Can’t Sleep the Night Before Tourney
 

Please help me. I play paintball and do many tournaments. The night before the tournament I allow myself 6 or more hours to sleep but I usually cannot sleep for 5 or more of those and I’m worried. I really won’t to sleep but I can’t stop thinking about the next day. I was thinking of staying up all through the night of the day before I need to sleep so I can "pass out" for the night of the tournament. Is that a good idea or safe idea?

As an exercise physiologist and former athlete and coach, I find this is a very common problem but here's some good news...

...it is the sleep you get two nights before a competition that makes the biggest difference in performance. For example, if your event is on Saturday, enjoy a good night's sleep on Thursday night and know you are good to go.

Just knowing this may minimize some of the stress you feel the night before the event allowing you some peace of mind and a better night's rest.

Also, some basic tips for a good night sleep should be practiced: avoid caffeine, don't eat too large of a meal close to bedtime (but a small snack which includes a bit of protein, carb and fat - like an apple and a slice of cheese) actually helps you sleep better, make sure your bedroom is dark, dark, dark.

Valerian root is a herb that helps with relaxation and sleep. That might be helpful to take on occasion if you need an additional sleep aid two night's prior.

If you do find yourself lying there, unable to get back to sleep - keep the lights off (as light signals the body to produce "wake-up" hormones) and practice some breathing exercises to help you relax and to keep your mind from wandering.

One more tip...I used to get very nervous before an athletic competition and my coach always said "that's not nervousness; that's excitement!" This actually helped...reframing my state of mind better helped me prepare for the event.

Here's to your success!

Jess

Live Well

Not a good idea. Will make you exhausted.

How long have been doing PB? How many Tournaments have you done?

I am in full contact karate and I know how you feel. It is a great tension to be in a "real" fight. My advice is to get used to it. The more tourneys you do, the more natural it will feel to you. Gradually you will be more experienced and feel more relaxed and calm before a tourney.

One technique i got from "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie was to think about the worst possible outcome of your event, then be mentally prepared to accept that. You can then get a good nights rest knowing that you will be able to live with whatever outcome comes out of the event.

Supplements
 

I take ZMA (Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate) before bed. It helps me get and stay in a deep sleep mode. I tend to have some wild "ZMA" dreams and a morning kick-stand but these aren't really bad drawbacks. I buy these over the internet (bulknutrition dot com is pretty reasonable).

I'll also take a melaton supplement (purchased at WalMart) but try to limit this to two times a week max as I don't want to affect my body's natural melatoin production.

If you try ZMA, keep in mind that you have to avoid calcium pre-bed b/c it significantly reduces the effectiveness.