A question about sleep.
I work 12 hour shifts and squeezing in gym 4-5x week and spending time with my wife and kid I only get around 5 hours sleep a night..
I'm not looking for the obvious "sleep more" that's out of the question... I'm looking for some tips from people who have overcome the lethargy and damage to motivation that low amounts of rest comes with.
Any ideas?
Pls help
Pic unrelated... It's the last meal i ate feel free to judge it
you probably feel low energy because you consider that a meal. eat more. also you dont need to lift 5x a week. stop spending so much time in the gym and use that time to sleep more. also why the fuck are you working 12 hour shifts? standard is 9
That was a snack... I'm eating 2500 cal a day... I lift 3x, and run 2x. And my runs are only 3km...
I work 5 days on 5 days off and get paid an average of 39hrs per week.
My days off I have my daughter, and manage a bit more sleep each night but I feel like I just catch up with sleep and then I'm back on shift and fucked from 5 hour nights again...
Like I said, simply sleeping more isn't an option. I'm just looking for tips on feeling better on that amount of sleep
Drink a lot of water, stay away from caffeine and alcohol, squeeze in naps whenever possible and make sure to get at least one full night of sleep per week. Also sleep works in cycles of 90 minutes, so you'd actually do better with 4.5 hours instead of 5 (assuming we're talking about actual sleep, not going to bed, trying to fall asleep etc.)
I definitely don't drink enough water so if that helps I'll start... 1 decent sleep is doable, it's probably not worth me working towards rem cycles because I'm woken up throughout the night by my daughter thanks
Its the only way dude.
>Days off I have my daughter
Shouldn't have divorced faggot, or never got married in the first place. Congrats on fucking you and your families life up, now lie in the grave you've dug yourself.
Nice try fag, I'm still married to her, I mean my days off im with my daughter whilst my wife works. I actually have a great family life so enjoy your parents basement you fucking dwelling cum rag
I mean, sleep is literally the most important thing that will affect your health. It's even more important than diet. Maybe work out less during your 5 days on, use that time to sleep more.
that's the price of breeding user
I guess... I slept 9 hours a night before I had a kid, no regrets though my daughter is awesome
>I actually have a great family life
until your wife decides it isn't what she wanted all along haha
I've got some tips for you, user.
Caffeine has a 5 to 6 hour half life in adults, so try your best to not consume any less than 12 hours before bed. If you're one of those people who needs their afternoon coffee or a Red Bull or whatever, stop it. It'll suck for a week but 7 days is no time at all in the grand scheme of things.
Sleep cycles are about 90 minutes long, and waking up in the middle of a cycle instead of towards the end is generally what makes people wake up feeling groggy as fuck. So, in terms of cognitive function and alertness in the AM, you'd be better off sleeping 4 hours and 30 minutes instead of 5 hours.
Minimal electronic use, nothing at all with blue light emitting screens, the hour before bed. Even if you're one of those people who can be on their phone and then fall right asleep, your quality of sleep will differ than if you just shut your shit off/leave it across the room. Read a book in candle light, talk to your wife, write out your plans for the day tomorrow, write out some positive affirmations, or just lay and meditate. Audio books and white noise are chill, but whatever you do, no screens.
Take a cool shower around 90 minutes before bed and keep your room cool. You sleep better when it's/you're cool. 64-67 degrees for the room, slightly less than lukewarm for the shower. Do NOT take a cold shower before bed. You'll get a cortisol spike and it'll be harder to fall asleep.
No big meals 2-3 hours before bed. This is really just about comfort. If you're a side/stomach sleeper, you won't be able to get comfy quickly if your stomach is still bloated from dinner. There's also some research to suggest all that shit being digested while you sleep can cause acid reflux down the road.
Cont.
had to took a nap after wrong weight he made wrong pick
Well yeah I guess, but like I said, until then I have a great family life so ... Whats your point Mr. Tryhard?
Listen to Joe Rogan Podcast with Matthew Walker. You're killing yourself man
Don't nap unless it's necessary. You're supposed to be somewhere in an hour and you're kinda tired? Deal with it. You're supposed to be somewhere in an hour and you're fighting to stay awake? Nap, but only for 20 minutes. A 20 minute power-nap is as good as 200 mg of caffeine! Just set an alarm on your phone for 25 minutes or so, so you have time to fall asleep and then the 20 minutes. If you're the type to snooze the alarm, put your phone across the room.
My final tip would be to find some way to get more sleep, bro. Adults need 7-9 hours a night for optimal health and longevity. I know that's not always possible for everyone and you say you work a lot, but only around 5 hours, consistently, is too little. How much time are you spending at the gym? What's your routine look like? Why 4 or 5 days? If you're natty and not trying to be a competitor you only need 3-4 days a week for the best results. Maybe get into myo reps so you're in and out faster. Think of your kid, man. She'll get even more out of you if you're well rested and you'll get more enjoyment out of everything in general if you don't feel like a zombie.
Let's figure this shit out.
