Unusual exercise-induced insomnia
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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
liza74641 mekin
Edited
Hello all!
I am so glad I found this thread! I have exactly the same issue.
When I was in my early 20s I exercised a lot, but not anything super extreme.
Then I started developing brutal insomnia - falling asleep super easily, but sleeping for only 2-3 hours and staying away until the next evening. I thought I was going to go crazy...
Then I stopped exercising and it stopped.
One year ago I had a baby and have been breastfeeding her since that time. I lost a lot of weight as a result of that, going even below my pre-pregnancy weight, but I really wanted to add exercise to feel that my body is strong and fit (not just skinny). And it started again!! OMG! I tried reducing the amount of exercise - it's the same! I tried yoga, eating more, exercising at different times, even such mild things as stretching - cause bouts of severe insomnia. I can't continue like that! I like feeling that my body can move, be strong, flexible and fit. The only way I can get a proper night of sleep is if I do nothing at all - except maybe easy walking. I did notice that exercises that involve strength make things much much worse - for that reason an hour of walking will not disrupt my sleep as much as 10 min of strength training. I have a feeling it has to do with the rate muscles repair themselves and if it is slow your sleep somehow gets affected... I also continue breastfeeding which burns a ton of calories (and maybe destroys the muscles even more) which probably makes my condition worse so that even mild exercise causes such problems...
Totally agree that there is a physical, rather than psychological, cause to this issue.
RohanS liza74641
Edited
Hi Liza,
There's probably more than one way to become insomniac, but what you are describing sounds like the over-stimulated SNS (sympathetic nervous system) that I rather suspect us behind the problems a lot of us are having. I kind of think of it like hiccups - you get your system out of kilter and that is the physiological result, heart rate and endocrine system working too hard.But it also sounds like you are really sensitive. If walking is not causing the insomnia I am going to guess that your heart rate is the crucial thing. I'd get a heart rate monitor and log your exercise and if you have problems sleeping and see whether your HR might correlate with sleeping patterns. So if you exercise but never let your HR go above a certain amount, and you can sleep then you'll know that's the culprit. You could take that to your doctor and ask for an explanation, although in my experience, it will be outside of their expertise.
I'd also say, based on everything I have learnt about this, that there is not the distinction between physical and psychological that you might imagine. It turns out severe physiological trauma (even childbirth) can have profound physiological effects. There is quite a bit of evidence for this.
slalomdude RohanS
Posted
This ^^^^^. This is exactly the case for me. After a serious case of overtraining five years ago, whenever I raise my HR above 110, I am hit with severe insomnia. Anything from cycling, golf, yard work etc will cause it, if my HR gets elevated. I feel sure its the stress hormones or chemicals released during elevated HR events that cause the issue. I guess my stress response is somehow "broken" and after five years, it appears to be permanent
RohanS slalomdude
Posted
Thanks for your reply slalomdude...it all just helps build a picture of what the problem might be doesn't it?
According to the sports docs and the Docs at the fatigue clinic that helped me is that overtraining syndrome can lead to permanent damage and even when you have recovered lingering problems can return. The doc actually said after telling me how to recover from it "you must always respect it because it can come back and bite you on the bum."
In my experience since this, training carefully (in fact the rehabilitation is graded exercise therapy) will give you a slight buffer. Lot's of low intensity training can help give you some resilience against a big blow out. Maybe. Sometimes.
Interestingly, I came to the forum because of problems training for my Kilimanjaro climb, and while I had SOME problems on the trip they weren't too bad.
lucas14544 RohanS
Posted
Hi Rohan,
It's been a while! How was your climb?
I've followed up on your advice mostly and it's been so much better. I finally started being rested again. I'm also starting working out every day (but just 20 mins of heavy lifting with long pauses). Like 5x5 bench press with 4 min rest in between. I do have to say that I still take glycine mostly with my last meal. And take a little evening snack (oats, whey, honey,cinnamon). I do still wake up at 5 am. But fall asleep again shortly.
