Site navigation and social media links
Why Can't You sleep?!
Health | June 17, 2015
This article is about insomnia and the constant battle to get your recommended 8 hours a night…
Rest and recovery are just as important to making progress at the ZGYM as diet and consistency. Unfortunately, rest and recovery are easier said than done. Insomnia is another one of those modern plagues alongside stress, depression and anxiety that seem to affect many of us. Worse, it can become chronic and lead to even worse health consequences than just constant fatigue.
If you’re not getting enough rest you may notice your ability to workout, and even more your motivation to workout out, begin to diminish. Maybe you blasted through one of my workouts Monday, but after battling sleep the entire week, your workout on Friday was an absolute chore to get through. Fatigue and lack of sleep definitely have a cumulative effect. At some point it’s absolutely vital that you catch up on your Z’s (see what I did there? :)). If your body can’t sufficiently rest it can’t effectively build muscle or even shed weight due to the higher level of stress being inflicted upon it.
While it’s true that exercise is an incredibly beneficial way to encourage our bodies to sleep better, some of you are well aware that some days (even weeks) can go by where it’s not enough. You may still toss and turn no matter how hard you trained at the ZGYM. There are even some studies that suggest that getting a good night’s rest provides a better foundation for working out rather than the other way around.
Some common causes of insomnia can be:
- Stress and concern of life changes (work, school, family, money, etc.)
- Anxiety and worry about things that are beyond your control
- Poor sleep habits like inconsistent bedtimes and waking up at different hours each day
- Stimulating activities in bed
If insomnia is becoming a real issue for you, I’d suggest the following tips:
- Avoid any kinds of naps longer than 30 minutes.
- Do NOT use your bed for anything besides sleep (or intimate activities with your significant other;) So that means no television, no Candy Crush game on your phone, and definitely no snacking!
- Try to only go to bed when tired and always wake up at the same time (even if you’re still tired). This will help set your circadian rhythm.
- Sleep masks and sound machines can help alleviate outside influences.
- Let yourself be done with the day, it’s over, you did the best you could and tomorrow is a new day! Try not to worry about what needs to be done, it’ll all get done. Your personal health is very important not only for your own happiness but for your loved ones and anyone you may encounter in your daily life!
How is your sleep these days? Is insomnia a consistent problem for you? Have you suffered from insomnia in the past, do you have some more good advice to offer to the community? Share it in the comment section below!
P.S. Jesse and I got a new mattress from Sleep Number and it’s absolutely awesome. I love that I can choose from a wide range of soft to firm settings at any given day or even at night if I start to toss and turn. Jesse has his own settings on his side as well, which is also very convenient. I can’t imagine the arguments we would have about what settings we should choose every night 🙂 haha.
Gypsy: “Thanks guys, this is the best doggie bed I’ve ever had”
The Sleep Number mattress that we have has several layers of memory foam and other layer that keep us cool at night. If you have dogs, or kids, you can also get the water proof protection layer on top of your mattress.
Private Member |
ky, usa
Good article Z, luckily I have NO trouble sleeping 🙂 I’m pretty good at it lol!
Private Member |
Same for me. In fact, I wish I could sleep less…
Private Member |
I am suffering from stress anxiety and depression. I dont sleep well and i try to work out everyday. my physic
lhealth is bad. i am hiv positive. I need help my famiy is falling apart, anything you can do to help////// Thanks Tamara
Private Member |
richmond, va, usa
So sorry to hear this Tamara. It may help very much to take some time to yourself, maybe take a solo trip out of town. Even if it’s just for a day, having that time to listen to no one but yourself helps to reset your mind and spirit. Much love, I will you all the best.
Private Member |
You local community is there to help, don’t be afraid to reach out and use professionals. Wishing you the best
Private Member |
I was a long-time sufferer of insomnia from stress, anxiety, and depression. I did everything you’re supposed to do for good sleep hygiene. I took the tv out of the bedroom. I stayed on a normal sleep schedule (woke up and went to bed at the same times daily despite whether or not I actually slept). I never consumed caffeine later than 4pm. Exercised daily. And I never napped. I was doing all the right things, but no matter how tired I was, come bedtime my brain would go into overdrive.
The trick for me was reading a book called “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Course for Finding Peace in a Frantic World,” by Williams and Penman. One concept in particular turned my world around. In short, we try to make sense out of our emotions. We try to apply logic to what is the least logical component of the human experience – emotion. As the book puts it, when you’re depressed you ask yourself, “Why am I so depressed?”. Then you rattle off a list of all the things wrong in your life. All this list does is make you feel more overwhelmed, helpless, and depressed. It’s a vicious cycle that I was trapped in for a long time. Mindfulness is learning to accept your emotional state but then learning how to let it go instead of consume you. When I learned how to let go, I found inner peace, happiness, and a good night’s sleep.
I still have the occasional bout of insomnia when things get stressful, but nothing more than a few nights. And more importantly, when life gets rough these days, I able to better recognize what I’m feeling and not fixate on it.
