Fitness causing insomnia

Slartibartfast

Slartibartfast

I have been pushing it to get fit for a small movie role next year but it is 12:39 and I cannot sleep, same as the last week and getting worse.

I'm doing a modest enough ~8 mile walk with a weighted backpack (30kg/66 pounds now), alternate that with swimming days and what was 4.30am every morning before trading climbing the 22 floors of the apartment building and back down pumping kettle bells. It is getting harder to wake at 4.20am as I'm not falling asleep at 10pm as I have for years.

I'm getting in fair shape no worries for ~50 years old and but I've not had restless tossing and turning without sleep like this since I was in my teens and 20s.

Any ideas guys? I've tried extra calcium to see if that helps soothe muscles but as I get fitter my body wants to stay awake (though my brain is tired.. so tired).
 
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HobbyTrading said:
Are you doing your daily training shortly before going to bed?
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Still awake at 2.22, a bad night. No I end all activity around 5.30pm. In the last two weeks I just want to keep going but I force myself to be still, watch The Good Place or whatever with the girlfriend.

The mental exhaustion of an old tired brain on an increasingly virile body is a real drag.
 
One thing I can say is that I had bad inflammation problems for a few years and exercise was not my friend causing knees to balloon, feet to hurt and general pain.

A month back I had a week with no milk in my coffee, I just kept forgetting to buy it. I only had a splash for colour, not milky whites and so never thought such a small amount could harm.

Using a non-dairy creamer now and I am healing overnight with no inflammation. I was a fit guy for a lot of my life, milk never bothered me but I guess after mid-40s something changed in my tolerance for cow juice.

Still eating cheddar and gouda, the cheeses don't seem to have a negative effect.

I suspect that an alternative explanation is Colombian milk processing. It never seems to go sour, we are not talking UHT this is normal pasteurised stuff. 'Immortal milk' I started calling it when I moved here is treated in some very harmful way I imagine. I am told it is the same as US milk, it is not quite natural. In Ireland and UK pasteurised milk went bad in a few days.

The bread here also has a freakishly long life.
 
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Slartibartfast said:
The mental exhaustion of an old tired brain on an increasingly virile body is a real drag.
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Maybe the mental stress plus physical stress combined is becoming too much, causing insomnia. Your mental stress might have increased due to the upcoming "small movie role" you referred to. And the physical stress might have increased due to increased workout intensity (again, caused by this "small movie role").
 
HobbyTrading said:
Maybe the mental stress plus physical stress combined is becoming too much, causing insomnia. Your mental stress might have increased due to the upcoming "small movie role" you referred to. And the physical stress might have increased due to increased workout intensity (again, caused by this "small movie role").
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An idea but unlikely, that is just something I am doing for fun and next year. I trade futures successfully because I don't get anxious about things.

I crashed at 5.30am and just woke now at 7am. Going to be a long day. I will try two days rest I guess.
 
You're stressed, mentally and physically. The more you push, the worse it will get. Try 400 to 800mg of magnesium citrate, taking 400 in the morning and the other 400 an hour before bed. Helped me. On a side note, you'll have some loose bowels until your body adjusts.
As an edit, Baron's link may work as well. B6 does help the magnesium to be properly absorbed. Zinc is important as well. Prior to my Afib diagnosis I was in the same spot. Intense exercise, little extra stress in life, and terribly nutrient deficient.
 
Baron said:
For some people, intense exercise can deplete key minerals for sleep like zinc and magnesium. So I recommend that you try some ZMA, which you would take about an hour before your desired bedtime.

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Thanks, I do use Centrum Advance but I will try boosting the Zinc and Magnesium. I've always been Mr Basic with fitness for work, triathlons and stuff, walk, pick up heavy things.. repeat :)

Gets more complicated as we get older I now see.
 
If you were to practice 10-20 minutes of meditation before going to sleep it might help tremendously. I took out all my electronics, pitch blacked my room and turn down AC to 69 when going to sleep and sleep like a baby. Do not eat anything after the sun goes down helps as well. Do not watch smart phone, ipad or TV before going to sleep.
 
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