Sleep - beauty or beast?

I have always taken for granted that I can fall asleep anywhere, no matter what. I can count on one hand night that I have spent tossing & turning with something on my mind. I need my sleep. I love my sleep. 

I also know that there are many people out there that do not have it this "easy". Falling asleep can become a stressor in their lives; which then probably only makes this problem worse. Last summer, one of my boot camp clients approached me with this question ...

"I am having trouble falling asleep after our evening (7-815pm) workouts. Any advice?"

This was my response ...

"This is a individual situation, that many do struggle with. Some people have this problem when they workout later at night, as the adrenaline is "pumping" and makes it difficult for them to fall asleep. Other are the opposite, a good workout will make them "konk" right out in no time. The best thing to do is see when its best for you to workout. Maybe for the next two weeks, without boot camp, try to do some workouts in the morning and see what happens :) For instance, I am a morning workout person. I would much rather start my day an hour earlier, sweat it out, and be done for the day.

If you find that you are an evening workout person, not a morning, but its just the sleep that's getting to you, you could look at natural ways to calm yourself before bedtime. A cup of chamomile* or other herbal tea (non-caffeinated of course!), a nice relaxing bath with soothing music, or curling up to read a good book. Of course the body is going to be pumped up after an awesome workout, but the key will be to find a way for your body to calm down and be ready for bed. Trying to clear your mind of the day, and everything else and going to sleep."

I hope this helps any of you out there who are having trouble sleeping - especially if the evening is the only time you are able to workout!

Happy Wednesday!

* Fact of the day - chamomile tea is contraindicated when pregnant

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