JThompson Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 I don't sleep well most of the time.... it's even harder for me in a motel and when there is something on my mind. How do you sleep before a match? Are there some techniques you use to help drop off in a strange place? I would say I sleep about 4hrs before a match when I'm on the road. It's hard to be at your best with only 4hrs. Thoughts? JT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 I do not go to sleep two nights before a big match. that way I am dead tired the night right before the match. I will also bring my pillow from home if staying at a match hotel. back in my "college days" I used to sleep with ear plugs in....in the dorms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cali shot doc Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 Im the same way. I use my ipod touch to help me relax and go to sleep. There are a few apps from Andrew Johnson I use to help me fall asleep. I like his apps on Stress relief, Deep sleep and relaxation. They really help me loosen up my body and clear my mind. I'll also just listen to soft music to ease my mind. It has really helped me prepare and relax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 JT- I'm glad I'm not alone but sad we have this problem. I'm a fairly light sleeper anyway so when I'm in a hotel it doesn't get any better! Recently at A7 I was at a cheap hotel and had to switch rooms because the original one was nasty ( I won't go into it here). Needless to say I was tired the next day. I got thru the match mostly fine but later in the night it was tough. Dirty hotels and crappy AC/Heat systems suck. Local matches aren't usually an issue and I can sleep ok in my house the night before. I wish I had a good answer for the away games- other than pay good money for a nice clean hotel and even that isn't a guarantee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Three years ago, I went to my first large match shooting OPEN - and I never fell asleep the night before. Not for a second - I was so wound up. Never made a difference - I felt fine the next day - shot as poorly as usual:(( But, no worse:)) As I gained more experience with the gun, and large matches, the sleeplessness (that a word?) goes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted August 30, 2010 Author Share Posted August 30, 2010 (edited) It looks like a lot of us are affected to some degree. I slept well the night before our last match and I swear I was more tired than with my usual 4-5hrs. lol I shot about the same as well. I had a fair match, but no great shakes. Actually, for how often I shoot now, it wasn't bad at all. My shooting is suffering from lack of practice, but my stage break down are getting better. I got to shoot with a pretty solid Master yesterday and the stage I was having issues on he had a good plan and I modded it a bit and shot it pretty well. I have to learn to complete the last shot before moving on though. I still threw a couple mikes on easy targets and I KNOW it was from pulling my eyes/gun from the target before I completed the shot. ~Tangent off~ IYou guys gave me some good ideas and I got a couple of PM and an email of things to try, so I shall see how it goes. Thanks JT Edited August 30, 2010 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I don't sleep well most of the time.... it's even harder for me in a motel and when there is something on my mind. How do you sleep before a match? Are there some techniques you use to help drop off in a strange place? I would say I sleep about 4hrs before a match when I'm on the road. It's hard to be at your best with only 4hrs. Thoughts? JT Have a few stiff drinks, but not so many that you have too much of a hangover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted August 30, 2010 Author Share Posted August 30, 2010 I don't sleep well most of the time.... it's even harder for me in a motel and when there is something on my mind. How do you sleep before a match? Are there some techniques you use to help drop off in a strange place? I would say I sleep about 4hrs before a match when I'm on the road. It's hard to be at your best with only 4hrs. Thoughts? JT Have a few stiff drinks, but not so many that you have too much of a hangover. Tried that for Il Section match.... missed the mark badly! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astephenson Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I don't sleep well most of the time.... it's even harder for me in a motel and when there is something on my mind. How do you sleep before a match? Are there some techniques you use to help drop off in a strange place? I would say I sleep about 4hrs before a match when I'm on the road. It's hard to be at your best with only 4hrs. Thoughts? JT Have a few stiff drinks, but not so many that you have too much of a hangover. This is what I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadeslade Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I don't sleep well most of the time.... it's even harder for me in a motel and when there is something on my mind. How do you sleep before a match? Are there some techniques you use to help drop off in a strange place? I would say I sleep about 4hrs before a match when I'm on the road. It's hard to be at your best with only 4hrs. Thoughts? JT Have a few stiff drinks, but not so many that you have too much of a hangover. Tried that for Il Section match.... missed the mark badly! lol I have been on the road most of my life. Overseas and in the States and Canada. I find the best way is customize your motel room-push everything from the motel into the drawers, put scarves over the lights, put on the movie channel. Two alarm clocks so you are not missing your wake-up. Don't watch the news. BE's couple of drinks is good. I can count on one hand the number of times I did not wake up at my usual time-15 minutes before my alarm. Having familiar faces in the hall is good. Don't eat greasy food. Put your gear out before you go to bed. I always take a book that is not easy to read-it gets tough going and you can fall asleep-don't take a page turner, you'll read until dawn. I sleep anywhere-airports on the floor is good. I always have a hoody or jacket and an iPod or earplugs to block sound. 4hrs is ok-learn to accept it and promise yourself a nap when you are done shooting. 