Disturbed sleep during NLP

[Frank_B]

I take 25-50mg of Unisom every night. Get the stuff with Doxylamine. It’s the only approved sleep aid for pregnant women. Good enough for unborn babies, it’s good enough for me.

Side note: I’ve noticed that alcohol seems to heavily diminish the effect of doxylamine.

[BareSteel]

Anecdotally, I had sleep issues after volume day in Texas Method. The 5x5 squats made me feel electric after (sorry, that’s the best word I can think of - I know it’s not exactly right). Sleep was tough those nights. These days I’m on a HLM with no sharp volume-dedicated day and have a better outcome for both sleep and lifting.

OP, I don’t know how much ‘room’ you have left to progress linearly, but if you suspect that you’re beginning to butt up against the limits of your recovery capacity, maybe the total tonnage of a heavy 3x5 is a lot for you right now.

[UTG2812]

It has been for me, for many years.

I will try today. Looked at some studies and found some limited evidence that both ibuprofen and acetaminophen can lower cortisol. Is that the effect we are trying to accomplish for better sleep? Or is there some other mechanism?

Anecdotally, I had sleep issues after volume day in Texas Method. The 5x5 squats made me feel electric after (sorry, that’s the best word I can think of - I know it’s not exactly right). Sleep was tough those nights. These days I’m on a HLM with no sharp volume-dedicated day and have a better outcome for both sleep and lifting.

OP, I don’t know how much ‘room’ you have left to progress linearly, but if you suspect that you’re beginning to butt up against the limits of your recovery capacity, maybe the total tonnage of a heavy 3x5 is a lot for you right now.

Since my sleep has been getting progressively worse, I was also suspecting that I am under-recovered and my cortisol is getting too high, hence the early awakening. I have zero trouble falling asleep, it's lights out in 5mins.
I think I still have room to progress, especially in the lower body lifts. The upper body lifts are usually very grindy in the last rep, and I am also only taking 2lbs jumps there.

But I was also thinking about reducing tonnage.
iirc there is also the idea of doing 3x3 and continue the NLP like this in the grey book.

[dalan]

Just another suggestion to add to what has already been posted - I've found that 50mg of Benadryl to be the most helpful thing I've tried. I just get the cheap store brand version. It has the same active ingredient as many sleep aids and it's significantly less expensive. Just a thought.

[Jason Donaldson]

Sorry there was a typo. I wanted to say "I have no aches or pains after training"

But, thanks, I will definitely give that a try!
Did you mean ibu und acetaminophen together or any of them?
What's the mechanism behind it keeping me asleep?

In. my experience, chronic, low-level pain can fly under my conscious radar remarkably well, and still have an impact on me. Analgesics have helped me with the second-order effects like stress, irritability, and yes, sleep quality when I'm not even constantly walking around thinking "I'm in pain now." When I treat the pain, I THEN notice the difference, and realize I was walking around irritated. It's not unlike what I've come to understand about walking around hungry - I don't need to be consciously aware of the hunger to be more of an asshole because of it.

As to mechanism, I've had it explained to me that NSAIDs (like Vitamin I) hit the source of pain, while acetaminophen hits your CNS's registering of it, and this is why they work together so well. I'm also told that this approach has shown great promise over opiates for managing chronic pain, quite possibly because of that effect.

[Mark Rippetoe]

In. my experience, chronic, low-level pain can fly under my conscious radar remarkably well, and still have an impact on me. Analgesics have helped me with the second-order effects like stress, irritability, and yes, sleep quality when I'm not even constantly walking around thinking "I'm in pain now." When I treat the pain, I THEN notice the difference, and realize I was walking around irritated. It's not unlike what I've come to understand about walking around hungry - I don't need to be consciously aware of the hunger to be more of an asshole because of it.

As to mechanism, I've had it explained to me that NSAIDs (like Vitamin I) hit the source of pain, while acetaminophen hits your CNS's registering of it, and this is why they work together so well. I'm also told that this approach has shown great promise over opiates for managing chronic pain, quite possibly because of that effect.

UTG, read this.

[Matt James]

In. my experience, chronic, low-level pain can fly under my conscious radar remarkably well, and still have an impact on me. Analgesics have helped me with the second-order effects like stress, irritability, and yes, sleep quality when I'm not even constantly walking around thinking "I'm in pain now." When I treat the pain, I THEN notice the difference, and realize I was walking around irritated. It's not unlike what I've come to understand about walking around hungry - I don't need to be consciously aware of the hunger to be more of an asshole because of it.

As to mechanism, I've had it explained to me that NSAIDs (like Vitamin I) hit the source of pain, while acetaminophen hits your CNS's registering of it, and this is why they work together so well. I'm also told that this approach has shown great promise over opiates for managing chronic pain, quite possibly because of that effect.

I have had the exact same experience.

[Barry Charles]

My experience: I’ve had sleep issues for 30 years. Mostly I fall asleep but can’t stay asleep. While I would never recommend not sleeping well, I seem to be able to perform well including some memorable PRs.

Over the years I have used Ambien but it only helps put you to sleep not keep you asleep. Since getting sick and constant medical attention I’ve been prescribed Trazodone which helps you stay asleep. That seems to work fairly well but I am not keen about another prescription

[Eanderson]

In addition to all the great advice above, it could be your body temp. I always take a really long time to cool down after a heavy volume session. Cold shower, hot shower (seems counterintuitive but works), turn ac down, get one of those sleeping pads, etc.

[Yngvi]

Not for me it didn't.

Do you think this dose is safe a few nights a week indefinitely? I used to take 400-600mg ibuprofen 4 or 5 nights a week for years, but have backed off to just a few times a month over long term safety concerns. It kind sucks though, and I'd rather just go back to my old routine.

Are we still talking about sleep here or did we switch to pain?
What are the short and long-term consequences of modulating or inhibiting the body's inflammatory response mechanisms with pain relievers?
Among other issues, you may lose out on the benefits of maintaining an appropriate inflammatory balance, but it is possible the benefits you get from increased sleep quality/quantity are more important.

I take 25-50mg of Unisom every night. Get the stuff with Doxylamine. It’s the only approved sleep aid for pregnant women. Good enough for unborn babies, it’s good enough for me.
Side note: I’ve noticed that alcohol seems to heavily diminish the effect of doxylamine.

I will contact my healthcare provider immediately to ask if I am a good candidate for Unisom!
Side effects may include dizziness, constipation, sudden eye pain and neurodivergent fetus syndrome


For the original question; what the most likely cause specifically for your sleeplessness?
You did not say anything about injuries, pain or soreness and you are not likely overtraining at your current numbers, so the most likely cause might be elevated body temperature.
Test it out.
If it doesn't work, evaluate the next most likely cause.