Exercise can make your body feel more in shape and refreshed, but it is not uncommon to start feeling sleepy and tired after a workout. Why is that?

The reasons why you feel sleepy and tired after exercise

It is commonly known that physical activity and exercise boost energy and stamina. Your heart rate and blood flow rise when you exercise, which leaves you feeling refreshed. Regular exercise also makes you feel fit and energized throughout the day.

However, exercising can also make you feel tired. This usually happens after a high-intensity workout that requires a lot of energy. Apart from being tired, some people also feel sleepy after exercise.

According to Healthline, feeling sleepy and tired after exercise is typical and not abnormal. This is particularly true following an intense physical activity, like long-distance running or high-intensity interval training (HIIT). However, these results are typically not linked to light exercise.

After engaging in physical activity, your body will naturally react by making you feel exhausted and sleepy. Your muscles contract repeatedly when you exercise. Muscles use energy from the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules to contract. The more they contract, the more ATP molecules are used, and over time, the ATP needed to produce energy becomes less. The longer the exercise lasts, the more exhausted you will feel.

Apart from ATP utilization, the reasons why you feel sleepy and tired after exercise include:

• Improper diet

What you eat will affect your muscles' ability to recover after exercise. It is ideal to eat carbohydrates that digest quickly, such as oatmeal or bananas, just before working out.

• Dehydration

Aside from taking your food intake into account, you should ensure that you have consumed enough fluids before working out. Lack of fluids can make you feel weak and powerless.

• Other health problems

Some chronic health problems, such as diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, COPD, multiple sclerosis and sleep apnea, can slow down muscle recovery after exercise.

Aside from the reasons mentioned above, other things that can make you feel sleepy after exercise include not getting enough sleep the night before or being drowsy as a result of the circadian rhythm of your body.

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Is it OK to nap after exercise?

Sleepiness after exercise is often unbearable. Although taking a nap after working out is a good way to boost your energy, there are advantages and disadvantages to this habit.

The benefits of sleeping after exercise include:

• Promotes muscle healing
• Fulfill the need for sleep or rest
• Reduces physical fatigue
• Increases alertness and energy recovery

While some of the drawbacks of sleeping after exercise include:

• Poor-quality sleep
• feeling disoriented and lightheaded after waking up
• interferes with regular nighttime sleep schedule

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How to deal with sleepiness after exercise

With certain lifestyle adjustments, you can prevent feeling sleepy and tired after exercise. These include:

• Meet your nutritional needs before exercise and avoid eating a heavy meal right before. For optimal energy, it is recommended to consume easily digested carbohydrates or protein approximately one hour prior to exercise. You can replenish your energy after a workout by eating protein and complex carbs.
• Meet your body's fluid needs. Make sure your body stays hydrated during exercise. You can drink fluids before, during, and after exercise. You can also consume electrolyte fluids in addition to water, particularly if you plan to exercise for longer than an hour or in hot weather.

Being sleepy and tired after exercise is perfectly normal and harmless. If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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