Riding and sleeping issues

[mounty]

As I have a lot of spare time at the moment I have been riding 3 times in the week and ride approximately 20 miles or around 1 hr 30mins to 2 hours.

At the weekend I will do one ride about 40 miles or so but riding anything around 30 miles or so and I have the worst night’s sleep, but the following night I often sleep well, so it’s something to do with the ride.

I've done a bit of reading and it looks like I might be riding too much and simply over doing it all. I drink plenty of water, exercising or not.
I ride because I love it and I just want to be able to ride further for longer to squeeze in some bike packing trips etc.

We eat healthy meals, however I am probably eating the wrong foods, before, during and almost certainly post riding. I'm probably the wrong recovery food, so what foods should I be eating after a longish ride? We eat healthy meals, all freshly purchased and cooked, no processed food involved, very little junk food etc.

My instinct tells me that it’s a mixture of riding too much, too quickly (not as fit as I think I am) and just not getting the correct fuel & energy into my body.

What other tips can you guys offer to prevent post-workout insomnia?

I

[Vorpal]

Welcome to the forum.

That doesn't sound like enough riding to cause problems, unless you went suddenly from nothing to 100+ miles per week.

If you did go from nothing (or near nothing) to 100+ miles epr week, just take it a bit easier & increase by 20 or 30 miles per wweek, instead of all at once.

edit: thought of a couple of other things... make sure you eat before as well as after (i.e. several small meals a day are better than one or two big ones), and drink plenty of water. When it's cool out, people may be less likely to realise that are dehydrated, or in danger of it.

[foxyrider]

I'm terrible at eating the right stuff after rides! I've been advised that you should eat within @ 30 mins of finishing exercise and you should include dairy and chicken as they aid in muscle repair. Pasta is easy to eat and filling but avoid anything that's highly spiced.

Yesterday I did a 100km ride with egg on toast part way round, then I had a mucky curry for tea about 3 hours after I got home - see what I mean about not following advice? However I slept like a log.

Poor sleep patterns can be caused by all sorts of things, eating habits, exercise or lack of etc, etc. Do you always ride at the same time of day? Are you 'trying' hard? are you eating during your rides?

[Vorpal]

Poor sleep after exercise can be caused by some vitamin deficiencies (e.g. vitamin D or B12). If you have doubts about it, see your GP. They can tell with a blood test.

[ossie]

I always sleep badly after an overly long or hard ride.

I recall reading a similar thread on the subject, not sure if it was on this site but the issue is quite common.

[Bsteel]

I recall reading a similar thread on the subject, not sure if it was on this site but the issue is quite common.

May have been this one.

viewtopic.php?t=114847

[Annoying Twit]

I'm precisely the opposite. After a long ride, I'll fall asleep early and sleep like a rock.

I don't have trouble eating after rides, and usually have a bigger than normal meal.

I'm not trying to be 'smug' here. I'm just giving an additional data point.

[Cyril Haearn]

What are you eating? What are you drinking? For a normal person cycling too much is hard
Tommy Godwin, Steven Abraham and others tried to do it

I find an irregular sleep schedule is good, just realised this recently, when I am tired I go to bed very early, maybe 19oo, wake up for a while maybe some time after midnight, listen to the radio, some of the programmes in the night are better than during the day (I do not work shifts). Other times I sleep less than 7h
Sometimes one needs more or less sleep (not only in summer or winter), one may try to understand why, I just accept it

[millimole]

Two thoughts.

You don't say how old you are - age can have a big effect on recovery and also on sleep patterns.

Secondly - forget the stuff you've read and listen to your body. One of the 'problems' with the internet is that there is too much information! As a youngster I rode daft amounts on whatever food I could stuff down - with no idea of post recovery meals, and the bike didn't have a drinks bottle cage. This wasn't uncommon. Eat and drink (and rest & sleep) according to what works for you - not according to what the experts think you should be doing.
But mostly enjoy the ride!

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[Thornyone]

I always sleep badly after an overly long or hard ride.

This is absolutely my experience as well. Before I got used to the fact, I found it frustrating, since I would be hoping for a really good night’s sleep and would get a really disturbed one instead. This would often seem to be related to sore muscles feeling “twitchy”. In fact the best sleep I had in decades was when a broken arm kept me off work and I was just taking a modest daily walk: I slept like a top. I find that it is usually rides in excess of 50 miles with quite a lot of climbing which start to cause problems. Mind you, I’m looking forward to some exhausting day rides and poor nights if/when the weather improves.

[mounty]

I am 44. I have always been a mountain biker, but over the last 12 months or so I have switched to road, its just easier to ride from the house than to drive somwhere to mtb.

I think because my riding has been a bit hit and miss, so I think I over ride. I always ride for at least 90mins to 2 hours, but over the last few weeks I have increased both the distance. Longer rides at the weekend, around 35 to 40 miles.

I always carry 2 water bottles, I often forget to take snacks with me, but I will always try and get something out on the road. I am aware that I am not eating straight after a ride, as sometimes its too close to evening dinner, so I leave it until then.

I had some bloodtests a few weeks back for something else, nothing was found.

[Audax67]

If your blood test was for something else then quite possibly it didn't include any factors that might affect sleep.

When I sleep badly I can usually put a finger on what's causing it: too much caffeine, worry, hyperactive brain, snoring from neighbouring pillow*, strange sensations in chest, etc. Any joy in that line?

I reckon you sleep well the following night because you didn't the previous night.

FWIW if you don't feel tired when you set out then I don't think you're riding too much. It's only too much when the effects of the previous ride haven't worn off before the next ride.

*wife says she doesn't so it must be the pillow, right?

[bigjim]

I also sleep badly after a long ride. I do 30mile rides in the week in a couple of hours and sleep well. After a Sunday club run I sleep terribly. I don't even find the, average 70 miles, particularly taxing. I have plenty of energy. I don't want to eat either when I get back, but my wife always has a meal ready. I've tried all sorts of recovery things, but cannot find a solution. I wonder if it is the longer amount of time outside in the fresh air, but there again on tour averaging 50 to 60miles a day I sleep like the dead. It's all a mystery to me.

[mounty]

Caffeine isnt a problem, worry sometimes, but the whole sleeping thing after rides has been there for a long time. Other nights are ok.

I also do walking inbetween cycling and life when I can as this is social for us, myslef and my partner walk with friends. No matter what distance I walk, varying from 3 to 16 miles I always sleep really well.

Its frustrating as it kind of sets you up with that frame of mind, that if I cycle I know I am going to get a bad night sleep. It has to be something to do with the physical side of riding. or may be just simple lack of fitness.

I am going to ride tomorrow and Sunday, only around 20 miles or so and at a leisurely/steady pace and see how I sleep then. I will keep a note of what I do, distance, speed, diet etc and see if there are any signs or patterns.

[mounty]

My midweek rides are around 20 miles or so, as it can be time restrictive (1.5 to 2 hours). I try to squeeze in at least two, if not three. Then my weekend ride can be 30 to 40 miles, time around 3 to 3.5 hours.

I'm never really in a rush to get the rides done, most of them are between 10 & 12 mph. Whats the best way to increase the distance gradually?