Sleeping

[Kante]

After being seriously ill and almost getting surgery. I got back to training on a daily basis at home. But now am having a problem, sleep time.

I always end up sleeping late but waking up at 8 AM. I generally start my exercising at 11 AM. But the thing is, right in the middle of my weight lifting I get extremely sleepy and I take the risk of actually falling asleep during exercising so I end up not doing any stretching/cardio/makiwara training.

How many hours should I be sleeping if I plan to start training at somewhere in the 11 AM neighborhood? I tried sleeping at 10 PM but it's impossible as am nowhere near capable of falling asleep at that time.

So how do I change my sleeping time?

[turbo wrx]

Hi. How many hours a night do you sleep, roughly? I don't sleep well, but when I exercise, I find that I become more energetic because my body is being active. This is nice after a day of work at the office, where I'm mostly sitting. I sometimes feel tired right before working out, but I try to do some warm-up exercises before lifting, which helps wake me up.

It could be that you're a night-owl instead of an early bird, so perhaps you could try pushing your workout into the afternoon some time, if your schedule permits. Also, how's your diet? This could also have some correlation with lack of energy. Maybe have some fruit prior to exercising for some healthy carbs? You need carbs for energy, but healthy carbs have a low glycemic index, so fruits are better than processed sugary snacks. In addition, do you keep drinking water handy when working out in order to stay hydrated? As you start tiring, perhaps some cold water will be refreshing.

[bushido_man96]

You can change your sleep schedule; you just have to force yourself. I went from working a job that went from 7 am to 3:30 pm, to a job that I work from 11 pm to 7 am. You can change, but you may have to force yourself to lay there. Lay down at 10, and wake up at 8; then, don't take a nap during the day, and try to exercise. You will wear yourself down, and end up getting on track eventually.

[Kante]

You can change your sleep schedule; you just have to force yourself. I went from working a job that went from 7 am to 3:30 pm, to a job that I work from 11 pm to 7 am. You can change, but you may have to force yourself to lay there. Lay down at 10, and wake up at 8; then, don't take a nap during the day, and try to exercise. You will wear yourself down, and end up getting on track eventually.

Well how long does it usually take for someone to get used to that?

This is really bothering me as the kind of exercise and conditioning that I can get from 11 AM+ is simply phenomenal but I don't see that happening right now because all the excitement and will to wear myself down and exercise maximumly just fades away once sleepiness starts showing up.

When I used to practice right after school, I used to do all exercises in a row without hesitating or making up excuses for myself to delay them. I'd do up to 300 crunches (Did not know it was not necessary at the time) immediately followed by 200 pushups or so, I was energetic to the point that these exercises were equivalent to playing video games.

I'd love to get that energy back but I hope it doesn't take like 2 weeks for someone to get used to such a thing.

[marie curie]

7 hrs is best. which hour you start and stop depends on where you feel most comfortable, but keep in mind that you sleep best while its dark...

So you are having problems with your quality of sleep, try going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. I know, right now, in Pittsburgh, sunrise is at 6pm, so I go to bed around 12 and get up around 7 feeling pretty rested.

Also- something that is really bad for your sleep quality that people don't always think of- do you have cats or dogs that sleep in your bed with you? Their sleep periods aren't as long as ours, so they get up and move around a bit, pulling you out of deep sleep, so find pets comfy bed in an another room

[bushido_man96]

How long it takes to adapt will just depend on each person. I don't imagine it will take much longer than a week or two. Since I get two days off in a row every week, I can swing back and forth. I go to bed at around 10 or 11 pm on my nights off, and then go back to the sleep-in-the-day schedule when I go back to work.

[Kante]

Well right now am going to bed at 10 PM and waking up exactly at 8 AM. Is that too early of a time to go to bed? (Not generally, but if you want to wake up at 8 AM with full energy)

[bushido_man96]

That is not too early. And remember, everyone is a little bit different. You could go to bed at 11 instead, and may still feel just as good. You just have to find what works for you.

[Kante]

I've been trying different sleeping hours and I still feel the same at the early morning.

The thing is, in the morning I'm always in the mood for stretching and cardio but never in the mood for any kind of weightlifting and abs exercises.

Maybe I should do the weight lifting at 5 PM + ? And save the morning hours for cardio/stretching ?

Does anyone here do the same?

[Fish]

How long ago were you ill, and what with? There can be a long recovery from some illnesses, and you need to be careful that you don't overly fatigue yourself if you're still recuperating.