Sleep issues - A case study
This post has a two-fold purpose: 1) To try and fix my terrible sleep 2) To serve as a resource for other people that are experiencing similar issues and hopefully help them.
Disclaimer: I am aware there are many posts on this forum about this topic and having read them all, hope to condense much of the useful information I have found from them to one resource.
Some background info:
M 25 6' 218 Currently running a 4-day compressed Texas Method after re-running LP post-covid.
Lifts are not particularly related to this but for anyone's curiosity - SQ 5x370 DL 5x400 BP 5x270 Press 2x190. Training for 4 years, serious about strength acquisition for ~2. ~3500-4000 calories/day 220g P
Serious sleep issues began 1.5 years ago around which a close family member passed, I moved away from hometown/family for university, and decided to prepare to enter a competitive professional school (medical). The closeness of these events to the sleep issues beginning makes it difficult to discern which - if any - contribute to the sleep issues and general anxiety I have. I average probably 5-6.5 hours/night, wake up frequently (perhaps once to urinate and the rest for no apparent reason), and am generally groggy in the mornings. I can get quite tired - to the point of nearly falling down while standing up - but when I go to lay down I cannot "seal the deal" and my mind races for hours. I have made pretty consistent progress in my training despite this, which I primarily attribute to stubbornness and discovering an old thread on a similar topic where Rip advised to overeat/caffeinate before training to counteract these effects.
Things I have tried: Melatonin 10 mg did nothing 20 mg had an adverse effect. OTC sleep aids will work for perhaps 1-2 days and my body will become accustomed to them and they will no longer work/cause extreme lethargy the next day. Klonopin does the same. Ambien can help with the sleep but I am quite useless the next day and I am worried about dependence on pharmaceuticals plus long-term side effects. Generally good sleep hygiene has marginally improved sleep but not dramatically - getting up at the same time everyday, dark room, ear plugs, limiting liquids before bed, training early in the day (when possible) and avoiding caffeine later in the day (when possible). Traditional therapy has proven largely pointless. The Amazon product Dodow - which trains proper breathing patterns by showing a contracting/expanding light on your ceiling - had no effect. I read in some article on sleep habits for weightlifting performance that planning the next day in your mind while laying down is useful, and it surprisingly helps me a bit.
Things I plan to alter one at a time to determine efficacy: I have read on other posts where micro-dosing melatonin is more beneficial for some people than regular dosing. Sleep restriction - not allowing yourself to try and go to bed until midnight or so ( to force your body to become tired enough for sleep I guess?) was useful for another fellow. Stimulant-free pre-workout (i.e. no caffeine) has been reported to be useful, especially for later in the day training sessions. Memory foam mattresses apparently collect heat so I can try to remove mine, although the wife is not a fan of this so we'll see. Nasal strips to potentially help clogged sinuses at night. Reading a boring book after not being able to sleep for 30 minutes or so.
Will begin changing a variable and report back.