# Cycling Tiredness



## Mattk50 (26 Jan 2018)

Hi,

I am just so tired today from not sleeping. Whenever I push the boundaries, yesterday got up to 28 miles (ok not much to you guys), I then have a terrible nights sleep. I'm not sure if it's leg muscle ache keeping me awake or what, you'd think I'd sleep like a log! Anyone else get this?

Matt


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## buzzy-beans (26 Jan 2018)

Hello Matt, in answer to your question I am not about to respond with any medical facts. But I do know that whenever I push myself and my 68 year old body through the black mist/wall of pain (which I actually quite enjoy doing!) that it always takes a reasonable large amount of time for my body to return to normality.
This has happened throughout my competitive life, no matter which sport I was involved in be that swimming, cross country, rugger or cycling and the longer my body and more importantly my mind has been beyond this wall, the longer it will always take to recover.
These days, because of various bone problems I have as well as arthritis I have been prescribed a quite high strength of amitriptyline which helps to numb the pain and generally to knock me out at night, but without it I am afraid to say most of my nights would be sleepless.


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## Markymark (26 Jan 2018)

Are you drinking enough?


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## dave r (26 Jan 2018)

I sometimes get this after a hard ride, my mind just keeps replaying the day, it doesn't happen very often, just once in a while. What I usually do is find time to have a nap at some point during the following day and all returns to normal.


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## Mattk50 (26 Jan 2018)

Thanks, not just me then. Yeah had a couple of glasses of wine last night but just made me more 'buzzy' rather than tired. Working from home today, might see if I can sneak in a nap at some point!


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## Markymark (26 Jan 2018)

Mattk50 said:


> Thanks, not just me then. Yeah had a couple of glasses of wine last night but just made me more 'buzzy' rather than tired. Working from home today, might see if I can sneak in a nap at some point!


I think there's a chance you're dehydrated. Couple of glasses of wine will add to that. No problem with them at all but are you drinking enough water?


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## vickster (26 Jan 2018)

Have a warm bath after your cycle but before bed, then stretch your muscles, and have an early night. The wine will also affect sleep.


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## Time Waster (26 Jan 2018)

Anyone try jot and cold showers on aching legs after a ride? If it is your aches keeping you awake (my convinced personally) then I found running a shower head at the hottest you can stand then changing to full on cold water until its starting to hurt then back to hot. Repeat a few times then go back to paying attention to nutrition and hydration. Also perhaps leave gadgets alone for a few hours before bed.

Just a few ideas but by no means any good. I've rarely had sleeping problems. Head touches pillow = asleep within 2 minutes. As a kid it was quicker, almost narcolepsy levels of falling asleep when the head hits the pillow.

Sleep is very, very important IMHO. Just one early night and the average speed on my commute to work goes up possibly 4mph!


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## snorri (26 Jan 2018)

Mattk50 said:


> Anyone else get this?


No, never had anything like that.
Could be an age thing, general fitness, cycling fitness, the weather, the terrain, etc etc.........


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## Sharky (26 Jan 2018)

Mattk50 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am just so tired today from not sleeping. Whenever I push the boundaries, yesterday got up to 28 miles (ok not much to you guys), I then have a terrible nights sleep. I'm not sure if it's leg muscle ache keeping me awake or what, you'd think I'd sleep like a log! Anyone else get this?
> 
> Matt


Hi Matt,

Your post raises a few questions.
- 28 miles is going to take over 2 hours and 2 hrs of exercise if not used to it is going to be tiring.
- "push the boundaries" ? How much further than normal is this? Do you get the same problem with the shorter rides? May just need to be a little more patient and extend the distances more gradual over time.
- "leg muscle ache". If legs are aching, could be a sign of using too high a gear - try spinning in a much lower gear. Also could be the saddle too low and putting too much strain on the thighs.

I too will be 68 next month and my rides are rarely more than 60 - 90 minutes. I find the shorter rides are easier to recover from and enables me to go out again much sooner. 

Cheers
Keith


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## iluvmybike (26 Jan 2018)

I find when I push it a bit I get 'over-tired' and have a poor night's sleep and sometimes achy legs - with a bit of rest & the right food & drink it all goes back to normal day after. I don't know your age but I've found this more so as the years have got on for me!


