Sleep

The importance of sleep in your daily life has been written about to the point of exhaustion (no pun intended). Today though, I am going to write about sleep in relation to training for a physically demanding endurance sport such as running a half marathon.

 Sleeping, for me, on a personal level, can be very difficult. If I get in 7 hours of sleep I count myself lucky. The primary reason is I suffer from General Anxiety Disorder or GAD and Clinical Depression. As I wrote earlier I won’t sugar coat anything when it comes to my training and lack of sleep is a big part of training. I’m not going to hide or talk around this, since that is part of the problem. People are afraid to talk about mental illness because of the stigma that comes with it, but by not talking about it you are just adding to that stigma. So, I will openly talk about GAD and clinical depression as it pertains to my training.  

 When it comes to GAD and sleep they are in direct contrast to each other. My brain won’t stop worrying about things therefore I am unable to sleep.  My brain won’t shut down for the day, and therefore I cannot get to sleep and am too tired to get up to train in the morning. When I don’t train in the morning I attempt to do it after work. This only works 50-60% of the time and I become extremely inconsistent with my training. So if you don’t get enough sleep you won’t recharge your batteries, you will hit a wall, and your training will get off track. This is something that has happened to me many times.

 There are a number of ways that I try to deflect this and “calm” down before bed time. These can be used by anyone whether you suffer from GAD or random insomnia.

 

1. Got to bed the same time every night as consistently as you can
2. 30 minutes before bed unplug for the day TV, phone, etc..
3. Meditation- which can be hard to do but if you work at it, it does the trick
4. Don’t train late at night it will actually wake you up
5. When you do go to bed make sure it is pitch black and there is no artificial light

These are just suggestions and things that I have learned over the years. If insomnia is something that has been going on for a long time do not hesitate to check with your doctor. Sleep is too important.

 So, make sure you get plenty of sleep that is on of the single most important things you can do for yourself and your body.  Happy training and may sleep be something that you have in over abundance. Until the next time enjoy the journey.

 

BONUS TIP: Drink 8 ounces of water just prior to going to sleep and it will help get you moving in the morning and be more alert.