Post-game brain?

[twolinepass 0]

Last night I drank tons of beer and had fun with the fiancee .. that seemed to work but wont work for work nights :(

[LeMagnifique66 0]

It's "good" to see so many others with the same problem I've dealt with for some time. I always assumed it was just the game and how hard both the body and mind have to work to process it all. But, now this thread seems to be providing some evidence.

Personally, I haven't been able to find anything to help. For years, I didn't use any caffeine at all (just wasn't a coffee, tea, energy drink, etc. user) and it still used to happen. Even prescribed muscle relaxers (which usually put me out like a light) do nothing when I'm late night "post-game amped".

[CaptainFantastik 0]

My beer league games typically are late Thursday or Sunday evenings, say 9:45pm or 10:30pm, depending on which rink we end up on. I've noticed several times after the game, after the 25 minute drive back home, and after the shower, that my brain will not shut down. I keep replaying the game in my head and thinking about how to do things differently next time or what I should have done differently. I'm physically tired but the brain will not let me go to sleep. This can go on 'til about 3am easily. God help me if I have any type of caffeinated beverage after the game, then it's that much harder to shut down and sleep.

I am the exact same way....so much to the point that my boss at work has refrained from scheduling me to open the shop on mornings after game night. what I have't told him, though, is that I have largely kicked the problem using Melatonin pills. Your body produces it naturally but it's my uneducated opinion that certain people are more deficient than others as far as its production. I have always suffered to some extent from insomnia and Melatonin has literally flipped a switch for me. It's night and day. 2 pills about an hour before bed and i'm out soon after I hit the pillow. I sleep soundly and have awesome dreams when I take it. Look into it.

[technophile 0]

After reading this comment I tried taking a cool shower after the game instead of a hot one. Stayed in until I felt like my body had cooled down a bit. On both occasions, I fell asleep pretty easily after I came home. I'm not 100% convinced that this will be a long-term fix yet, but it saved me at least a couple of hours on both nights. Thanks for the info that gave me the idea.

It might work but the cure sounds worse than the disease to me... I just cannot deal with showers that aren't near-blisteringly hot.

[Lee-Bro 1]

I'll be giving the melatonin a shot. Sunday's game was @ 10:45 and by the time I got to bed, well it obivsouly was no longer Sunday and I fell asleep somewhere between 4-4:30am.

[AfftonDad 88]

For some reason frequent melatonin use gives me migraines. I wish it didn't because other than that it works great for me.

[bigredrobbinhood 0]

been playin for about 9 months and i think this is a great topic for my first post, especially after a hard game of organized pick-up "league", a few beers and some heavy metal :)

every night whilst tryin to sleep im visualizing hockey. visualization is a huge part of all sports, especially if youre really imaginative (sp?). Especially after games where i had several missed opportunities for better passes, better shots, or better defense. everyone had great ideas for trying to accelerate the come-down, especially booze, a dip, and/or another form of more-relaxing competitiveness such as video games or idk, beer pong.

maybe relax in your own way for a few hours, then in bed try visualizing some buried shots, beautiful assists or anticipating a play and breaking out and get pumped for the next session. cheers

[Apes44 7]

The melatonin doesnt really help me get to sleep, I feel like im more tired when i wake up if take it. I live about 10 minutes from the rink, so i'll take a tylenol pm when i get in the car (usually need it anyways to help with the soreness, guess im getting old!) by the time i get home, unpack the bag to air out the equipment and shower off, my head hits the pillow and I'm out.