I play football and Kickboxing in the evenings during the week and whenever I try to sleep afterwards I cant and I just lie there wide awake. This then makes me feel exhausted when I have to get up early for work the next day. Anyone know what I can do to sleep better?
Looking up different ways to practice good sleep hygiene might help, but honestly, working out can make your blood pressure and heart rate much higher than normal and that makes it VERY difficult to sleep right afterwards. getting into bed when you're not likely to sleep just furthers your brain's association with the bed being a place where you don't go to sleep, but rather it becomes the place where your brain thinks "oh, I'm in bed, that must mean it's time to sit here wide awake!"
As jack explained its completely normal. On a scientific level, it is because your nor-epinephrine/adrenaline levels are elevated when you work out, and it takes time for your body to process the influx of that neurotransmitter back to a non-elevated level in your brain. (I have ADHD mainly caused by an excess of nor-epinephrine, so I have spent hundreds of hours researching this subject)
Maybe walk at a slow pace for about ten minutes, and then do something to calm you down. Like reading a book, drawing, or meditating. Whatever you like to do that's relaxing.
I am exactly the same after kickboxing - the only way I've managed to get it sorted is by having about an hour after I get home to just go slow before going to bed. No rush, no stress.... just need to let my body calm down and relax before actually going to bed. Never get the same sort of after-effect from running though :?