By Mateusz Rys, MMR Fitness
It's gone eleven on a Tuesday night in Carlisle. The rain's tapping on the window, the house is finally quiet, and you're lying there wide awake, scrolling through videos of people making pasta. You're shattered. So why won't your brain switch off?
If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. Poor sleep is one of the most common things I hear about from beginners, usually followed by "and then I couldn't face the gym the next day". So let's look at two of the biggest everyday reasons your sleep might be suffering, and some simple fixes you can try this week.
One thing first: I'm a fitness coach, not a sleep doctor. This is about everyday habits, not diagnosing anything. If your sleep has been bad for a long time, there's a note at the end about when to speak to your GP.
Why sleep matters for your training
Quick bit of context. Sleep is when a lot of your recovery happens. Your body repairs after training, your energy resets, and your mood gets a fighting chance for the next day.
When sleep is rubbish, everything feels harder. Weights feel heavier, motivation drops, and the biscuit tin gets a lot more appealing. That doesn't mean one bad night ruins your progress (it really doesn't), but a run of poor sleep makes it much harder to stay consistent. If you've had one of those weeks, my post on training when you're tired covers what to do on low-energy days.
Now, the two reasons.
Reason 1: Your timing is working against you
A lot of poor sleep comes down to when we do things, not just what we do. Your body likes a rhythm, and modern life is very good at messing it up.
A few common culprits:
- Late, hard training sessions. A tough session finishing at 9pm can leave some people buzzing for hours. Not everyone, but if you're lying awake after evening workouts, it's worth noticing.
- Caffeine later in the day. That 4pm coffee (or pre-workout, or energy drink) can hang around in your system well into the evening, even if you feel fine at the time.
- Bright screens right up to lights out. Phones, laptops and the telly keep your brain in "daytime mode" when it should be winding down.
- All-over-the-place bedtimes. Midnight one night, half nine the next, then a lie-in till eleven on Saturday.
- "I'll catch up at the weekend." We all do it. But big weekend lie-ins can shift your body clock, which is partly why Sunday night sleep is so often a struggle.
Fixes to try
- Pick a rough bedtime and wake time, and stick to them most days. Weekends included, within an hour or so. Consistency beats perfection here too.
- Set a caffeine cut-off. Try no caffeine after lunchtime for a week and see if you notice a difference. Check your pre-workout label as well; some are basically a pot of coffee.
- Move hard sessions earlier if you can. If evenings are your only option (fair enough, that's most people), finish with a proper cool-down, have a shower and give yourself a bit of time before bed.
- Get some daylight in the morning. Even ten minutes outside, on a grey Cumbrian morning, helps tell your body it's daytime. A quick walk before work counts.
- Dim things down in the last hour. Lower lights, screens away or at least turned down. Read, stretch, chat, or just sit quietly.
Reason 2: You're not winding down (or recovering)
The second big reason is stress, and not giving yourself a proper chance to switch off.
Busy brains don't sleep well. If you go straight from work emails to dinner to the gym to "quickly" answering messages in bed, your mind hasn't had a single moment to slow down. Then you lie there replaying conversations from 2014.
There's another sneaky one, especially for keen beginners: treating rest like laziness. Training hard every day, cutting sleep short to fit in early sessions, feeling guilty about rest days. More isn't always better. If you're constantly under-recovered, you can end up feeling wired and tired at the same time, which is not a fun combination at bedtime.
Remember: rest isn't a reward for training hard. It's part of training. Progress happens when you recover from the work, not just while you're doing it.
Fixes to try
- Keep your phone out of bed. Charge it across the room or in another room if you can. Yes, you'll need an actual alarm clock. They still sell them.
- Do a "brain dump" before bed. Jot down tomorrow's to-do list or whatever's on your mind. It's much easier to let go of things once they're on paper.
- Build a short wind-down routine. Ten to twenty minutes of the same few things each night: a warm shower, some gentle stretching, a few slow breaths, a chapter of a book. Your body learns the cue.
- Plan proper rest days. At least one or two a week as a beginner. A gentle walk along the river is great; another hard session isn't required.
- Go easier when you're struggling. If sleep's been poor for a few nights, lower the intensity rather than pushing harder. Keep showing up, just with a lighter version. I wrote about why showing up beats perfection if you need the reminder.
- Be kind to yourself. Lying awake stressing about not sleeping usually makes it worse. If you can't drop off after a while, get up, do something calm in dim light, and try again when you feel sleepy.
Small changes, better nights
You don't need to overhaul your whole life. Pick one fix from each reason (maybe a caffeine cut-off and phone out of the bedroom) and try them for a week or two. Small, boring habits done consistently tend to beat big dramatic changes. Sound familiar?
If you'd like a bit more structure, the Sleep & Recovery guide is on my Guides page, along with the Busy Week Training guide for those weeks when time is tight too. All written in plain English, beginners very welcome.
You can also join the mailing list for practical tips now and then. No spam, no pressure, just useful bits to help you feel and train a bit better.
And if you're local and would like help balancing training and recovery, have a look at personal training in Carlisle. No pressure at all, just an option if it helps.
Sleep well, and I'll see you on the other side of a decent night's kip.
A quick note: this is general fitness and lifestyle education, not medical advice. Sleep problems can have medical causes. If you've struggled to sleep for several weeks, feel very tired during the day, snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp during sleep, or have any other worries about your sleep or health, please speak to your GP or a qualified health professional. Don't start supplements or sleep aids without advice, and check with your GP before starting or changing an exercise routine if you have a health condition.
Mateusz Rys, MMR Fitness