Sleeping the night before a fight

[j123]

So, I've been competing for about 3 years now, have some fights, but even then, I still have issues sleeping the night before a fight. For some reason I can't fall asleep and end up getting maybe 5-6 vs the full planned 8-10 hours.

Also oddly, when I do test cuts, it happens as well.

Any tips Sherdoggers can provide? Smashing Boise dimes or beating jr. off are kinda off the table, its a bit too close to a event to be doing those things.

 

[fluffball]

I am the same way before anything mildly stressful like meetings or interviews or whatever. I've found that if I go to bed WAY before normal, I'll fall asleep because I'm not constantly counting down the hours I'm not going to sleep, if that makes sense. What I mean is that if you plan for 8 hours, every hour you don't fall asleep you're like "fuck, well if I fall asleep RIGHT NOW I can still get __ hours" until it's like 5am and you're still awake.

Going to bed at like 7pm, I wind up waking up at like 3am, but at least I've gotten enough sleep. It also feels really good to wake up well rested and see you're no where close to needing to get out of bed yet. Very calming.

 

[Bekim]

So, I've been competing for about 3 years now, have some fights, but even then, I still have issues sleeping the night before a fight. For some reason I can't fall asleep and end up getting maybe 5-6 vs the full planned 8-10 hours.

Also oddly, when I do test cuts, it happens as well.

Any tips Sherdoggers can provide? Smashing Boise dimes or beating jr. off are kinda off the table, its a bit too close to a event to be doing those things.

Melatonin?

I used to be like this and then I learned that life is all a game, now I rarely have trouble sleeping, safe in the knowledge that I know I can do whatever it is that I have set myself to..... otherwise, why set yourself the task in the first place......

J123 I have faith in you...........get some sleep.

 

[ARIZE]

Even after 10 years in it, i still have trouble with sleeping the night before an important event.The difference is how i deal with it. Before, I would lay down, not been able to sleep, get frustrated and mad and that made it even worse.

Now, i still don't get a full good night sleep, but i know its part of the deal. I accept it. Its like accepting that if you do a hard weight cut, you wont be at 100%. I just know on fight day that i wont have a full night rest before. And that just gives me peace of mind. Since i know now it will be that way, i don't stress about it. And any sleep i get, i count it as a bonus: Oh i slept 4 hours, that's good. that's 4 more hours than i had planed on having.
So, to help me with that, the night before the one i wont sleep, i got to get as much rest as i can. That means the day before the fight, i have to wake up on my own. No alarms, no wake up calls etc. It doesn't matter if its at 11 in the morning ar at 5 in the afternoon. So no plans for the day before the fight.

If there are weight ins the day before, and those are in the morning,this will obviously fak my plan, but i usually get to sleep in the day too. That probably means it will make sleeping in the night even harder, but as i said, its something that is planned.
So since i know i wont get a lot of rest, the day before will be a really lazy day. Maybe some mental shadow boxing, but that's it.

Its not ideal, but it helps me deal with a fact that i know i cant avoid. So i just accept it, and prepare my self to deal with it.
A lot of times, i get some sleep during fight day. It's not much, but its part of the routine now.


Do: Camomile, relaxing massages, if not problem with weight cut: pleasant meal, boring book, boring documentary...
Dont do: Training/sports, sleeping pills, hot bath, action movies, sport videos, your fight videos, sex, sherdog heavies or war room...

 

[aerius]

So, to help me with that, the night before the one i wont sleep, i got to get as much rest as i can. That means the day before the fight, i have to wake up on my own. No alarms, no wake up calls etc. It doesn't matter if its at 11 in the morning ar at 5 in the afternoon. So no plans for the day before the fight.

I'm kinda like that too, I always try to have a "sleep surplus" in the week or so before a fight or other big event. Not just the day before, I try for at least 3-4 nights of full sleep or full sleep plus an extra hour or 2. When you've banked up the extra hours of sleep it's not nearly as bad when you lose 3-4 hours the night before, and if you know that losing a few hours isn't going to kill you you'll sleep better.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Try to have a bed time routine for your whole camp and then replicate it the night before a fight.

Also +Juan for 1mg of melatonin an hour and a half before you want to be asleep

 

[Tayski]

Do: Camomile, relaxing massages, if not problem with weight cut: pleasant meal, boring book, boring documentary...
Dont do: Training/sports, sleeping pills, hot bath, action movies, sport videos, your fight videos, sex, sherdog heavies or war room...

I agree with everything you listed except the 2 in bold. I wouldn't advise looking at any screen close to bed time be it a TV, computer or phone. And I actually think sex is a good aid to fall asleep.

 

[j123]

And I actually think sex is a good aid to fall asleep.

Might kill my gas tank tho', or I might end up dying if I do a big cut (15lb)

 

[ARIZE]

@Tayski

Probably right for the computer or phone, specially if you interact with it. For the TV i was thinking more when you are in a shitty hotel room, laying on the bed, trying to relax/sleep. I like to watch something on the TV to get my mind of the next day.

For the sex, i wont agree, but that's may be just me. It's not so much about preventing you from sleeping, but more about spending too much energy before a fight, specially when you expect to not have a full recovery sleep... But i remember even when i was into soccer, the coach was telling us to avoid sleeping with our women...

@j123

Wont that be a nice way to go tho? Fucking or fighting...

 

[j123]

@j123

Wont that be a nice way to go tho? Fucking or fighting...

Spoiler

There was a rumor back in highschool, that one of the seniors suffocated off his chick's melons. Must've been like an Ezekiel from mount

 

[Tayski]

For the sex, i wont agree, but that's may be just me. It's not so much about preventing you from sleeping, but more about spending too much energy before a fight

You don't have to be the one spending your energy, just let her ride you.

But i remember even when i was into soccer, the coach was telling us to avoid sleeping with our women...

That's the old school way of thinking, that somehow emptying yourself of your sperm will mean you have lesser testosterone levels during competition. I don't particularly think it's true or would be a disadvantage, if anything you'd be more relaxed.

 

[ARIZE]

You don't have to be the one spending your energy, just let her ride you.

...while watching a boring documentary.

 

[busybroker]

So, I've been competing for about 3 years now, have some fights, but even then, I still have issues sleeping the night before a fight. For some reason I can't fall asleep and end up getting maybe 5-6 vs the full planned 8-10 hours.

Also oddly, when I do test cuts, it happens as well.

Any tips Sherdoggers can provide? Smashing Boise dimes or beating jr. off are kinda off the table, its a bit too close to a event to be doing those things.

Any benzodiacepine will help, specially ambien.