive too & from the meet point, I have longer between finishing riding and actually going to bed (load bike on rack, drive home, unload bike, unload/store rack etc etc), maybe this gives my body/brain extra time to calm down ?
I'm also going to try a Magnesium supplement before bed (instead of, not aswell as, the SIS recovery drink) as that is meant to promote restfull nights sleep (and is one of the ingredients in the SIS drink).

dw300

Did 85 miles yesterday at low intensity (17mph in a group), didn't sleep the two previous nights for various reasons, including being excited about the social ride, but fell asleep last night and 7pm and got up at 11am this morning. I think is was a carb coma from what I ate after the ride!