Working out comes with some amazing results on your mind and body, however, it can come with some negative impacts such as post-workout fatigue. Feeling super tired and sleepy after exercising is something that’s impossible to avoid completely as it’s your body saying it needs time to recover. Although, there are definitely a few lifestyle things you can do to bounce back quicker and minimise that worn-down feeling. To help your feel more energized than exhausted, here are five tips on how to stop feeling sleepy after working out.
1. You’re Diet Isn’t Balanced Enough
When it comes to fitness, everyone raves about your diet. We’ve all heard the phrase “abs are made in the kitchen”, and this is the exact same with your entire workout routine. A well-balanced diet should be split up into three main food groups: protein, fats and carbohydrates. Your diet has a direct impact on how your muscles can recover and if you consume a lot of processed food that has no real nutritional value, your body is going to struggle.
The other reason why food could be the cause of post-workout fatigue is that you’re eating the wrong food at the wrong times. Indulging in a healthy carb snack directly before training can really give your body a boost when working out. Then after your session, opt for a protein-heavy bite to help recover your muscles, we love these protein muffins.
2. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Water plays a huge part in our bodies, so it’s no surprise that it can have such an effect on your post-workout recovery. No matter your fitness levels, if you’re not properly hydrated your body will go into dehydration and the lack of water will hinder your muscles from recovering properly. Not only does this cause post-workout fatigue, but lack of hydration, in general, can also lead to headaches, water retention, low mood and brain fog.
On average, a person should be drinking around two litres of water a day. However, if you’re also exercising, this should be increased slightly more, to account for the water that will be lost due to sweating.
3. You Need More Sleep
While most of us love every second we get to stay in bed, sometimes sleep can have an impact on your training. It sounds obvious that lack of sleep could cause you to feel sleepy after working out, but there is a science to it. Our metabolisms are highly linked to sleep, so sleep deprivation can cause havoc to your body's hormones and appetite.
Regularly exercising can improve your sleep and increase your serotonin levels, so it makes sense that sleep deprivation will leave you feeling groggy. The energy reserves that recovering overnight from your last workout won’t have had sufficient rest, which will leave you feeling knackered and with post-workout fatigue.
4. You’re Doing Too Much
It may sound crazy, but if you push yourself too hard it can have adverse effects on your fitness. If you’re doing too much for your body to handle and depleting all of your energy reserves, it will leave you feeling immensely fatigued post-workout.
It’s also important to make sure you’re using the correct form. Doing incorrect movements is not only potentially dangerous but can also overexert your body and cause you extreme tiredness.
5. Improve Your Cardio
One way to improve your fitness level and decrease that sleepy feeling after working out is to increase your cardiovascular activities. By doing more cardio, you’re likely to increase your aerobic capacity which will help your respiratory muscles recover quicker. It will also give your blood a boost of oxygen that will help other muscles rover quicker and prevent any buildup of lactic acid.
