General Cycling Discussion - a good night's sleep

I've noticed than when I have finished a good ride that I often have trouble sleeping that night. It's not a matter of soreness or exhausted muscles, I just find my sleep is not as sound or uninterrupted. I am assuming there might be a physiological reason and am wandering if anyone experiences this or has any info.

John

I've noticed this, too, lately. It takes me a while longer to fall alseep, actually. I don't know why though either...

Ut-oh!
Have you guys been monitoring your morning resting heart-rates?

Often sleeplessness/restlessness is an early sign of over-training(although it seems unlikely at this time of the year?).

Check this out with your coach/doctor.

Could also be that you are just doing your workouts too late in the day? If you are on the trainer until 9 and try to sleep by 10 you are bound to toss and turn.

It sounds like either over-training or exercising too close to bedtime, to me.

Yeah, that sounds about right. It's riding too close to bed time for me...

Takes me a long time to unwind, sometimes too long... :D

Interesting, my best nights are after big rides! :)

Any trainer will tell you not to exercise too late at night. If you do, you will have trouble sleeping. You need time to relax and wind down. Try some stretching or deep breathing. Do yoga stretches, it might help you relax and get to sleep. But avoid working out too late at night if you want to get a good sleep.

Originally posted by jah
I've noticed than when I have finished a good ride that I often have trouble sleeping that night.

John
John, if you are married, there is a simple solution to that problem.

Then again, if you are married, it's not always simple. :)

Originally posted by velo
It takes me a while longer to fall alseep, actually. I don't know why though either...
Maybe your still coasting on residual adrenaline?

I've never noticed any discernable difference on ease of getting to sleep after a big ride or otherwise. Of course, most of my rides are early in the day. The rule my sleep tends to follow is that there's less of it on a hot and humid night.

Some people do suffer from sleeping disorders. The usual response from a non-sufferer like me is to say. "well thats funny, I have no trouble sleeping."
A very sharp comedian in the UK noted that if you were talking to a person who suffered from poor vision, you wouldnt ever say, "well thats funny, I can see perfectly well".