Everybody knows how important sleep is even though our busy lifestyles make getting a full night sleep tricky at the best of times. Studies show the optimal amount of sleep required for a runner is eight hours, however this of course varies slightly from runner to runner.
Sleep debt can negatively impact on your running as much as a poor diet or exercise programme.
Check out some of the benefits of getting some quality sleep time in and how it could make you a stronger and faster runner.
Construction
While we sleep, our bodies do all sorts of clever things to help us improve. During sleep our body repairs and adapts to the stress of training helping you regenerate for your next run. Research suggests that more sleep can improve performance by enhancing training adaptations.
Deep Sleep
During deep sleep human growth hormone is released to help repair damaged tissue building stronger muscles. If you don’t get enough sleep your body fails to recover, making it harder to come back stronger for your next workout.
Hydration
As a runner it’s always important to be well hydrated but having good hydration levels can also help aid a good nights sleep and speed up recovery while you’re snoring away! If you don’t need the toilet within an hour of waking up then you really need to consume more fluid before bedtime.
Weight Loss
Did you know regular sleep could boost the weight loss benefits of running? A good nights sleep helps keep hunger signals in check in turn helping to keep your weight down!
Concentration
Mental toughness is vitally important for runners, which can be negatively impaired when a runner trains with sleep debt. This can help you keep focused on pace and help reduce the risk of injury through tripping over.
How to Achieve a Good Night’s Sleep
Establish a good routine, sleep and wake up at the same time each day. If you constantly change the time you sleep you’re body never knows when it’s time to shut down.
If you struggle to get eight hours during the night consider taking a quick 10-15minute nap during the afternoon.
Try and avoid caffeine after 6pm and don’t spend too much time on your electrical devices such as phone, laptop and television during the evening before you go to bed. Reading a book is much better for helping you get a top nights sleep.
