Commuting ever cause sleep problems?
 

I'm having issues where if I bike to work a lot, I can't get up in the morning eventually. I need a day or so off of it or I start sleeping for 12 hours trying to recover. Diet varies; some days I'm just not hungry at all, usually I'm on a pretty normal diet ... when i started, I ate three times as much!

Is it normal to bike around for 4 days and wake up progressively more exhausted and sore?

My wife accuses me of getting more tired and cranky as the week goes on if I don't get enough sleep. As much as I hate to admit it, she's probably right. I don't have a problem waking up (my bio-clock makes sure of that) but when I feel myself getting too tired to be polite in the evenings, it's time to take a break.

I sleep soundly 8 hours a night when I commute, I think it is a net gain for me. I sleep more soundly and feel better. I do sometimes just get tired then I just take a day off.

If anything my sleep schedule has become more regular and higher quality since I started bike commuting. It seems like unless your commute is too far and you're getting 7+ hrs a night of sleep, then you shouldn't be having problems. Everyone's different though I guess. If you feel you need a day off take a day off. Better to do that than get burned out on bike commuting and giving up on it entirely.

After a ride, especially a long one, I sleep like a baby. It's high-quality recovery sleep that I miss when I've missed a few workouts.

If you're sleeping too long after a ride, you may be deficient in a vitamin or mineral that your body needs for recovery. Frequently this is zinc (nearly everyone is somewhat deficient in zinc).

I tend to get better quality sleep when I am exercising in some way, bike commuting included.

I hate waking up, but once up I actually quite enjoy the early start on the day. I find that I really need 8 hours of sleep to feel rested and restored, so for me that means a goal of turning out the light and closing my eyes no later than 10PM. If I want to read, etc, I head to bed around 9-9:30.
This is tough to do in Summer due to the fact that the sun stays up past 9, but I feel so much better when I keep to an earlier evening schedule.

I find that having an evening ritual of packing my next day's clothes, etc, into the panniers and getting my riding clothes ready to wear is a way for me to transition to bedtime with no anxiety about being ready for the next morning's commute.

I'm not a morning person, so I have trouble getting up regardless. But I have to get up earlier to bike in. Well, I don't this week, or until I either get a new rear wheel or a new bike.

That's really unfortunate to pee and poop in the bed as an adult.

:lol:

I've always seen that phrase in the same light. :D

How far is your commute and how long have you been doing it for?

If your body is telling you to take a rest day, you should do it. Right now, for me, I sleep much better when riding. My commute is really short, 4mi. one way. I get up early in the mornings 2-3 times a week for training rides as well with rides at least 24mi+ and are usually around 1600+ feet of climbing. Those nights I fall asleep earlier than I would otherwise.

If you are pushing your body it will need rest to help recover, especially if you are riding longer distances during the week. Try giving yourself a rest day, and give yourself at least one of those 4 rides as a recovery ride where you aren't pushing as hard.

_______ minds think alike. (you fill in the blank ;))

After a while, the sleep deprivation will catch up with you and you will fall asleep like a baby. Problem is the Day light saving time. It really did mess up my internal clock to fall asleep on time.

The only other time my commute causes sleep problems is the night before when I know I will have to drive the next day ;)

I think having a job affects my sleep. I have to get up at 3:30, leave the house at 5:00, and don't get home many days until 7:00. I try to be in bed by 9:30 latest, but that's only 6 hours of sleep. I just can't make myself get home and go to bed in half an hour, which is what it would take to get 8 hours of sleep.

Even when I drive I get up at 4:30 so that's not a big help. At least I get home earlier, but then I have to spend an hour or so lifting weights or doing yoga (yogging) or both.

I sleep better when I'm riding a bike regularly, but I have other issues as well that affect my sleep. Biking is exercise and it should improve your sleep quality. But in the beginning it may make you more exhausted to point of discomfort. Although, normally, physical exhaustion should lead to better sleep. But think of the people who work physically all day. You just should get used to the extra physical activity eventually and become stronger. I get tired towards the end of the week whether I ride or not. My work burns me out mentally and low mental energy leads to physical weakness.

This month looks like...

7-9 miles one way depending on route, with a lot of elevation to climb each way. Lazy month, I know; last month was ... similar. I've been biking since April, 443 miles in 2.5 months so averaging a small 180/mo. I'm trying to end this month with gas in the tank still, despite wasting 1/4 tank for a trip to REI for a useless class. I'm slightly under 1/2 tank today.

Other laziness aside, 12-15 and then today is the 16th ... 54 miles in 4 days and then this morning I'm just sore and take an extra 2 hours of sleep, meh. It's not that much biking; people on here do that in a single ride.

Vitamin D deficiency is also a major problem. You could try taking some vitamin D pills. They are very cheap and never a bad thing.

Yes, and (much to my wife's chagrin) our son has inherited my twisted sense of humor. by the time he was 10 he'd seen the entire Monty Python film selection - at least twice.

;)

A proper upbringing does wonders for a kid.

Well done. I liked your parenting style. I hope when I have kid(s) they, too, will share my appreciation of MP. Much like you, if the do, it will be to my wife's chagrin...

My wife accuses me of getting more tired and cranky as the week goes on if I don't get enough bike rides in. I'm willing to admit it, and I love when she tells me, "Go out and go for a ride!"

You're still fairly new, aren't you?

When I first started, for several months cycling left me feeling worn out rather than invigorated. Sleeping 12 hours a day was pretty typical for me during that time.

Near as I can tell, my body was hard at work adapting and adjusting to performing tasks it hadn't been required to perform since 35 years ago. There's a lot more to it than just adding a few muscle cells here and there in the legs. For instance, it starts with building capillaries to service those muscle cells, bring in the construction materials and fuel, and carry out the waste.

Six years ago, 50-60 miles a week including weekend rides was all I could manage. And barely that. I slept most of the rest of the time.

These days, that same 50-60 miles a week is my minimum requirement to feel good. I actually changed job locations so I could do that with only commuting in the winter.

I feel best after a brisk 20 miles to work (twice this week) or about half that on the hilly route (also twice this week, and with full panniers on Monday), working all day, then hammering home for dinner. And I'm back to a more normal sleep requirement.

I couldn't imagine that sort of thing seven years ago, let alone during the first few months six years ago.

Um, no.

Vitamin D has side effects and interactions. VITAMIN D: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD

My father and I are among those who experience the muscle weakness and sleepiness side effects.

I am more likely to have sleep problems if I don't commute. When I ride I sleep like a baby.

Reminds me of an old Rodney Dangerfield joke: "I slept like a baby last night .... cried all night long."

I have always had sleeping issues & waking issues up until a few years ago. Has been going on since I was young. It was much worse after exercising. Problem was that my body was getting too relaxed to the point where my breathing stops. I would wake up unconsciously 30+ times per hour to catch my breath. Now I depend on a CPAP machine to help me get a good night's sleep.

Your symptoms sound like mine; talk to your doctor about it. He/she may ask you to get a sleep study done to determine what is going on.