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## derrick (26 Jan 2018)

I normally end up in the pub after a hard ride, few beers in me i sleep like a log. But you do need to drink plenty of fluids whilst on the ride.


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## hopless500 (26 Jan 2018)

I sleep way better than normal after a long day cycling.


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## Mattk50 (26 Jan 2018)

Feeling a bit better after a snooze! Muscle ache has gone, just legs tensing at night keeping me awake after each long ride. I normally do about 20 miles 3 times a week since Nov. I'm 49 and keep hydrated. 28 miles was the second longest ride to date though.


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## vickster (26 Jan 2018)

You need to stretch the legs (all muscle groups) after cycling if that’s happening. No shortcuts


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## Heltor Chasca (26 Jan 2018)

Good work on the new distances. 

I don’t sleep well even after 200+km long Audax rides. That’s far for me. It takes a lot of concentration just to ride and navigate and my brain is buzzing. My body is also fairly wrecked and I eat late. 

All this and I don’t sleep much the night before through excitement and of course you are up very early in the morning to get to the start. One wonders whether we would just be happier laid up on the sofa


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## Ming the Merciless (27 Jan 2018)

Keep a diary of exercise, diet, sleep. See if there is a pattern and make adjustments as required.


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## steveindenmark (4 Feb 2018)

Here is something you will probably never read on a cycling forum.

I used to run marathons and often suffered from aching muscles. My physio introduced me to a Tens machine. Its an electronic device with pads which help to move lactic acid in your muscles and relax them. It works a treat.

Mine is about the size of a cigarette packet and has 4 pads. You can buy them off Amazon and are good to use on all of your muscles.

I have been using mine for years and can guarantee that it works.


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## LeetleGreyCells (4 Feb 2018)

Eat within 30 minutes of your ride ending to replace nutrients in muscles (include at least one banana as it contains potassium (I believe) which helps reduce muscle cramp)
Do stretches before and after your ride
Drink plenty of water during and after your ride (I put one of those electrolyte tablets into my water bottle and that helps me feel much better)
Make sure you have rest days 
Build up distances gradually - do the same distance 2-3 times before extending further


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## Heltor Chasca (4 Feb 2018)

steveindenmark said:


> Here is something you will probably never read on a cycling forum.
> 
> I used to run marathons and often suffered from aching muscles. My physio introduced me to a Tens machine. Its an electronic device with pads which help to move lactic acid in your muscles and relax them. It works a treat.
> 
> ...



This and an ice cold bath. Contracting muscles squeeze out the lactic acid. I haven’t the courage to do this yet, but I am gradually turning the temperature down on the shower. Trouble is, after a long, wet, cold ride all you want is a hot shower. No pain, no gain.


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## Fab Foodie (4 Feb 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> This and an ice cold bath. Contracting muscles squeeze out the lactic acid. I haven’t the courage to do this yet, but I am gradually turning the temperature down on the shower. Trouble is, after a long, wet, cold ride all you want is a hot shower. No pain, no gain.


...point of order, lactic acid is not squeezed-out anywhere, it needs to be oxygenated in situ in the muscle cells. This will happen fairly quite soon after your high intensity work, most likey when your breathing and heart rate is down to normal. The rest of the pain will be down to mild muscle damage and a lack of glycogen stored in the muscle (requiring more fat usage for movement).

However.... getting some food down when you finish - milk is particularly good stretching and the cold bath seems to really help too.
Ultimately your body adjusts to the extra effort.


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## Heltor Chasca (4 Feb 2018)

Fab Foodie said:


> ...point of order, lactic acid is not squeezed-out anywhere, it needs to be oxygenated in situ in the muscle cells. This will happen fairly quite soon after your high intensity work, most likey when your breathing and heart rate is down to normal. The rest of the pain will be down to mild muscle damage and a lack of glycogen stored in the muscle (requiring more fat usage for movement).
> 
> However.... getting some food down when you finish - milk is particularly good stretching and the cold bath seems to really help too.
> Ultimately your body adjusts to the extra effort.



That’s fascinating. Thanks @Fab Foodie . So is this why when you forcibly exhale, some of that ‘burn’ seems to dissipate? Or is it phycological? (Sorry to go off topic slightly)


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## Mattk50 (4 Feb 2018)

A bath is definitely helping. Whilst the aches still there at night I am sleeping through now if I soak in the bath for 15 mins in the evening.


