Exercise-induced insomnia

[Catrin]

My alarm clock has something like 17 "nature sounds" to use like this. I haven't found it helpful in the past to cover up the walking sounds from upstairs - but I also have not tried the white noise option. Will try it tonight. The fan doesn't help at all.

I am preparing to have a little chocolate milk - relax with a nice mystery - and try to wind down a little before - hopefully - going to sleep. I appreciate all of the advice... will likely also try the magnesium - sometimes I "almost" have leg cramps at night so that would help that as well, I am sure.

[trista]

+1 for melatonin. Also, make sure your room is cool. Reading in bed helps me... Like you said, that "downtime" before going to sleep really helps. I also like to have something to eat right before bed - a stick of string cheese seems to help me fall asleep. I also think Sleepytime tea can help with that wind-down period.

[OakLeaf]

Reading in bed has the opposite effect on me. One of the cardinal rules of sleep hygiene is to use your bed for nothing but sleep and sex.

[Blueberry]

I am preparing to have a little chocolate milk - relax with a nice mystery - and try to wind down a little before - hopefully - going to sleep. I appreciate all of the advice... will likely also try the magnesium - sometimes I "almost" have leg cramps at night so that would help that as well, I am sure.

Careful with the Chocolate Milk - Chocolate has caffeine in it. Maybe milk and honey? I've done that before (though I prefer my own "knock off" of Aveda's comfort tea...)

[Catrin]

Careful with the Chocolate Milk - Chocolate has caffeine in it. Maybe milk and honey? I've done that before (though I prefer my own "knock off" of Aveda's comfort tea...)

Really? Of course, chocolate has caffeine - duh! It is my treat after riding - though I think that choc. milk is a good reward for many things

I DID sleep last night - but I also was able to ride earlier than normal and stopped about the time I usually start... Tonight I just meet with my trainer, it is a rest day from riding so I should be able to sleep 2 nights in a row

[Crankin]

Catrin, I have had the exercise induced insomnia you described... I used to exercise almost exclusively at 5 AM. I couldn't even take a walk after 3 PM without it affecting me. Basically, I have trained my body slowly, to be able to deal with it. I still get up fairly early (5-6 AM) most days, but the exercise doesn't seem to keep me up as much. I mostly exercise in the morning/early afternoon, but I can ride at 5-6 PM and I can get to sleep, if it's not a really hard ride. It took a long time.
I'm a lot like Bleeker, in that I have had to reduce my caffeine intake to just the morning. I love having coffee around 3 PM (funny, the time I would leave work for all of those years), but I pay for it. I can't even have decaf after dinner, when we go out, so I drink herbal tea. Boring. Coffee is my one vice, so I don't like this.

[OakLeaf]

If you like a hot beverage at bedtime, some of the richer roasted teas are nice - Roastaroma, Vanilla Hazelnut, Almond Sunset, various flavors of Teecino.

They don't have any active sleep-inducing ingredients, unlike Sleepytime, but I really enjoy the flavors. Personally, I just cannot abide the taste of Sleepytime, and anyway I'm not sure how much the spearmint in that (which is a stimulant, though not nearly as strong as peppermint) offsets the effects of the chamomile and linden (tilia).

[tulip]

Valerian tea will knock you out, if you can stand the taste, that is.

Have you tried yoga? The final relaxation is really powerful. You might want to check it out.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I really like nettle tea, though at first I thought I wouldn't like it since it tastes a bit like hay or something. now I really like it though, it grew on me. Supposed to have lots of good nutrients. Iced or hot.