Unusual exercise-induced insomnia
Posted , 126 users are following.
TL;DR: I have exercise-induced insomnia for which no one has been able to explain or provide a solution.
I used to exercise regularly. I would wake up every weekday at 6am, bike to the gym, and exercise for about an hour before work. I would usually jog or do some other cardio for 20-30 minutes, then do weight training for the rest of the hour. I had help from a personal trainer, so I knew what I was doing.
I felt great, and I was in the best shape of my life. I kept this up for about 3 years, before something strange happened: I would wake up around 2 or 3am, unable to fall back asleep. I was 33 at the time, and I know sleep patterns can begin to change around this age.
At first, I noticed that I slept much deeper on days I didn't exercise (e.g. weekends). Then I began waking up in the middle of the night, but would usually go right back to sleep. It got worse. Eventually, I would wake about 4 hours after falling asleep with a feeling like an intense adrenaline rush or panic. It would last about an hour, and I would have poor, restless sleep the rest of the night.
I did not have trouble falling asleep. I was in bed at 9:30pm every night, then would read a bit with lights out by 10pm. I would fall asleep within 10 minutes.
When this started happening, I adjusted my routine. I worked out during lunch, or in the evening. No change.
I tried doing more or less cardio vs weight training. No change.
Today, if I exercise at any point during the day, I will only get four hours of good quality sleep.
I've been to several doctors, sleep specialists, and neurologists. I've had multiple take home sleep studies, as well as one on-site at a medical institution. The only thing they've been able to confirm is that I do indeed wake after 4 hours if I have exercised, but no one can tell me why. Many doctors don't even believe my story -- they think it must be psychological stress that I insist on tying to a physical cause.
I have found that walking, low-intensity biking, and hiking are all acceptable forms of exercise that do not trigger my insomnia. I can hike 10 miles and be fine. But if the hike is over very steep terrain, or if I were to jog for 10 minutes, then I have insomnia. So the intensity is definitely a factor.
The sleep studies did reveal that I have very mild sleep apnea. My doctors have told me that normally it would not warrant treatment, but it could be related. However, the usual recommendation for such a mild form is simlply "get more exercise".
My current pet theory is this: following a day of excerise, one's muscles will repair themselves during sleep, usually around 3 or 4 hours into the night. This process requires oxygen from the blood, so if my sleep apnea lowers my blood oxygen levels, then the repair process might cause it to dip below some threshold; my body panics, sending adrenaline through my body to wake me up to address whatever is happening. However, my sleep studies showed my blood oxygenation stayed over 90% the entire night.
I'm currently trying out a CPAP treatment. I'm still adjusting to it, but so far it hasn't made any difference. There's no real reason to think that it will, but I'm willing to try anything at this point.
When I tell this story, most doctors look at me like I have three heads, so I thought I would seek the collective wisdom of the Internet.
Cheers!
13 likes, 351 replies
laura98152 mekin
Edited
Have you ever figured out what is causing your exercise-induced insomnia? Have you gotten any clues at all? I have the same problem. It has gotten progressively worse for me and is taking a huge toll on my life and health. I hope so badly that it is something curable. Thank you very much for any reply.
viktor17916 laura98152
Posted
Hi! do you continue to exercise on a regular basis? How's your other activity areas - walking, swimming, jogging?
laura98152 viktor17916
Edited
Hi Viktor,
No, I have completely stopped exercising except for the occasional brief walk but not even really that anymore. I even try to avoid going up and down the stairs too much at home and carrying anything heavy. I have healthier habits than most people I know - eat very balanced, no refined sugar, no gluten, no processed foods, no caffeine, no alcohol. I stick to a regular bedtime schedule. I have tried everything I can think to try to fix this insomnia. I have struggled with general insomnia for decades, but about 2 years ago found myself having this additional exercise-induced insomnia that is taking a huge toll on my life. Anytime I do even the slightest amount of exercise, I start to feel something running through me and I know I'm going to get barely any sleep that night and likely for many nights after. I have seen countless doctors. None of them have answers. Many don't understand or believe what I'm saying.