Thanks, good read look forward to reading the rest
your daughter is going to like bbc when she grows up dude
Mon - chest shoulders tris
Tue- run
Wed- back and bis
Thur - run
Fri - legs
I don't even have time for naps haha.... Sessions last around an hour... I finish work at 5pm get home at 5.30, then I have to shower before gym (dirty job), cook dinner, eat dinner, lift, shower again and spend time with my kid and wife .... I wake up at 4am for work so if I manage to get all that done and go to sleep by 11pm then I get 5hours... Even a nice early 10pm bed time is only 6 hours
Whatever man I'm not racist she can like what she wants
no point I just didn't like you calling the other user a basement dweller as if there's something wrong with it
There is something wrong with is stop getting defensive because youre the same loser. Get a job, grow up, embrace real life dick head
embrace life for what dude? when we die we are going to rot the same way regardless
stop this nonsense and let everybody live the way they want to
you sound like a boomer
5 hours of sleep a night is enough. I'm in a similar situation: wife, baby, older kid, career and so on. Sometimes I sleep for 3 hours, sometimes 8. Just keep at your routine and power on. Cut yourself some slack every once in a while.
Wasting oxygen
How do you keep yourself motivated when your so tired, and your 2 options are to either go gym or relax
Can't you do meal prep for dinner? Might save you half an hour.
You're only working your whole body once a week. Any lifting is better than no lifting, but this type of split is inferior to a more full body style of training. I'm assuming you have a lot of volume in your routine given that it's a split. Your Monday is maybe some bench 3x6-8 and some shoulder/tricep stuff for 3x12, maybe even 4 sets instead of 3? Whatever you're currently doing, you could switch to a full body routine and go twice a week instead of three times and be making the same amount of gains.
Wouldn't help your lack of the other days of the week, but it would be something. What do your weekends look like, are you off? Because you CAN bank sleep contrary to what uninformed people might say. You can't bank it in advance, but you can sleep in to make up for lost sleep. Maybe you switch to full body training twice a week, go to bed however early you can on that new off day, and sleep in a little on the weekends?
Sometimes I don't feel motivated at all, but I power through. I feel tired as fuck, drive to the gym and get to work. I don't skip gym days (lifting days), but every once in a while I skip the morning run. I also lift 3 times a week and run 2-3 times a week. I work out in the mornings, at 6 AM, before work.
*Wouldn't help your lack of sleep the other days of the week.
Also what said about meal prepping might help out if you can get the wife on board to help out. You don't have to make a whole weeks worth of meals like a bodybuilder, but you can make a few days worth of chicken and rice in advance in an hour, or toss some stuff into a slowcooker before work.
Id love to work out at that time but I wake up at 4am to go to work :(
Ok wagie now go get that minimum wage
I'm on £34,000 / year lol. I'm not loaded but sure is nice owning a house 2 cars and going on 2 holidays a year
Pathetic
Ok lol
Why did you marry? You know half of couples divorce?
Been with her 7 years and we still fuck like 5x a week... Good enough reason to me
you just ignore it but thats stupid, sleep is the number one, its even more important than food. if you dont get your 8 hours you wont get good results and a fulfilling time awake. you will also die prematurely, until you stop being a stubborn retard you wont make gains
Not only do you need to sleep more, you cannot really pay back your sleep debt; chronically undersleeping permanently damages your brain.
Based
Take a fat spoonful of pic related (mixed in water) as soon as you're ready for bed. Will hit your muscles almost immediately and help you fall asleep faster. May also make you take bigger dumps, but who cares.
Also invest in a down comforter and turn your temperature down to < 74F every night. You'll sleep like a baby in no time.
Sleep during work
You're fucked dude
Getting less than 7 hours each night for a long time will lead to bad problems, you're also severely increasing your chances of developing alzheimer's
Sleep is the one most important thing you can do for your health, forget lifting and forget diet.
You aren't going to 'deal with it' eventually it will catch up to you and you will crash.
theguardian.com
Theres a good program Brian Alsruhe does involving 3 sets giant sets ajd it lasts around an hour
It requires large work capacity, built around the bigb4 and hits muscle groups twice a week.
It could free up some time for you to at least rest or meal prep for following days.
Be happy your life is busy, esp with friends and family plenty of time to rest when your under the earth.
To finish, I admire those who can still find time to hit gym and not make excuses.
Good luck user!
I was in your situation for a couple years OP and it's definitely doable without feeling lethargic. Moderation is most important! Here's what worked for me: 6 hours sleep per night is good enough after your body adapts, but no less than 6. Do a 20 minute nap around noon when you get the chance, but do not sleep longer than that. Use caffeine to your advantage, but don't overdo it or it will burn you out. Try keeping a couple days per week caffeine free to keep tolerance in check (like coffee on workout days or at work, but not on the weekends). Obviously don't do drugs or drink alcohol. Do a full body routine 3x per week. When you struggle hard with energy in a week drop one of the workouts, but try to do this as rarely as possible. An underwhelming workout is still better than no workout.There are decent full body routines for intermediates out there (for beginners anyway). To save energy don't do too much cardio, but do enough to stay healthy. Running 5k 2x per week or something is good enough. Eating enough and healthy is mandatory! Meal prep saves time. And the most important thing: when optimizing your daily routines look to maximize time with your wife and kid instead of workout time.
Yeah bro you gotta eat more. Carb up hard. For my job I spend a few days without sleep every so often and the way you keep that going are carbs and no caffeine.
there is definitely something wrong w/ it while sitting in a basement and hating on happy, married people. you're a monkey flinging shit at the zoo.