@T3hPwnisher @s.gentz will have to keep both in mind!
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Have you tried any sleep aids? You are very diligent in your tracking and training but as i see it sleep is the missing piece for you.
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I’ve tried a couple but had mixed results. Melatonin seems to make me more tired in the morning (considering I rarely get the chance for 8 hours sleep), 5-HTP works pretty well for sleep but it makes me a little too relaxed the next day so I lose motivation to do stuff I need to do… Wish this weren’t the case.
I know there’s others out there, the problem is mostly the quantity of sleep because most sleep aids are intended to work for 8 hours (why wouldn’t they?). Have considered some others but haven’t pulled the trigger.
It feels weird asking “how to improve sleep quality but not quantity”… Just comes off rather unintelligent lol.
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4/25/22 - Fortitude T2D1W2 Blast 2
WARMUP:
Band Complex
Broomstick Stretch
Clean and Press
10x45
5x95
8x135
Still dealing with some leg DOMS so I passed on leg stuff. Ready to eat some food and bask in the freedom that is my 1 week off from school.
Pretty sure I saw a teen mixing Pre-Workout in a sippy cup today. GNC’s predatory advertising is getting way out of hand.
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The only things I can recommend for sleep quality is make sure you have a good mattress and pillow. They make a massive difference to me.
That and having a relaxing sleep environment (dark bedroom etc).
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2/26/22
Sleep: About 6h 30m
ANS Recovery: not tracked (whoops)
Weight: 216.9
Woke up literally 30s before my alarm went off… I might actually be developing a sleep pattern. Good lordt I’m getting old.
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4/27/22
Sleep: 5h 6m
ANS Recovery: +4.4
Weight: 217.8
Didn’t train yesterday due to headache… not doing a million squats at max effort and contending with a headache. Again woke up just before my alarm went off; this must be what being an adult feels like
Life updates:
- After 8 months of being down, the solar company finally came out to fix the shit they broke in the first place… happy to not be eating an additional $200 monthly in electric bills.
- Applied to a new position so fingers crossed that I’ll be able to break through the glass ceiling.
- Have Intro to Programming (python) and Network Security Fundamentals this upcoming term… sounds like I’ve got to start getting my shit in gear.
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4/28/22
Sleep: 5h 41m
ANS Recovery: +5.7
Weight: 219.1
Didn’t train yesterday either… been feeling out of it and don’t really have a good reason for that. Gotta pull my shit together.
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Hope you feel better soon dude. Sometimes you just need a break, take a few days then go back swinging.
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I appreciate it. I think I’m good to go back and hit it today.
It’s inconsistencies like these that make me want to give TRT a try honestly.
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Haven’t trained since last monday. I’ve been stressed about the upcoming school term and lack of time with family; sleep hasn’t been a strong suit.
First day of in-person class is today and I probably won’t be home until midnight… nothing like 5 hours of sleep to get ready for a 20 hour day. Won’t be able to hit the gym today because I’m going straight from work to class.
Need to get back into the gym. Looking into TRT; whether it works or is placebo, I think it will work in the end. Just feeling burnt out, tired, lack of motivation, lack of interest… gotta get over this shit.
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5/3/22 - Back in the Saddle
Was surprised to find out my class is online all but 2 weeks… this was a huge relief. Probably helped motivate me to go lift. Nothing makes me want to lift more than not being able to.
Didn’t follow a program, just did main movements to clean the rust off.
Stairmaster
400 steps at level 8, 6mins to complete
Military Press
10x45
10x95
10x135
8x135 (technical failure)
Landmine Row
10x50
10x100
10x100
Lowbar Squat
10x45
5x135 (paused)
5x225 (paused)
5x315
Machine Press (explosive w/ 3s neg.)
10x135
20x135 (technical failure)
15x135 (technical failure)
Deadhang Lat Pulldown
20x100 (technical failure)
15x100 (technical failure)
EZ Cheat Curl (explosive w/ 3s neg)
18x70 (technical failure)
10x70 (technical failure, rushed rest)
Felt good, just need to get back up on it. I’m bad at adulting when I don’t feel like I’m in charge of my own life.
