I work from 730am ~ 515pm. I reach the gym at about 6pm, by 730pm or 8pm I'm done and head home. I try to go to bed at 1130pm or earlier, I wake up next day at 630am. But I've been having difficulty falling asleep. I usually roll and toss for at least 2 hours. As a result, I'm usually sleep deprived when I work. I've been having this problem for quite a while and I've been trying to isolate the causes of this.

Consistent Symptoms

1. Elevated body temperature (I sleep in an AC room + fan, I'll sweat the moment I cover any part of my body with blanket).
2. Slightly elevated heart rate.
3. I often go to bed feeling tired and yawning but still can't fall asleep.

Things I've figured out and thought are the causes but didn't resolve the problem

- It's not work related (I watch youtube while working, sometime I play games or surfing).
- I tried to increase my food intake during the day e.g: breakfast and lunch huge portion so my dinner is nothing too crazy and is not affecting my sleep.
- I sometime take melatonin when I feel like I can't fall asleep, sometime it helped but can be slow to take effect.
- I took warm shower near bed time, once my hair is dry, I hit the bed

Possible causes, haven't tried to eliminate yet but will do in the following days

- Since I'm always tired and sleep deprived after work, I drink a cup of black coffee at 530pm so I'm more focused when I'm at the gym.
- Workout session too near bed time. (this I can't fix, I can only try to reach the gym sooner, earliest possible is still 6pm.)



Alright, this is about all the information that I can think of. I've found quite a lot of posts on bodybuilding forum and also some articles about post workout insomnia. One article suggested that it's quite common for athletes to have this problem. For example, when they have a big match at late evening, many athletes will barely get any proper sleep that night.

Many suggested that after an intense workout, your brain produces many chemicals that will suppress the body's ability to relax. Adrenaline vs melatonin

Any of you guys have this problem as well? Any tips or solutions?

stop the coffee lar.. i want , drink about 3 ish...

Coffee and looking at handphone in bed are the most common mistakes.

Alright, I'll try stopping coffee on friday (legs day). See if I can sleep better that night. It sucks that I just bought caffeine pills, literally arrived yesterday.

Wao you are opposite of me.

Like me after done workout will get all drowsy and . Come home must fast fast eat, bath and direct tidur. A post workout nap is must for me else whole day be drowsy.

I do see some opposite replies on bodybuilding forums... some sleep like a log on their training days. Even before I started lifting, it usually took me a while before I fall asleep. And I can't sleep whereever/whenever I want, the condition must be optimal in order for me to sleep. I just don't like to sleep. If it's not necessary to sleep in life, I won't do it lol

Yes, stop the coffee..

In my case, if i take shower (warm or cold), i feel rather refreshed and not inclined to sleep. So...I suggest to take your shower a bit earlier. Perhaps can try putting on some soothing background music too to lull you into sleep. For some people, they can easily fall asleep by sitting in front of the TV which is on.....lol.

if you take melatonin, its best to put all your gadgets outside your room, dont look at phone or tablets, off all the lights. within 5 minutes i fell asleep.

OP try valerian root. its available at your lcoal GNc for around RM80 a bottle. It induces drowsiness better than melatonin, which doesn't make you sleepy..merely improves the quality of sleep

Thanks guys. Will try and get back with results. BTW, it was my rest day yesterday, and I still have problem sleeping. I can partly blame the amount of food that I had hours before bed time. I hit the bed when I can still feel a bit full. Had lotsa carbs as well (chinese dai chow, hokkien noodles etc).

BTW kymryz, u know anywhere else I can get this Valerian root stuff?

You need to up the dose of melatonin if you ate right before you sleep
It works best empty stomach
I used it to adjust back my sleeping pattern
After a month of using it and sleeping at a constant time lets say 11pm
Now whenever it reaches 11pm i will automatically feel tired and wont bother with what i am doing i will just sleep without the help of melatonin anymore

bro, you're not alone. I have the same problems too.
Worse is i get nightmares and sometimes it gets violent(in my dream of course)

if you're not taking any pre-workout supplements that should be ok already.
Cause sometimes i use it as a booster after a tired day at work.
I'll be falling asleep while driving to gym, yet after gym I can't sleep.

anyway, where did you guys get melatonin? any recommendations?

I think I finished eating at around 830pm. I got to bed at around 11:45pm. I was still feeling full from that meal. I didn't take any melatonin yesterday, I did it to see if gym session is the only cause. Turns out a big meal can also contribute to the problem. Could be the amount of salt that was in the dishes. My lips and mouth are dry when I sleep. And the weather in KL is not helping sigh......

I'll try not taking any coffee today and it's my legs day today. I'll see if I'll still get the same problem. I think I'll just go to bed earlier, at around 1030pm. So even if I have to toss n roll, at least I have some buffer time.

I got them from supplements

I'm aware of GNC at this point. But you could try other niche health stores as well...

... and I thought I am the only weird one ... I dream a lot until I don't get enough good sleep ... guess it does effect my recovery after workout and at times my mood when workout too ...

your body still not cool down yet. you can take this supplement, mp bulletproof, it promotes deeper sleep

I usually don't have problem getting deep sleep, I just can't fall asleep. Nomwhatimsayin

Also I noticed that this could mostly be related to the recent hot weather. My throat is often dry when I sleep. Guess I need to be hydrated.

This post has been edited by GameFr3ak: Jul 7 2015, 09:17 PM

workout in the AM and try to get laid.....guarantee you will sleep...natural 'supplements' ..lol

besides coffee, any pre-workout supp taken prior to working out?

Tried. Same brah.

I stopped taking coffee already. Nothing else.


Anyway guys, I think I found the problem already. It's an anxiety problem. The problem is that I'm very aware of my sleeping problems and the moment I lie on my bed (regardless of being dead tired), I'll start worrying about not falling asleep. This creates the cycle of anxiety (worried about not falling asleep > not falling asleep > worry more).

I fell asleep very quickly yesterday. Not sure what fixed the issue but here's what I did.

1. Moved away from playing high pace instensive games sooner.
2. Once I'm done showering, I go straight to bed. I find this to be the most relaxing period of time for me to fall asleep.
3. Stop taking any caffein after 12pm.
4. Try to have dinner ASAP, away from bedtime.
5. Take 1 melatonin tablet with my dinner. I try taking them when I'm gonna sleep but the effect is not kicking in fast enough.