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## Fab Foodie (4 Feb 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> That’s fascinating. Thanks @Fab Foodie . So is this why when you forcibly exhale, some of that ‘burn’ seems to dissipate? Or is it phycological? (Sorry to go off topic slightly)


Your body will work to use oxygen to deplete the lactic acid ASAP, so yes in general getting more air in and out is beneficial.... whether forcibly exhaling helps I couldn’t say.


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## Racing roadkill (12 Feb 2018)

Don’t do the cold bath / shower thing. It will not be any help. The cold / ice bath thing is for recovering from sports / activities in which you get knocked and bumped ( football / rugby / running ( to an extent )etc.). There have been studies that show ice baths help in these situations, by reducing swelling / bruising, which you really don’t get ( usually) with a relatively low impact activity like cycling.


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## MarkF (12 Feb 2018)

Happens to me on the first couple of days on a tour and also on my first decent ride of the year. I'd not ridden since November, did 65 miles on my first day in Alicante a couple of weeks ago, couldn't sleep....................legs aching.


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## gbb (13 Feb 2018)

One thing thats revisited me as i get back into cycling....heart rate recovery.
At my fittest, i'd go out and hammer myself for 50 miles, home, clean up and carry on the day like nothing happened...and sleep well. My heart rate would recover really quite quickly.
As i had 2 to 3 years out i now find if i push myself, my heart rate goes up (of course)...but i'm spending hours and sometimes a restless nights sleep, with my heart rate still high.

Pushing too hard too soon then perhaps Matt. Is your heart rate still high / hammering hours after you've ridden ?


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## kingrollo (14 Feb 2018)

Couple of things:-
-You might still be high on Adrenalin - I call it buzzing - I sometimes get it if I excercise to close to bed time.

-If you come in take a nap - you can throw you're body clock out of whack - try and rise and sleep at the same time.

_Use energy drinks ? - the caffeine might still be kicking around.


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## Marazzi Mick (7 Apr 2018)

I don’t have a problem getting to sleep but find I wake in the night with a thirst. This never happens if I have not been on the bike the previous day. Thinking about it I know I’m not drinking enough, I never take a drink with me and rarely take fluids on board when I get home. Ok I’m only doing between 20 and 25 miles but it must be connected.

I could eat a horse for the next 12 hours after a ride though....


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## buzzy-beans (7 Apr 2018)

For me at the moment it is absolutely ZERO cycling, the reason being is that I am recovering from bronchial pneumonia and only yesterday the quack told me that it could be as long as 9 months before I am able to do any physical exercise let alone pushing myself into that beautiful grey mist of pain !!


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## Randomnerd (7 Apr 2018)

Sore legs? 
I would check your bike fit first, and attend to your cadence so you're never grinding, always spinning freely. Ensure your machine is super comfy by doing a comfort check ride - stop and micro-adjust things like saddle fore and aft, cleats, bar angle - fiddle about to find best set-up (if you already haven't). Nicely oiled clean chain and cassette?
Sleep well before a ride. As @Heltor Chasca said, I often get nerves before a long ride thinking about a new route, and wake up tired before the off. get a good sleep and good food the day before.
Drink fluid during the ride, but try not to overdo caffeine and sugar: natural snacks are best for you. Do all your thinking on the ride, and ensure that you spend the last bit of the ride just unwinding and mentally unhooking - don't ride like your racing to a line.
Try milk right after a ride. Works for me. Need to get your recovery foods in within 30 mins of stopping.
No cold showers for me. Warm bath, no telly, no gadgets. Early to bed. Sleep of kings.


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## gbb (7 Apr 2018)

buzzy-beans said:


> For me at the moment it is absolutely ZERO cycling, the reason being is that I am recovering from bronchial pneumonia and only yesterday the quack told me that it could be as long as 9 months before I am able to do any physical exercise let alone pushing myself into that beautiful grey mist of pain !!


It' different for everyone of course but having had TB and pneumonia (althouh the pneumonia MAY have been mild) once through my 6 months of treatment I didn' feel physically terrible but I did struggle with feeling generally down and lost my mojo altogether. North sure mine was bronchial, the x-rays showed fluid between the lung and pleural lining, it may have been different to yours. The all encompassing tiredness and night sweats I suffered almost daily did go once the treatment was ongoing did go but left me somewhat drained to say the least for a few months...but this may have been psychosomatic (if that's the right word...all in the mind) Look after yourself and ask the docs if even light cycling is appropriate, the mojo is a terrible thing to lose.