I also noticed what's keeping me awake sometimes is a some kind of cramps in my legs. It's giving me the urge to move my legs to alleviate this feeling... I noticed it's worse when if been training my legs. How's your sleep going?
RohanS lucas14544
Posted
Hi Lucas,
My climb was amazing, thanks for asking! I did have some problems, but it wasn't unmanageable. I did have some insomnia, but the sleep I got was for the most part refreshing except for one of the days. I had a LOT of drugs. A lot of ibuprofen, diamox naturally (for the altitude) and a drug called oxybutynin that I got form my mate on the climb who is a doctor. That helped reduce sweating.
So here's a thing I noticed - I had big problems when I overheated as I started down from the summit. I didn't quite get enough time to calm down, and I found I couldn't stop panting until the following day - even at rest, and my HR wouldn't come down. Something to think about....how one react's to over-heating. I'm really glad you have been better. Your comment about your legs made sit up...
When I was overtrained I had pretty bad myalgia - muscle soreness - particularly in my legs. Only it doesn't feel quite like normal muscle soreness, the best way to describe it was a bit like the feeling of sunburn only on the muscles. They constantly felt achy and I would (and still do) cramp really easily. And I constantly wanted to kind of stretch or rub them. One thing the sports doc mentioned is that (esp westerners) tend to think that if they don't smash themselves they haven't trained properly. You see and hear all sorts of things that support that ethic, push yourself, no limits, It's Ok to sweat, it's OK to puke blah blah. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it is good or efficient training. Particularly if you are fit already, you could be robbing Peter to pay Paul biochemically speaking. So a lot of my rehab has been to realign my expectations.The way they put it is that every time you train or exercise, you damage your body - deliberately, but it IS damage. It's the recovery that makes you stronger and fitter as your body tries to adapt to the context your creating for it. So if you train too hard, or too hard too often, you are actually not getting stronger or fitter, you actually damaging yourself as fast and as much as it takes to repair. A zero sum game that can ultimately make you LESS fit.Also, the rush you get from a hard work out wears off...and you have to train harder and harder to get it. So I no longer seek that rush and take the view that I am out of credit with my body - too many injuries and problems from over training.And here's the thing...I am training light and easy, a mixture of cardio and resistance and I am retaining a pretty decent level of fitness. It really works. All that hard training in the past is still there...I just need to polish it a bit. Fitness-wise I pretty much had no issue on Kili. I had problems with my knees and feet from wear and tear over the years....but I smashed most of it. So my training for Kili was actually to stay off my feet and do almost no cardio - just resistance and keep my HR as low as poss when training. I already had a good base of fitness, no need to redo that and risk overtraining.Finally wrt your legs, it was recommended to me to have Epsom salts baths. It had no effect when I was overtrained but now they REALLY work. Good to hear from you Lucas.
laura98152 liza74641
Edited
Hi Liza,
I am curious if you ever found any relief from your exercise-induced insmonia. I am at a complete loss. Have you gotten any clues or found anything that has helped you? It has gotten progressively worse for me and is taking a huge toll on my life and health. I can't even do easy walking without it affecting my sleep. I have had several doctors/nurses suggest that it is psychological but like you said, I know it's not. Thank you so much for any reply.
gary59219 RohanS
Posted
i see these posts are several years old. hoping you will still reply. i developed this same problem where exercise causes me not to be able to sleep. doctors cannot explain it and everyone thinks i am crazy. sports Dr could not even help. seeing a rheumatologist for suspected CFS which is essentially OTS. praying for help. i have tried gradually reamping up which works fir awhile but found i eventuslly overdo it, cumilativley or one hard workiut. curious if any other progress has been made?
RohanS gary59219
Posted
This issue is pretty well understood by the CFS clinicians I have seen on the NHS here in the UK. Well - well known maybe not "well understood".
I am much much better than I was, but I still have be careful. Yesterday I went for a run and had pounding that evening - but not too bad and I got to sleep eventually.
A good idea would be to change the type of training you are doing. If you do the same kind of exercise that lead you to overtrain, your body can "remember" that exercise as requiring metabolic processes that put you into survival mode. It's a learned response like being anxious when you put on shoes because you found or were bitten by a spider once. So if you do different types of activity, you may not get that CNS/endocrine response.
