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Thread: working out and insomnia?

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    Default working out and insomnia?

    Recently I've been going to the gym like a fiend, and burning twice as many calories as usual (900+)...I just have a lot of time on my hands and it relieves a lot of stress.

    Unfortunately, this makes me randomly starving. I wake up at night hungry, or I don't sleep well, can't fall asleep...I'm still trying to lose a little weight, so I don't want to overeat...plus my stomach is very very sensitive, so I have to eat my big meal early in the day and only graze lightly before work to keep my tummy unpuffed. Then I eat a little when I get home (small salad with some protein and a piece of fruit say)...but I keep waking up too early starved.

    How much should I be eating when working out that much? I eat a ton in the morning...does excercise itself affect sleep? I always thought working out would make me sleep better. I hate not being able to get a consistent 7-8 hours. I look like a zombie.

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    Veteran Member ChloeTheRed's Avatar
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    Default Re: working out and insomnia?

    If you're burning that many calories just working out, you should probably be eating close to a normal 1800-2000 calories so that you keep losing weight - otherwise your body will go into starvation mode! I think the magic number is somewhere around 300-500 calories/day less than you're burning -- anyone else know? The basic upshot is that if you're eating way less than you're burning, your body will go into a sort of starvation panic, your metabolism will drop through the floor, and you'll stop losing weight or only lose if very slowly.

    Try eating a bigger meal of lean protein before you go to bed, like a grilled chicken breast with veggies and rice or a bowl of beans and rice (beans + rice and beans + corn are a good source of complete protein). The protein will keep you fuller longer, and besides, if you work out that much, you probably need lots of protein to repair all the muscles.

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    Default Re: working out and insomnia?

    The key is to eat small meals throughout the day, like 5 or 6. This keeps your metabolism working all day, and you will feel like you are eating more but you will lose weight--without compromising lean muscle mass. Make sure it's healthy, obviously. Graze throughout the day on lean high protein meats, vegetables, fruits, and good carbs, and you will not feel hungry because you won't just crash from lack of energy.

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    Default Re: working out and insomnia?

    And adequate rest is ESSENTIAL--there is something called "overtraining" that can occur if you don't properly rest your body and take some down time in between gym sessions.

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    Default Re: working out and insomnia?

    If you are training hard and not eating enough to replenish your body (you can still eat less as long as you eat the right stuff) your body will go into a "hyerdrive". It begins to over-tax your body...you stop losing weight...but you also may find that you cannot fall asleep.

    You may want to consider upping your food intake very slightly (with fruits/veggies) increase your water intake slightly and lower your workout activity level. You just may be going at it too hard.

    Remember when you were younger and if you played really hard all day, when it was bedtime, you just could not fall asleep? The same thing applies here.

    Also, get a bedtime routine going. Every night before bed, take a warm/hot bath with lavendar essential oils, salts, whatever relaxes you.

    edited to add: I just noticed that you said that you were burning 900+ calories per day. If that is the case, then you need to be taking in at LEAST 2500 to 3000 calories per day. Your body cannot function well with taking in 1500-2000 calories per day and then burning 1/2 of that each day.

    Slow down.

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    Default Re: working out and insomnia?

    Ok, I think I may be overdoing it...my legs are getting sore. If that helps me sleep- time for a new hobby! And it's a weird feeling to be starving all the time, especially if I just ate a meal not three hours before. I don't know how athletes do it, digestively speaking- but I've had terrible IBS for long enough to wonder at people who can comfortably eat big meals of any kind. It's like I'd have to train my stomach as gradually as my cardio system. Probably easier to just do more yoga and less mindless running/ stepclimbing.

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