Ryan DCNT

Hey all, I've always had a difficult time falling asleep at night, and I was wondering if anyone who has had this issue and improved it has any tips or suggestions? I will feel tired, I'll turn the lights off and lay in bed, and ostensibly I should fall asleep, but I just... don't. My mind wanders restlessly for hours it seems.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and had any suggestions.

Andrew Lewis

Here are my recommendations:

• Get to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time regardless of what you're doing that day
• No caffeine after a certain time of the day (experiment and find out what works for you)
• 1.5mg Melatonin. If it's not relaxing you, try a higher dose. If you have psychedelic, trippy dreams and wake up restless at 3am, you took too much. Take a lower dose.
• Exercise 3-7 times per week
• Figure out a way to not be sexually restless (you figure it out)
• No blue light from computer screens two hours or less before bed. I recommend the program f.lux which changes the output light of your screen. Blue light inhibits melatonin release.
• If you can't stop thinking about what you need to do tomorrow while lying in bed, get a notepad or book to write down your "to do" list on it. Getting it on paper will allow you to relax better.
• No long naps during the day.
• Do something relaxing just before bed. I read.

stef

Don't let it do that. Create a story, imagine a landscape, or whatever. Concentrate on a specific task.

Ray Gillenwater

Good list, Andrew.

Ryan- Do you give your brain time to process information, unstimulated, throughout the day? If not, try taking ten minute breaks with no external stimulation (screens, music, etc) to settle your mind. It's too easy to be distracted all day in 2021 and it definitely interferes with my sleep if I don't take time to think.

RJPinAZ

• A good quality, comfortable mattress.
• Keep the room cool and completely dark (eyeshades are a great, inexpensive investment).
• If you snore, a sleep study could determine if you have some sort of apnea that is interfering with your sleep.

Richard Durbin

I listen to an audiobook. Has to be a decently interesting one to keep my mind from wandering. But also one I’ve listened to quite a few times so I’m not hanging on every word.

I set the sleep timer and fall asleep pretty fast. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I hit the 30 min more button, which puts me right back to sleep before I can start worrying about stuff.

Frank_B

I've been fighting a problem with gagging. It often happens right before I initiate the breath or while I'm taking the breath for the Valsalva. Rarely does it happen once I've closed my glottis, but it has occurred. It often begins near the part of my squat warm-up when I put on my belt. Other times it’ll be around my first working set. It is the worst on the squat and press, but it occurs on every lift except the bench. Usually, once I have done the Valsalva and am bearing weight, there is no issue. However, with the press, sometimes just after the initial unrack, it occurs. If I make it to the first rep I am good to go and have never had to stop mid-set. All other breaths and Valsalva maneuvers seem to be fine during the working set.

Mentholated Afrin does seem to calm it down once it’s begun, but I’ve had mixed results with it as a preventative. Pepcid AC (20 mg) doesn’t do anything. Loosening the belt a bit does help, but I can only loosen so much before the belt is ineffective. A full stomach is worse than one on the emptier side.

Any thoughts on what might be going on or how to prevent it?

Mark Rippetoe

Never heard of it.

Brodie Butland

How soon before your gym sessions are you eating? Do you have issues with acid reflux?

Frank_B

In most cases, I train 2-3 hours after eating. Occasionally, I will train first thing in the morning. In those cases, I’ll have a small snack to get me going (usually one of those microwaveable protein pancakes in a cup). The prevalence is about the same in either scenario.

I occasionally battle with acid reflux, but I certainly wouldn’t call it a chronic condition. I assumed that might be what it was, so I‘ve tried Pepcid AC (20 mg) a few times with no luck. I can try upping the dosage?

Mark Rippetoe

If it was GERD, you would know, and it would not be happening only under the bar. Precisely what do you mean by "gagging"?

Frank_B

Popsicle stick to the back of the throat. I actually have a video of it happening during my warmup set. When I get home later I can post it.

Mark Rippetoe

If it feels like there is an object in your throat, maybe you should get it checked.

CommanderFun

I wonder if you have tonsil issues? You may have some kind of growth issue there, it's why people get them removed. Maybe the heavy inhalation of the valsalva is causing it to flap around and trigger your gag reflex.

Frank_B

I’ll get it checked. Any possibility a small, umbilical hernia could cause it? The belt has a tendency to put pressure on that spot and sometimes I feel like that’s the trigger.

Mark Rippetoe

I don't see a mechanism for that.