6-7 is better but more than that is probably not going to happen unless you are planted for a week. No more than 2 doses of caffeine a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shibby Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I take a couple of Tylenol PMs. And turn on the air conditioning fan. The monotonous drone of the fan puts me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor_R Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 If I have a big match coming up and say it is on Saturday I will stay up till 12:00-1:00 am on Thursday so come Friday night I fall a sleep at 8:00 or 9:00 pm. I wake up feeling good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2alpha Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 There is another consideration, try not to drive at night on the way to the match. For me at least it really affects my vision the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 How's your diet? Elevated cortisol can definitely contribute to insomnia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Nesbitt Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 How's your diet? Did you ever notice how often Jake asks questions like this? It's because your diet is very important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLOCK PILOT Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I take some sleeping pills. ,Alex http://www.youtube.com/user/JUNIORSHOOTER1?feature=mhum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD Niner Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 The night before a match, even at home, I make sure that everything is ready to go and double check it all. I load what I can into the truck the night before. Security is not a problem at my house but it is a significant consideration when at a motel so I don't load much the night before. I arrange for a wake up call as well as set an alarm. I sleep much better then. I try not to use sleeping pills because I tend to be groggy the next morning. YMMV since everyone reacts differntly. A lot of people take their own pillows to a motel. The ones they have are often pretty bad. Set the HVAC fan to "on" which will help generate some background white noise. I also have a set of wax earplugs in case the motel room is noisy. I can still hear the phone ring or the alarm through these but not much else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leam Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 Diet, with not too many carbs. Preparation; everything ready to go and double checked. Lights dimmed early, mental rehersal of the stages, and some over the counter Melatonin. Your body produces melatonin as a natural "go to sleep" medicine but bright lights slow production. Take one and start the drawn down early. And yeah, two alarms helps. In hotels I'll set the alarm, ask for a wake up call, set my phone alarm, and set my watch alarm. Leam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob D Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I generally experience the same thing as Jim. I get maybe 3-4 hours of sleep before a match away from home. I tried sleeping pills before the 09 double tap and felt groggy until our lunch break. I didn't get a single wink of sleep before the pro-am this year and I still shot a decent match, so I think the negative effects from lack of sleep are somewhat lessened by the insane amount of excitement keeping me from sleeping. I did pass out in the car before we got out of the USSA parking lot, but I felt awake and aware on every stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyro Shooter Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 the biggest thing I find to help me relax the night before the drive and the match is knowing all of my gear, ammo, clothes and truck are ready to go ready the afternoon prior to loading the truck and set out the night befor the match. If I know all i have to do is get up and not scramble to get ready, it takes 50% of my match stress out of the picture. now that being said it is Tuesday afternoon and I have about 3 days of work to do prior to the 3 gun nationals that is in two days. . . nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameswilliam Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 To sleep well then there is required to forget all the worries, stress and hyper tension and for that do the meditation exercise as deep breath which helpful to get the deep sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Thread resurrection, but I thought this was worthwhile for the match insomnia club. From - "Undeniable with Joe Buck" - interview with hall of fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Night before his first Super Bowl he was too nervous to sleep or to eat anything the day of the game. Game started in the late afternoon. He was the MVP. 2nd superbowl, he did not mention eating but he said he did not get any sleep. Played another excellent game but did not get MVP. My take away from this is not to freak out & let yourself give up if you don't get the 40 winks you were hoping for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 25 minutes ago, IHAVEGAS said: not to freak out if you don't get the 40 winks you were hoping for. Sleep, especially in the short term, is vastly over rated ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 10 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said: My take away from this is not to freak out & let yourself give up if you don't get the 40 winks you were hoping for. "Hoping" is the source of all difficulties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrymSIX Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 My experience is not from shooting sports as I'm just diving into them. However, I think one thing that keeps people up at night before a big match, a big meeting, whatever is second guessing what they can do differently on "game day". Having confidence in your training will really help mitigate those second guessing feelings. If its following an instructional book or video, working with a coach, just pushing yourself, whatever helps you have confidence in the work you do before the match will help you sleep better the night before because you won't be worrying (or as worried) about what you maybe could have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now