[Closed] Not sleeping after rides

Happens after a big ride its caused by the stress on the body. Cut the length of big rides and build some base - more smaller rides more often. Once you build some base up you can easily extend your rides without the sleep problem.

If it persists see your GP.

I don't have issues sleeping after a ride but the following morning if I've done a night ride my head kills me. Poor hydration ?

Double post

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Haha, avoid the beer. Never get a good nights sleep after drinking. Got to bed at about half two this morning after a few tinnies, woke up at quarter to six. FML.

Try some magnesium citrate. Or four bowls of cereal.

Do you mean morning or evening rides. I used to do a lot of evening mtb rides but stopped because I couldnt sleep afterwards.

For sleep issues in general I have been known to pop a tesco pill occasionally .

73? is that year born if so should be napping after a ride i'd have thought?
i was in secondary then and biggest problem for me is working out how to sneak in the post ride nap

I get this as well after a big ride. Improving my fitness/endurance seems to have had the biggest impact on it, but making sure I eat enough during a ride helps too. I also started using recovery chocolate protein shakes which seems to work for me - has meant having to buy a thermos for them, downing a warm milky drink that's been sitting in the car all day is pretty unpleasant!

davidtaylforth - Member 
Haha, avoid the beer. Never get a good nights sleep after drinking

Sends me to sleep no problem 😀 . Then I wake up on the sofa with an aching neck.

One of my problems is big ride, reward with a big meal plus booze, snooze too quickly after big meal and screws up digestion. Then I feel the need for another big ride to work it all off 😀

No booze and "healthy" small meal and I'm up all night with brain going crazy, bed too late and I get too little sleep then.

I had this last night; charged up & down the local canal for 1.5 hours, was shattered but couldn't switch off til 2am then woke at 5:30 :/

Had planned to ride Swinley gnarfest today, but no energy.

Used to happen to me when in the military after especially harrowing days, absolutely exhausted, would fall asleep in a couple minutes but then would wake up after and hour or two. Speaking to a sports physiologist at a later stage, and they said it was probably cortisol-related.

So if you can find ways of reducing cortisol post-ride, then try that. A few supplements that help are L-lysine, L-arginine and vitamin E, amongst others.

[url= http://www.ergo-log.com/combination-l-lysine-and-l-arginine-reduces-stress-lowers-cortisol-levels.html ]Link - Japanese study on amino acids' effect on cortisol[/url]

This ride was a morning road road and I was tired at the end of it, 3.5 hour ride.

I try to squeeze in 2 weekday/evening rides, but at a steady pace. The Saturday ride was a much faster pace, a lot of the answers seem to point to fitness....

I get this, either after a big ride or something super high intensity in the evening.

Last weekend I did a reasonable 140km road ride. I was hanging after, as it was hot and hard going & got a terrible nights sleep. It's amazingly frustrating.

I drink plenty of water

For me it depends when I ride.
A ride to work early in the morning wakes me up.
After a daytime ride I have absolutely no trouble having a little sleep.
After an evening ride finishing at around 10pm I have real trouble un-winding and getting off to sleep. I'll often stay up until 12.30am and then I'm knackered the next day 🙄

my heart specialist always said never ride after 4pm. best to get it done 2pm. leaves plenty of time for your body to relax before sleeping. he was right i changed my shifts to start at 5.30 am did half a dozen hours then rode hard till no later than 3pm.. slept like a baby.. sucking my thumb..

Best option is to ride, then shower, then another ride once home.

Then sleep like a baby... 😉

You are having post-exercise carbohydrate aren't you?

Wake up three times and shit yourself?

I assumed I didn't sleep well after riding in the evening as I don't have a beer post-ride, whereas if I don't get on the bike I will have a couple of IPAs.

Are you doing post-ride stretching?

That's been the single biggest help for me dealing with this problem.

Otherwise I get tingly legs and feel all restless.

Best option is to ride, then shower, then another ride once home.

Then sleep like a baby...

Only works if your workplace has showers and your spare room has a turbo trainer though 😆

I don't think he meant a bike ride fifeandy 😆

Neither did I at one end of the journey! 😀

I have the same problem.

Im finding that after a night ride im up about every hour or so for a piss and then up at 6. often not getting to sleep before 12.

Its rubbish.

I have to admit, I dont stretch after a ride, but I use the last few miles to cool down properly...

Post-exercise carbohydrate, probably not enough if I think about it 🙁

I mainly do numbers 1 and 4 on this video, might try the others though...

Doesn't take long at all, I just stretch until I feel the muscles relax.

Give it a go.