Like everyone else posting in this forum, I feel desperate for answers.
viktor17916 laura98152
Edited
Hi! Thanks for your reply! Well, it seems that there is quite a narrow range of options except waiting it out and not pushing your body too far. Do you get symptoms even after a walk that's a bit too longer or at a faster pace than usual? I myself do, so I'm at my best when I limit my walking activity to 1,5-2 h a day combined (!), no more that that. Weightlifting exercise or even several sets of body-weight squats will give me that crazy high pumped-up adrenaline feeling that lasts for the entire day.
Also, do you consume enough calories? I was obsessed with eating healthy in the past, but now I allow myself pastries, pastas, baked goods every day and feel so much better for it. Not eating enough calories is a great stress to the body, so eating enough will always be better than undereating, even if it is done with no-too-healthy stuff.
Have you got your thyroid hormones (TSH/Free T3/T4) and cortisol checked, as well as Total Blood Count?
Admac73 mekin
Edited
Reading this thread has been of great comfort, as I no longer feel I am going mad. I have not been able to convince any doctor of what I am suffering from. All I know is that the more I exercise, which I love to do, the less sleep I will get - usually around 4 hours.
p80543 mekin
Edited
Thank you for posting this! I have the same issue and I have found that it is pretty specific to exercise that engages my back muscles. If I do anything like shrugs, or squats, and especially deadlifts I will have a minimum of 2 days with terrible sleep.
It always happens even if I do a very light workout that engages the back muscles. I barely exert myself, and if there is ever soreness it is rare, delayed, and slight.
I find that ibuprofen will sometimes help me get sleep but it is no guarantee.
I also find that my back can become unusually tight even without exercise or me realizing it. I will sometimes sit down to stretch it out and find a warm, prickly tightness that only gradually loosens through some intense stretching and the sense of relief is amazing.
My theory is that it is an interaction between a bunch of systems related to stress. I wonder if my body doesn't have a strong parasympathetic nervous system and something about back exercises kicks the sympathetic nervous system into overdrive so that I have to much cortisol or other stress chemicals running around to allow the dopamine/melatonin/tryptophan cascade of sleep to be effective.
I've tried things like chamomile, valerian, kava, melatonin, magnesium and others and most things seem to bring me to a drowsy state that isn't sufficient for sleep and I pass through it to being fully awake again.
jd70131 mekin
Posted
i started to have this last year august.
Worked 60h a week and was cycling mostly inside 20.000 km a year. So yes there was quit some stress in the body i guess.
from august till december terrible insomnia < one night no sleep other night like 2h this was going on for 3 months also got restless legs and arms.
Jan till Jun my night's weren't longer than 4h but it was better than before.
in that time i visit the doctor 6 times did blood work etc , sleep disorder center , dietician , osteopathic, physio, chiropractor, sports doctor they all didn't knew what was going on. i also visit the psychologist and yes he told my pushed to hard on my bike and job.
from Jun i stopped working and then it only went more bad, panic attacks , apathetic behavior & eyes that turned away < did a brain scan and let my eyes tested at the hospital nothing wrong with it. The neurologic told me it was total exhaustion.
slowly it went better with just laying down (couldn't do more) all day for weeks. the last two weeks i feel pretty normal in my head and sleep for like 3h a night if i go walk to much my nights a sleepless.
i always had that feeling it comes from my back, i don't feel any rush in my body and wen i lay down i just stare and wait. Looks like my whole system i f****d up indeed. Never been sick before. just like all of you i'm searching for treatments that can help me.
