pcates

Just curious to know how your training affects your sleep? do you find it helps or hinders?

kuan

Helps my afternoon nap.

apexaddict6

when i'm exhausted from training/exercising, i can knock out on cue.

YMCA

This poll makes no sense. Hurt or hinder? I need more sleep when I train more. I need less sleep when I train less. I don't find training hurts or hinders, but it does make me need some more sleep. I don't get the question.

apexaddict6

when you sleep, does it make your sleeping better? after sleeping the same amount, do you feel better? does it help you fall asleep? i.e. HELP

or does being sore and tired keep you from falling asleep? does it make you restless and uncomfortable? when you wake up, do you not feel refreshed? i.e. HINDER

slim_77

If you are not sleeping because you are working too hard you should increase your recovery or number of rest days...no point in loosing sleep to gain some "fitness"--anyway, if this is your situation than you have a bad training plan and should loose it quick. I can only imagine that others will post about the science behind this, but my sense says more work=more/better sleep.

I can also see that perhaps there may be an initial discomfort because of the additional stress upon your body, but that should diminish over time as you become more fit. If not, get a new plan.

pcates

thanks! ..... i thought it was pretty obvious as well

reason i ask is i've noticed on days i train hardest i tend to have a hard time falling asleep, and occasionally wake in the night and can't get back to sleep. Now i know there are probably other factors at play here but a few people i've talked to have said the same thing......working out (especially later at night) makes it harder for them to sleep at night....and of course some people are out like a light. I kind of hoped regular exercise would help maintain a better sleep schedule, seems just the opposite for me, i mean i've kept fit my whole life, never smoked, never been overweight....guess i'm just a bad sleeper

chinarider

I think it generally helps, unless I do it too late i.e. finish within about 3 hours of when I want to go to bed.

slim_77

What about working out in the am?

Machka 

Working out definitely helps ... no matter what time of day I do them, but especially if I do them late in the day.

The only time when my cycling seems to hinder my sleep is when I'm toward the end of a Randonneuring season and I've done a lot of rides where my sleep pattern was disrupted ... like 600Ks where I get 2 hours of sleep in the middle, or 400Ks where I have to be up at 1 am to get to the start in time, etc. If I do that sort of thing frequently enough, for several weeks after, I tend to wake up in the middle of the night and feel like I should be going somewhere.

EJ123

This is making me sleepy.

slim_77

+1 I suppose that is the best thing to do...if you can't sleep.

ckellingc

Depends on when I ride. If I do a morning ride, it helps me wake up, but if its an evening ride, I usually come home, take a shower, and go to bed.

Strange