I'm 40, and have been weightlifting on and off since high school. Around the age of 18, I started having severe insomnia. I went to doctors, and with medicine, I was cured for a number of years. The insomnia crept back into my life around the age of 30. Since then, I have tried magnesium and vitamin B6, homeopathic remedies, and over the counter sleep medicine. I've found that taking casein protein at night helps a little.
My family life is fantastic, and I work with great people, and make decent money. However I feel I'm deeply unsatisfied with my career, partly because it is not a career I chose, but one that paid the bills. Changing careers at this age, with so many bills, doesn't seem wise. I think this is the real reason for my insomnia.
I continually try to start a weightlifting routine, and then get derailed by insomnia.
Last January, I started a routine that I stuck with for 6 months. I lost 26 pounds, and even gained a little strength. I was proud of that. During that period, I struggled with severe insomnia as well. Let me be a little more clear about the insomnia frequency: 3 to 5 nights a week, I fall asleep quickly at around 10:00 p.m, only to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and never go back to sleep. That's 3 hours a night missed, for 3-5 nights per week, which amounts to 9-15 hours of sleep missed every week!
Then I work all day and try to lift in the evening, which seems futile, because I doubt I'm building much muscle on so little sleep. And I really feel depressed except for the period after lifting, when I feel the endorphins kicking in. I love lifting weights, yet I'm thinking of stopping the lifting completely, until I've slept 7-8 hours every night, for a couple of months straight. I sincerely hope to hear your thoughts on this matter, for my days are very difficult to live through.
Thanks.
My family life is fantastic, and I work with great people, and make decent money. However I feel I'm deeply unsatisfied with my career, partly because it is not a career I chose, but one that paid the bills. Changing careers at this age, with so many bills, doesn't seem wise. I think this is the real reason for my insomnia.
I continually try to start a weightlifting routine, and then get derailed by insomnia.
Last January, I started a routine that I stuck with for 6 months. I lost 26 pounds, and even gained a little strength. I was proud of that. During that period, I struggled with severe insomnia as well. Let me be a little more clear about the insomnia frequency: 3 to 5 nights a week, I fall asleep quickly at around 10:00 p.m, only to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and never go back to sleep. That's 3 hours a night missed, for 3-5 nights per week, which amounts to 9-15 hours of sleep missed every week!
Then I work all day and try to lift in the evening, which seems futile, because I doubt I'm building much muscle on so little sleep. And I really feel depressed except for the period after lifting, when I feel the endorphins kicking in. I love lifting weights, yet I'm thinking of stopping the lifting completely, until I've slept 7-8 hours every night, for a couple of months straight. I sincerely hope to hear your thoughts on this matter, for my days are very difficult to live through.
Thanks.