cheryl35 mekin
Posted
Hi there, i have a theory about exercise induced insomnia. I'm not a doctor but have been suffering from cfs/fibromyalgia for around 5 years now an I'm convinced it relates to high histamines or histamine dysregulation. Histamines are released in the body when we exercise, are stressed, as well as when we eat too many histamine rich foods and don't have enough dao enzyme to degrade the histamine. Eating a lot of protein can cause this to happen also. My exercise induced insomnia started after i did a keto diet, which was high protein, and improved massively when i changed my diet and improved gut function. This may not be the case for everyone but thought i'd put these thoughts out there incase it helps anyone. Research histamine intolerance and try low histamine diet that's not too heavy on protein, with plenty fruit and veg. Keep stress levels down as well.
drive22470 cheryl35
Edited
Hi Cheryl, I'm so grateful for this message because it put me onto what has been causing some of my sleep issues. I realised some foods were causing me to wake at 3-4am, but it seemed a bit random - then I read your post and it was a lightbulb moment for me - thank you!
What have you been doing to improve gut function, if I can ask? I've been taking inulin, a prebiotic fibre, and have cut out all high histamine foods, and this has mostly resolved my sleep issues, but if I exercise during the day then they still occur.
gary59219 cheryl35
Posted
i also noticed that ceasing to fast and add carbs to my diet helped. i was exercising on a caloric deficit. i now ensure i eat before exercise.
p80543 mekin
Posted
I'm on a path that I'm hoping will be fruitful.
TLDR;
My atlas is out of alignment and therefore putting pressure on the nerves in the brainstem and spinal chord as they enter the spine.
I always had 2 nights of early waking insomnia after doing exercises that used or heavily recruited my back muscles. I even did an experiment with doing 20xBird/Dogs first thing in the morning and immediately felt an increase in tension throughout my body followed hours later by a flood of release. But after a week of so of that routine the feeling of release stopped and it started stealing time from my sleep with early waking insomnia.
After a recent back issue that has caused 5wks of chronic early waking insomnia I spoke with my chiropractor about the ongoing issue of exercised induced insomnia as well. He said it could very well be because my atlas, at the top of my spinal chord, is out of alignment and is putting extra pressure on the bundle of nerves at that point. An atlas being out of joint is associated with increased tension, anxiety, nervousness and other issues. All those symptoms seem to line up with the rest of my experience as well.
It is tough to find a chiropractor that will focus on manipulations (And use proper force, AND will try to treat it as quickly as possible, AAND will give you exercises to maintain the issue on your own) but he said it should only take about 3 visits to remedy the issue. I'm hoping that's the case. We shall see...
stephen59124 mekin
Posted
I too have this problem and interestingly I also have diagnosed mild sleep apnea which I use a cpap for.
the only way I can describe it is an internal buzz that either stops me sleeping at all or disrupts my sleep severely waking me up after a few hours or an extremely restless night.
I will follow this thread to see if anything is discovered
drive22470 mekin
Posted
I've experienced something similar - has anyone looked into histamine and histamine intolerance as another possible cause? this for sure has created some sleep issues for me, and going onto a low histamine diet has really improved my sleep as a result.
gary59219 drive22470
Posted
wouldn't taking prescription antihistimines help if this were the case? nights when this occurs i can take 200 mg of hydroxyzine and it wont phase me.
i think his problem relates to cortisol somehow. exercise is a stressor and the body can overreact.
i now exercise at lunchtime and allow at least 8-12 hours for my body to wind down before bed. i also dont do any cardio anymore.
alex655 mekin
Edited
After years of searching for an answer to my exercise induced insomnia I think I finally found out what has been going on. I've been taking Spironolactone 100mg daily for some time now as part of my HRT regimen and recently moved from America to New Zealand. Spironolactone is not commonly prescribed for HRT here, instead Cyproterone is. Lo and behold one month later and I'm able to sleep throughout the night after intense exercise.
I understand this might be a bit of a specific case but I'm hoping that by leaving this here someone may stumble upon this information later on while searching for this drug. Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic which does reduce testosterone so for those of you doing hormonal testing you may be on the right track. That said however Cyproterone also reduces testosterone but through a different mechanism.