Sleepy new member

[Nicnacmac]

Hi guys

I’m pretty new to all this exercising malarkey, this website is really great so I hope you guys can help me out with a bit of a bottle neck I’m having.

I’ve been properly focused for around 1.5 months so far, I’ve been eating much healtier and cut out dairy and bread from my diet. I also go to swing dancing classes twice a week about 2 hours each, its great cardio and a lot of fun (if you don’t believe me definitely find your local on and give it ago 

) and I’ve been doing to my local gym once a week and working on weight training. Most weeks (when its not raining) i cycle to work (about 4Km round trip).

Now my problem is i’m constantly tired in the evenings, during the day in work most times really and if it wasn’t for dancing being so much fun i’d probably have stopped going a long time ago. I do have a desk job which I really enjoy, but even there i find myself tired during the day and have difficulty focusing which isn’t so great when i’ve a lot of work to do. Another weird thing is i do have a decent night sleep every night which will be around 7/8 hours and i rarely have difficulty going to sleep.

I’m hoping the tiredness is just due to having only started to get fit (i spent a lot of time watching tv and reading books before starting), or its because of my weight which is fighting back when i try to exercise, so if anyone has had similar experience let me know. I’m hoping this tiredness will go away after a few months of focused exercise, but i’d really appreciate any advice you could give me. Even healthy eating tips for extra energy 

[Ragged Claws]

I hear ya on the sleepiness. Do you wake up a lot during the night? It can be hard to remember waking up. I wear a fitbit when I sleep so I can see how often I wake up. You probably just need more sleep! Exercising puts a great amount of stress on your body, especially when you first start out. Do you wake up naturally, or does your alarm clock scare you awake?

[Nicnacmac]

Thanks a mill for the feedback, I’m hoping its just a temporary thing and will pass in a few weeks/months if i keep this up

As far as i know I don’t usually wake up, but a fitbit is a good idea, what are they like to sleep in? I had the jawbone up for a while but it was kind of uncomfortable to sleep with on my arm so just wear it now at the gym. Hmm usually i’m shocked out of sleeping by my alarm clock, doesn’t matter what time i head to bed at I always want to stay under the duvet! And the constant rain in Ireland really doesn’t help the mood!

[unmeekgeek]

If you have an iPhone or android phone, there are apps that you can get that will monitor our sleep cycle. You put in a approximate time you want to wake up and it will wake ou when you are in the appropriate sleep phase.

[Ragged Claws]

If your alarm clock scares you awake, then you are likely simply not sleeping long enough. You may have a sleep deficit you need to work off. Do you wake up naturally on the weekends? If so, you can figure out your required sleep time based upon when you went to bed. Once you know how much your body needs, you should try to go to bed earlier so you get that amount each night. Chances are that as you get more fit and work off your sleep deficit, you will require less sleep.

For me, getting enough sleep has always been very difficult. Then I had kids, and I had a huge sleep deficit (babies will do that to you). Now that my kids are a little older and sleeping through the night, it is actually easier for me to go to bed [relatively] early on a regular basis.

Regarding the fitbit, it was a gift and I like it a lot. It has a soft wristband that you can slide it into when you sleep. It is very comfortable, I do not notice it all.

[Horsedog]

Diet is very important. That is, you have to eat enough to provide your body and mind with the calories required to maintain focus and energy levels. Do you track at all? Some good work-friendly snacks are almonds, baby carrots, and hard-boiled eggs (ok, so potentially not so work friendly on account of the smelliness...but soooo good ).

Also, how's your hydration? I definitely notice a decrease in both energy and focus if my water/fluid intake drops below my norm. This might be especially true for you if you didn't up your fluid intake proportionate to your increase in physical activity...