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| I've been practicing bikram for about a year now. I can't seem to get to sleep after doing bikram yoga. i take a 4:45 - 6:15 class but because of my schedule i try to go to bed around 8:30 - 9pm on weeknights (my alarm goes off at 3:45am! ugh!!). is this not enough time for my body to settle down before bed?
last night, for example, i really couldn't fall into a normal sleep until 1am or so. it just seems like i was still hot from class and my heart rate was still pretty high.
fortunately bikram seems to give me so much energy that the next day i can make it thru the day realatively successfully (i am a bit cranky tho). but i do tend to crash later in the day and definitely don't want to go to yoga again that next day. which makes my bikram practice every other day to once in three days, or so.
i'm wondering if this will eventually disappear? i like to sleep... i am aware what bikram says about sleep and taking his class but i don't necessarily buy that. i definitely think that i need 7-8 hours a night to operate efficiently. any thoughts? i've also tried sleep supplements (L-theanine and GABA) but they don't help after his class.
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Veteran
Posts: 163
 
| I don't think that that two hours (from 6:15 to 8:30) is enough time for your body to settle down and get back to normal. You may need to think about a different kind of yoga if you aren't able to practice earlier in the day. You need to have at least 3 to 4 hours after that kind of a hot yoga class to get your body ready for sleep. | |
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| thanks seeker. i was afraid of that. i love bikram but something has to give at this point! | |
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| I remember on cold winter days getting some of the best sleep of my life during that mid-class savasana--often missed the second half of the class. I'm a Tylenol PM fan and that may help if you aren't able to adjust your sked. | |
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| i'll check into that bruce. however, if i remember correctly, it leaves me pretty foggy the next day. | |
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| I'm 6'1. 200 lbs and feel good in the AM with the recommended dose of 2 tablets--maybe just take 1 if you're smaller. | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
Location: Oregon | When I was young, I could do whatever I wanted. For example, I could have caffeine in the evening and still fall asleep at 10-11pm. Not anymore. As I aged, I noticed that if I had a basketball game at 8-9pm, I'd be so wound up that I couldn't get to sleep until 1am. Lately, I've been taking a hiatus from Bikrams, and noticing that I'm not sleeping as well. Though I am jogging and active. So it's funny, I'm kind of at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm thinking of going to Bikrams so that I can sleep.
A point of reference for you, however. When I first started Bikrams, I pushed myself really hard for the first two years and I practiced mostly in the mornings. More recently, I've been taking the 6:30-8pm class. If I was practicing with the intensity of the first two years in the evenings, I bet it would have been just like I had come home from a city league basketball game where I was totally amped up.
Now, my Bikrams practice has more focus than intensity. And I can get to sleep pretty easily afterwards... if I carry that peace into the rest of my evening and not sign on to the Internet (visual stimulation) or get my brain worked up with concerns of the day, pay bills, etc. | |
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| If your heart rate is elevated five hours after exercise, something is wrong. You should not still be hot and your heart should come back to normal pretty shortly after class. If what you say is true, and you have an elevated heart rate for hours after class, go straight to the doctor. There are certain heart conditions associated with elevated heart rates that can be fatal and can be triggered by exercise.
If this is an exaggeration, or perhaps just the perception during a sleepless night and you are not really experiencing tachycardia after class, then I would suggest a couple of things. One is keep your schedule, including Bikram yoga, the same every day. You don't have to kill yourself in every class, just do what you can. The point is that you are not sleepless one night and crashing the next. That kind of pattern makes insomnia worse. See if things even out after several days of dragging yourself to class each day. Another suggestion is just try a different class. I know one person who works night shifts and then comes to bikram after work, which is in the morning, before he goes to bed for his "night." Maybe if you're creative you can find a better time slot.
I personally do not have insomnia after an evening class. I can take an 8:30 PM class, get out at 10, and be home, showered, and sawing logs by 11. And I am a fairly sleep sensitive person. I have experienced, though, that no matter what time I take class, I simply need less sleep when I am doing Bikram yoga. This has been the single most surprising thing I have taken from the practice. For example, last night I barely squeaked in six hours and felt fine and fully rested this morning. And this is after a lapse of several days since my last class. Some people are just very anxious about not getting that canonical 8 hours. If you are feeling good the next day, and able to function without a lot of extra caffeine, then don't worry about it. Just enjoy your extra time! Sometimes I go to bed at my normal time and realize I'm not tired. I get up and do a little work, read a book, watch TV, whatever, then go back to bed later. (This is a fine strategy even for hardcore insomnia. If you're in bed more than 20 minutes, just get up and try again later.)
Ferret | |
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I can't sleep after bikram!