Hyperadrenergic Types

[futurehope]

I'm a slow learner sometimes and it's taken me quite a while to realize that exercising for me is an orthostatic "stress" that begins a chain reaction that finally contributes to insomnia.

How do I know? On the days I haven't exercised (or been vertical for too long), I sleep fine.

On the days I've exercised or been vertical too long, voila....... Difficult to get to sleep. The exact opposite of normal people, of course. They sleep better if they exercise during the day.

Okay. I need to exercise to keep my osteopenia at bay and to allow me to keep whatever health I have.

So, all you hyperadrenergic types, how do you exercise and then sleep at night? What meds are you on?

Has anyone else noticed what I've said - the relationship between exercising and insomnia?

Thanks.

[lthomas521]

I walk a total of about 2 miles every day, because I take public transit to work. If I'm feeling good, I'll climb the stairs (10 flights) when I get to the office. Of course, now that I've been getting so much exercise, my "no blood in brain when I stand up" spells are worse. Or maybe it's just because it's winter, which has always been my worst time.

I can't do anything that involves prolonged standing, bending at the waist, deep breathing, etc. So I can't do gardening or much housework. I can't sing or play a wind instrument. I'm really pushing the envelope when I wait for the bus, because there's no bench. So I walk around, which kind of annoys the other people.

The only prescription drug I'm on is midodrine, and I only take that first thing in the morning.

I have no particular trouble sleeping. My challenge is staying awake! If I have too much orthostatic stress, the fatigue and sleepiness gets really bad.

[goldicedance]

You can walk up 10 flights of steps! Wow!!!!I could not do that even before POTS!!!!

[futurehope]

Ithomas521,

You reminded me of something that slipped my mind. Immediately after exertion, I can barely stay awake sometimes. This happened to me before I knew I had POTS. I always thought it was a strange reaction to exercising and the reverse of the normal response which is that exercising gives more energy.

I'd come back from the fitness center at work and "pass out" for 10 minutes or I could not stay awake the rest of the afternoon.

The problem is, the immediate sleepiness does not prevent the insomnia later.

[India]

I have similar problems. I sleep worse at night after exercising and better if I did little to nothing. Also, I have the same desire to sleep immediately after exerting myself. I thought that maybe exercising just before bed would therefore help cure problem number one. But it doesn't! I sleep for maybe an hour and then I am awake.

Sorry I have no solutions, but at least I know that someone else has the same issues.

India

[worknonjoy]

Oh, it's so nice to talk to people who understand you! On the days that I have overdone it, there is no way I will sleep very much that night. I get my best sleep when I have basically rested most of the day. If I have done a lot, I really try to take a nap (in my case a couple of hours) so that I can sleep at night. My family thinks I'm nuts and I sort of thought it was weird as well!

[Guest tearose]

OH how I wish there was a predictable pattern!!!

firstly, when I am able to exercise at my "best" it is in the morning and I walk on the treadmill for 20-40 minutes. I keep hydrated and keep the room temperature cool but not cold.

when I am not feeling strong, the best I can do is floor exercises like: leg lifts or floor crawling exercises and arm lifts.

I have NOT been able to find a correlation between exercise and restful sleep!!! If anything, I do clearly see a relationship to overexertion and big-time headaches ...and I rarely get headaches so for me to have a migraine, I know I did too much!!

I absolutely do believe that exercise has helped me insure that I stay "in shape" but this is so difficult because our bodies...my body...do nothing automatically or regularly or predicitabilly so I / we must constantly be reassessing and readjusting what our limits and abilities are.

[morgan617]

I can't exercise without getting chest pain and passing out. I have had 2 P.T.'s who have refused to help me because of it.

My bp just goes through the roof with exertion. The more active my day has been (relatively speaking) and the more tired I feel, the worse my sleep is.....

I wish i could help you, but have no clue.....

[mom4cem]

Possibly the adrenaline that kicks in from exercising and the build up of lactic acid just does not get re-absorbed or whatever it is supposed to do and just lingers and keeps us wired but tired but not enough to have a good nights sleep.

When I do exercise I try to do it in the a.m. or early p.m. Try to avoid the evenings since it tends to just "wake everything up" and keep me up

[Sophia3]

Insomnia and of course, fatigue from lack of restorative sleep, was my first symptom in the late 80's. However, in recent years when I try to exercise (I also have osteopenia) I TOO NOTICE WORSENING of my insomnia on the days I exercise!

However, if I really over do it, I TOO, fall asleep a couple hours after exercise...but will still have INSOMNIA unresponsive to meds....of course it's the adrenalin dumping we have in delay.

Since we are all unique, like fingerprints, this explains why exercise HELPS MANY with sleep and WORSENS the rest of us. A catch 22...but I have no place ever to be so I exercise and worry about the sleep later.

Oh, yea, I do NO UPPER BODY exercise anymore as that always makes me almost pass out later in sleep but also BP is very low POST EXERCISE, when SUPINE ??? I work on lower body weights and treadmill..the LATTER FLAT no incline as incline spikes HR....and just do a comfortable pace and try to keep my HR under 150 or even 140 is better...no easy feat since mine varies from day to day.

But meds to help keep HR down before exercise, seems to help get thru the exercise but does NOT always help the insomnia.

Good luck figuring out what works.