Good luck Tamara.
Private Member |
dallas, texas, usa
Celeste –
It took me a few years to learn what you so easily explained – applying logic to illogical situations. Getting stuck in the hamster wheel trying to analyze and understand kept me up many, many nights. Which would leave me in a cloudy, miserably depressing funk the next day.
Now, I just try to do the same, like Zuzka says, leave the past behind and do your best going forward. Being kinder to myself.
Private Member |
I was in that same hamster wheel till I read the Mindfulness book I mentioned. It was like a light switch flicking on when I read it. I never really embraced mindfulness meditation. Understanding where so much of my misery was coming from (my own head) was what I needed.
I saw a quote the other day that says it all: “The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.” – Deepak Chopra
Private Member |
dallas, texas, usa
I agree! I kept trying to apply logic and understand someone else’s bad behavior and how/why he could treat/hurt me so badly. Almost 2 years of sleepless nights!!!! Once I accepted there is no “understanding” that….only then could I realize: I can only be responsible for me and my actions. I put one foot in front of the other to plan exit strategy and future. I shall look into that book, I bet I could learn more.
Thank you for the follow up comment!
Private Member |
Excellent article and tips Z 🙂 I suffered insomnia for a couple of years. I think mine was mostly related to general anxiety from life changes and stresses.
I’ve brought this up a couple of times, but for me, taking a daily magnesium supplement has done wonders for my nervous system and improving my quality of sleep. If I’m feeling unusually restless or anxious about things, I take a second tabley and I’m instantly relaxed. I don’t look at it at ‘self medicating,’ but simply providing my body with an essential mineral that is likely lacking due to various stressors. I have read magnesium does deplete when you’re stressed and a deficiency can contribute to insomnia.
Private Member |
I agree with the magnesium. I take a calcium magnesium pill and it has seemed to help with my sleep quality at least better than it was before. I have no trouble going to sleep, just staying asleep. Also, I have to have absolute pitch black room otherwise any form of light interferes with my sleep. Lastly, melatonin once in a while has also helped. Need to go to bed earlier too 🙂 If anyone has any other suggestions………
Private Member |
+1 for magnesium. Try Natural Calm Magnesium before bed (available on Amazon in many countries). It also helps regularity.
Private Member |
Insomnia has been a major problem for me most of my life. Basically from the time i was about 14 until a couple of years ago i had some trouble with sleep. Either I couldn’t fall asleep or I couldn’t stay asleep and I probably averaged about 5 hours a night of total sleep. I just couldn’t stop my mind from running…the rush of thoughts and images had me caught in a vortex of sleeplessness. I tried just about everything, but nothing worked. i was never prescribed any sort of prescription sleeping pill as I was worried about addiction and/or side effects.
These days I sleep like the dead. My sleep schedule is all sorts of inconsistent because of my job, but I’m averaging close to 7 hours a night these days–though sometimes because of work I only get about 4. I take a prescription medication, but it is not a sleeping pill. It is actually an anti-depressant that just happens to be more effective as a sleep agent and has little or no side effects. It’s not for everyone, but after 30 years of struggling, I was willing to try it. I’m profoundly glad I did.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I’m older. Sleeping isn’t the problem it’s I wake up a couple hours before I should and can’t get back to sleep.
Private Member |
lodz, poland
Chris, Im 32 and I hve the similar problem. Whats wrong with us? 😉
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I would say there’s not much wrong with you! 😉 In a flitting mood! Anyway I just seem to have slipped into this pattern and would love suggestions as how to break it!
Private Member |
I also have a slightly unrelated question…has anyone every experienced frequent urination during the night, particularly when cutting out carbs from your diet?
Private Member |
uk
I read something about this a while ago. Its something to do with low carb diet being hard on your thyroid and metabolism which in turn increases stress hormones in your body. Especially combined with low calorie and intense exercises. Also drinking a lot of water and not enough salt can land you in trouble. I don’t remember exact details but experiment a bit and see if it helps:)
Private Member |
I am very guilty of inconsistent bedtimes, so falling asleep can be quite the battle.
What always works for me is to listen to an audiobook on very low volume – I don’t use the tablet for anything other than this, so no late night candy-crushing 🙂
Private Member |
balestrand, norway
Last night I slept almost 9.5 hours! The summer shred has been pushing me so much my body needs extra sleep. I went to bed super early but I do feel better 🙂
Private Member |
I am a RN in a hospital and work night shift 3 days a week, so 6:45pm-7:15am. The days vary each week, so I can’t really keep consistent sleep. I have a family with two children, so I can’t just sleep on my days off during the day. Definitely makes it rough on staying well rested, and never get 8 hours on days I work. Usually 6 hours if I’m lucky. I Work in labor and delivery, and babies don’t care what time it is when they’re born…someone has to be there 🙂
Private Member |
Cambiaste mi vida, te amo.
Besos Gaby 🙂