Why Is It Hard to Sleep After a Workout?

Question: I attend a very intense spinning class. We meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. On those nights I have a hard time falling asleep. Is this a common reaction? — Gregory D.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Intense workouts done late in the day often make sleep difficult, for two reasons.

• First, a workout raises your body temperature and it remains elevated into the evening. Sleep, on the other hand, requires a gradual cooling of the body.
• Second, spin classes are hard. Your body gets into the “flight or fight” mode with plenty of adrenaline circulating. It takes time to unwind and get ready for sleep.

One solution is to do the class earlier in the day, if that’s possible with your schedule. Another approach is to do relaxation exercises about an hour before bedtime. Try rhythmic breathing and muscle tensing and relaxing in order to prepare your mind and body for sleep.

If these ideas don’t work, you’ll just have to accept a later bedtime on spinning days and make up the sleep somewhere else in your schedule.