You can also try Valerian root, and ibuprofen. If, as a result of your training, you are getting inapproriate inflammation, then ibuprofen can lower that. It's perhaps worth a try. I generally use it for fatigue rather than problems sleeping.
ada33276 mekin
Posted
I woke at 4am today, and I'm a night owl. I'm a little warm but my bedroom is 65 degrees, and I'm pretty hungry/thirsty after eating and drinking plenty. I absolutely can't fall back asleep.
After taking off 8 months from training, I started with a new trainer yesterday. So this was my first session in a long time. And he worked me super hard. I got to sleep fine but woke after 4 hours or so. Can't get back to sleep.
My older brother who is genetically very similar to me (and extremely fit) is a doctor. After starting a keto diet, he found himself waking up at night with a racing heart. Eating a bunch of sugar at night fixed that for him and also got him super ripped. He follows this http://carbnite.com/ and loves it.
I can't bring myself to eat a ton of sugar like that. But I'm guessing it's also a blood sugar thing for me. (I also get a rash after getting overheated like someone else mentioned here.)
So for my next session, I'm going to request more cool down (maybe a quick swim or pop in the sauna?), drink more water during the workout, and have a big fruit smoothie afterward. Wish me luck!
RohanS ada33276
Posted
Hi Ada,
Well, good luck! I'd say if your brother has had some success with his diet plan then you should give it a go. Everyone's physiology is different, but maybe your is similar enough to your brothers it might work. Spiking my blood sugar is absolutely no go for me. Sugar is virtually poison for me. I'm pretty sure I am pre-diabetic (my father became type 1 at my age) and any sugar or carb-rich meals cause me issues personally, but they don't affect whether I can sleep or not.
Making sure you have everything your body needs to recover from exercise is clearly an important thing. If you still have problems sleeping perhaps consider changing your exercise regimen so that you don't spike your heart rate too much for too long. See if that helps. Just a suggestion.
laura98152 ada33276
Posted
Hi Ada,
Curious to get any updates about your insomnia. I also suffer from exercise-induced insomnia also and am at a complete loss. Have you gotten any clues or been able to find any remedies? Did you ever try any of these things that you mentioned? It has gotten progressively worse for me and is taking a huge toll on my life and health. Thank you so much for any reply.
davidejohnson mekin
Edited
lucas14544 davidejohnson
Posted
That's a coincidence. I just found out that I might be having rls also. But not every day? Is that possible. Some days even my girlfriend gets mad because I keep tossing and turning because feeling in my legs. It's not exactly pain, but rather a unpleasant feeling. It's only there when I'm lying down though. I'm gonna try dhea. Thanks for the tip.
davidejohnson lucas14544
Posted
beaniebye davidejohnson
Posted
Do you know what your iron levels are? Iron supplements may help the RLS if you are low.
Also, are your legs cramping or do you indeed have RLS? There is a difference. If it's just cramping, stretching after a workout will really help. Also, you may need a little sodium or potassium if it's cramps.
laura98152 davidejohnson
Posted
Hi David, curious if you have ever been able to get any answers about the exercise-induce insomnia. I also suffer from exercise-induced insomnia also and am at a complete loss. Did you start taking DHEA because your levels were low? Have you found anything else that helps with your insomnia? I appreciate any updates you can give me.
davidejohnson laura98152
Edited
Glad to give a update. I no longer take DHEA. I also do not exercise extremely hard nor do I really need to as I have loss some weight and are in better condition. 30 to 45 minutes runs most days are enough. I have found several things that have helped. Drink plenty of water thru the day. Limit my meat and fat intake. Increase whole grains and oats and beans and fruit. I limit all vitamin supplements but have started taking some iodine or extra salt. melatonin at night(10 mg). Dark chocolate powder in water before bedtime really makes me fall to sleep fast. If I still cannot sleep I may take very small amount of Benadryl. I do some intermittent fasting also early in the day. Hope this is of some help. Let me know if you need any more info.