Looking into Test nasal spray (Natesto or other compound) as a means to see if TRT might benefit me in the ways I hope for. Will update as needed.
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5/4/22
Sleep: about 6 hrs
ANS Recovery: didn’t track, probably poor
Weight: 216.5
Diet has been fairly good - probably a little high on carbs compared to normal but not too far off track. Gotta stick with the gym… Sore today.
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YMMV, but I was reminded this week that my go-to “cocktail” for better sleep quality without extra quantity is 400-600mg of Magnesium glycinate or citrate and a Jolly Rancher (or two) right before bed. I tend to wake up up to an hour earlier than otherwise and feel more refreshed. 
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Thank you for the suggestion - I’ll look into it!
Brother, life gets a vote in everything we do, including how much we get to sleep. I know you certainly saw that being military. I am in the exact same boat as you in terms of quantity, so chasing quality is huge.
Few things I do that help.
- Low dose melatonin. If i take a lot, I am groggy in the morning, but if I pop 3mg about an hour before bed, I find I fall asleep quicker and am more likely to sleep through the night.
- eye mask. Started doing it on the ship since people would turn on and off their lights all throughout the night, but found it helped at home too. Not sure if its placebo affect, some kind of night time ritual, or if it just really does matter to block out the little light that gets in my bedroom, but I definitely sleep better with it.
- Run a fan. One of those small desktop fans, I find the cooling relaxing, and a little bit of white noise helps block out any distracting noises that would wake me up during the night.
- Keep your room cold. I know a saw some science on this before, but the gist of it is that people sleep better when they are slightly chilly. I hardly ever run AC during the day except in the hottest of summer months, but every night I crank it up before bed. Makes it feel a lot better to wrap up under the covers, and I find i drift off easier.
- Cut caffeine after 6 hours before bed, and keep a glass of water on the nightstand. Makes sure the caffeine is mostly out of your system by the time for bed, and a glass of water right there guarantees I dont actually have to get out of bed if I get thirsty overnight.
All this being said, I am still pretty damn tired when I wake up most mornings, but it does give me a little bit better quality so that I can still pull 12 hour shifts when running off of 5-6 hours of sleep. I also try to find at least one day a week to just call it early and nab a solid 8 hours. I know you cant really “catch up” on sleep, but some damage control is better than none.
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Thank you for the long response, it means a lot, honestly.
I do many of these already in addition to a CPAP but perhaps I wrote off melatonin too soon… I guess I haven’t really attempted it recently. I will give it a go tonight and keep track of sleep patterns to see if anything improves.
Cheers to chasing quality when quantity isn’t really available!
Is your issue falling asleep or you fall asleep then wake up with your mind racing or you just sleep your 6-7 but the quality is poor?
My issue besides the snoring(which I go to review by horrible (44%) sleep study today) is that I wake up and my mind starts racing with thoughts of work and other life crap. For the last year or so I have been taking a product my TRT doctor recommended called Cerenity PM by Ortho Molecular Products. I take half the dose recommended and it seems to help me relax and shut the mind down. I would say it has improved me getting back to sleep with a calm mind after waking up by 85-90%. Even though my sleep quality is still not great I def feel better in the morning. After a year duration I haven’t had to increase dose for the same effect.
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It’s mostly issues with sleep quality by itself. Some nights it takes me an hour to fall asleep, but most nights I’m out within 15-20 mins.
I’m not on TRT currently but I’ve been considering it for some time… if/when i do, I’ll definitely look into sleep products to see what can help. I will say that i sleep best on nights i can keep my CPAP mask on, but it’s a struggle to do so when i wake up. Good luck on your sleep test!
@atlas13 i took 2mg melatonin last night and seemed to do pretty well! Will have to continue monitoring.
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Honestly if it wasn’t such a hassle in my country I would have get myself checked ahah. I can sleep but even then it feels like I haven’t been not tired in a year. Also I could grow a beard lol
CPAP… are you trying to lean down or bulk up ATM?
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