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## buzzy-beans (7 Apr 2018)

@gbb thanks for that, I actually had 2 of the quacks thinking it could possibly be the big 'C', but then that was knocked into touch (I hope).

My worst problem is that even when I start to think about anything such as going up stairs I start to feel like I am hyperventilating along with strange, almost fluttery feelings across my chest and in my throat............ oh and then I go out for a very gentle walk and more often than not it feels almost like my heart has gone into overdrive, but when I test it, it is normal. All in all for someone like me who has almost never been ill throughout my life, I can assure you that I find my current inability to do almost anything to be more than a tad perplexing!!!!!


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## poemcycle (11 Apr 2018)

you got to recover when ill. no good pusing it. one step forward and 4 tracks back. take it easy.


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## buzzy-beans (11 Apr 2018)

poemcycle said:


> you got to recover when ill. no good pusing it. one step forward and 4 tracks back. take it easy.



Many thanks indeed....................... I only went to see my GP last Thursday and she gave her opinion that as I am recovering from bronchial pneumonia it could take me as long as 9 months before I am back in the saddle and pushing hard and I can assure you all, that hurt me far, far more than feeling ill in the first place !!


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## User16625 (15 Apr 2018)

Markymark said:


> Are you drinking enough?



I usually have about 7-9 pints every friday night plus shots


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## ChrisPAmbulance (12 Jun 2018)

I used to get this regularly when I first started cycling seriously, really painful spasms in my legs that lasted for hours, I couldn't sit still. I started drinking a recovery shake the moment I came of the bike and it seemed to stop after that. I still get minor ones after a long ride if I have spent a few weeks off the bike. I think it's a combination of fitness and hydration. Try drinking more and perhaps something for recovery afterwards. It does clear after a while though.


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## GuyBoden (18 Jun 2018)

I rode four rides last week, three were well over 100km, on the last ride I was tired and the legs were fatigued....as I expected.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (18 Jun 2018)

My system is to have a break with an energy bar at some point, keep drinking water with a couple of electrolyte tabs in every few minutes, then stretch and eat ASAP after getting home. If I don't eat very soon I get dopey (not much change then) and am tired for a couple of days. I'm doing up to 18 milers on the MTB at the moment.
Drinking wine by the way keeps me awake as the alcohol seems to go to sugar very fast in me.


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## Welsh wheels (18 Jun 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> This and an ice cold bath. Contracting muscles squeeze out the lactic acid. I haven’t the courage to do this yet, but I am gradually turning the temperature down on the shower. Trouble is, after a long, wet, cold ride all you want is a hot shower. No pain, no gain.


In the hot summer days, all you want is a cold shower


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## bigjim (18 Jun 2018)

I've been riding 28 miles three times a week and Sunday 70 to 100 mile club rides when I get chance. I can never sleep well after the club run. The next day I am exhausted at it is at least Tuesday before I am over it. I have never found out how to solve it and I think I have tried everything. I have no problem physically with the extended Sunday ride. I'm fine with the weekday 28s. I'm now wondering, if it is been out, breathing in that pollution all day that is the problem. I'm 69.


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## buzzy-beans (19 Jun 2018)

bigjim said:


> I've been riding 28 miles three times a week and Sunday 70 to 100 mile club rides when I get chance. I can never sleep well after the club run. The next day I am exhausted at it is at least Tuesday before I am over it. I have never found out how to solve it and I think I have tried everything. I have no problem physically with the extended Sunday ride. I'm fine with the weekday 28s. I'm now wondering, if it is been out, breathing in that pollution all day that is the problem. I'm 69.



Your the same age as me bigjim.
I haven't been able to ride my bikes at all for over 6 months because of breathing difficulties as my body continues to recover from the darned flu, followed by a heavy cold which then turned into bronchial pneumonia! The quacks are suggesting it could take more than 12 months for my body and more importantly my lungs to fully recover!! 

Have you by any chance been to see your doctor and if so have you asked them to give you a spirometry test? Even better would be if you were to go and see a specialist sports physiologist so as to put you through the mill.

Good luck
BB


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