Trouble sleeping after long, hard ride?

[pdxharth]

I have had this problem for years. Anyone else?

After a long ride, I can’t sleep all night. Often, I can crash right after the ride, but that is usually low blood sugar. Whether I crash or not though, I often can’t sleep, even get the chills.

I remember 14 years ago when I did the Cascade Creampuff mtb race, I got the shivers on the way home and they didn’t stop for hours. Couldn’t sleep then, either.

I feel like I have been able to lesson the severity of the problem in recent years by staying more hydrated and eating more on big rides. Yesterday, I rode one of my favorite routes, a 65 miler from Portland to North Plains with about 5K in climbing, and even though I ate and hydrated well, it still kept me up all night, with some slight shivers. So today I found this article, which detailed the issue well. Even though I wasn’t doing a huge event, my body just wasn’t ready for it. Damned cortisol! Plus, previously, my long ride so far this year was about 25 miles, which didn’t help.

Anyone else experience these issues? Anything besides better fitness to alleviate them?

https://trainright.com/cant-sleep-hard-workout-race/

[joosttx]

Yes, me too. I bet if you check your heart it probably is way high at rest as your body is recovering. Also, you may be dehydrated. I have noticed I have trouble sleeping when dehydrated. Regarding the shivers do you have a fever?

[robt57]

Over Training, pain and simple IMO.

[pdxharth]

That’s a good point about heart rate. My resting rate is mid 50s, and I’d bet it is quite higher for a long time after long, hard ride. I definitely have a feeling of buzziness on those sleepless nights, which may be related to heart rate. I’ll check next time. My wife said I did not feel warm last night, and I don’t think I have in the past, so fever isn’t an issue. Dehydration definitely plays a role.

Yes, me too. I bet if you check your heart it probably is way high at rest as your body is recovering. Also, you may be dehydrated. I have noticed I have trouble sleeping when dehydrated. Regarding the shivers do you have a fever?

[pdxharth]

Do you mean over-training on that one ride? Like over-exertion? Yeah, I buy that. That’s what the article suggested.

But I will never be guilty of over-training in general. ;)

Over Training, pain and simple IMO.

[Peter B]

I've had trouble with very restless 'sleep' after hard doubles. For those rides where I was diligent with hydration, and more so post-ride re-hydration, I tended to sleep better. Still, I almost never sleep very well the night of a really long, hard event.

[Matthew]

I usually sleep ok the night after the event but the night before is a different story!! Doesn't even have to be a race. A long tour can get my tummy in knots sometimes.

[pbarry]

Yep, Like clockwork, first bigger effort of the year without a lot of base miles and I'm up all night. Jacked, I call it. Body revved up and can't shut down is how it feels to me.

[pdxharth]

That’s it! That “jacked” feeling. It lasts a long time.

Yep, Like clockwork, first bigger effort of the year without a lot of base miles and I'm up all night. Jacked, I call it. Body revved up and can't shut down is how it feels to me.

[aingeru]

Never happened to me. But I remember when I was training for marathons
after the sunday long run (30 km) I often would get a headache. I even remember reading about it in the "lore of running" by Noakes. i think he wrote that it was something common but still not well understood at the time...
I sometimes get it after a long ride but it is rare.

[arimajol]

That’s it! That “jacked” feeling. It lasts a long time.

I get this, too. Ive always thought of it as my endorphins just going haywire. I feel great but just can't sleep

[dddd]

All of the above, especially dehydration.

Sometimes it was the kind of food I ate afterward (needing even more water to balance out) but I ended up deficient (water-wise).

Sometimes it was a bloated feeling, from all the food that my gut was having to process. I try to avoid alcohol or anything carbonated or possibly gassy after any grueling event.

I advise preparing for sleep extra early, then going to sleep when tiredness first strikes. Timing is everything here, having to do with circadian rhythms as they pass in real time.

[robt57]

Too hard too soon is over training, just as much as over training is over doing it in my book.

Pounding your heart hard for long period before a nice 300min mile base is not a good idea. And sitting in electrolyte deficit for 8 hours after is a really really bad state/idea.

[smead]

I've always experienced the opposite. My wife dreads the night after a long hard training ride or event. Hard snoring erupts within 5 mins and I sleep like the dead ('cept the noise).

[gbcoupe]

I've always experienced the opposite. My wife dreads the night after a long hard training ride or event. Hard snoring erupts within 5 mins and I sleep like the dead ('cept the noise).

Yup, me too. Probably 2 mins tops. My wife finds another bed probably as quick.

[kiwisimon]

how is your caffeine intake on those long rides? Between coffee and gels it can be really high and jack you.

[ThasFACE]

Staying really well hydrated is very helpful for me. Also eating really well immediately after the ride.

[Plum Hill]

We used to have a hard evening ride that started at 6PM.
Sleep doctor was always on my butt not to do that.

[marciero]

I dont generally have difficulty falling asleep. Nor have I noticed a difference in quality of sleep based on ride duration or effort. But for me is important to get to bed when feeling sleepy. If I stay up past that and get into the "second wind" territory it is more difficult to fall asleep.

[pfr]

I find myself staying up late whenever I do really long/high TSS rides.

I think I'm just jazzed about the day, so less ready to sleep.

I do a lot of long rides and I haven't found any correlation with hydration, caffeine, etc.