Girl, I know you’re busy and you’ve got a million things to do, but if you are going to run consistently and not get hurt or sick, you absolutely must get your rest! Sleep provides your body with several uninterrupted hours to work its magic. During this time your cells are repairing, regenerating and recovering from all the stresses of life life including running. If you burn the candle at both ends and don’t get enough rest then your body will eventually break down.
While it’s easy to blame your lack of sleep on your changing hormones, there are steps you can take to improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep without relying on medication. Here the strategies I use to get a better night’s rest.
Tip #1 Unplug and Create a Bedtime Routine
Get into a nightly routine of turning off your electronic devises about an hour or so before you want to turn in. During this time start getting ready for bed: whatever that looks like for you…make your lunch, get clothes ready for the morning, wash your face, brush teeth etc. Intentionally do the same things every night before bed. Doing so signals your brain that it’s time for sleep.
Tip #2: Create a Cozy, Peaceful Environment
Make your bedroom a place of rest. Don’t use it for work or to watch TV. Keep it cool, dark and quiet. About an hour before bed, I run my thermostat down to make the room cooler. I close the blinds and use a sleep mask to make it feel really dark. I diffuse lavender essential oil and also rub some on the bottom of my feet just before I get in bed. If noise is an issue, try playing white noise either from a machine, an app on your phone, or use ear plugs.
Tip # 3 Limit How Much You Drink at Night
If you are waking up several times a night to go to the bathroom, pay attention to how much and how late you are drinking at night. If you are drink water right up until bedtime try to cut yourself off a couple of hours earlier. Still waking up at night? Then maybe you don’t need to drink anything after dinner. Experiment with this to see what works best for you. This is really important if you have trouble falling back to sleep after a midnight potty break.
Tip # 4 Eat to Sleep
Eating a diet filled with fresh vegetables, whole grains, high quality proteins and healthy fats will help contribute to better sleep as well. Highly processed foods and refined sugar are hard on the digestive tract and make your body work harder to digest them. A healthy diet will supply your body with nutrients it needs and help encourage better sleep.
Additionally, watch your alcohol consumption at night. I get it, a glass of wine at night can be enjoyable, but when it turns into two or three, it will interfere with your sleep. You might feel sleepy, but you never get into that deep restful sleep. And you wake up groggy and unmotivated or unable to run well. If you are going to have a glass of wine have it with or before dinner several hours before bedtime. And follow it with a glass or two of water.
On the flip side, stay away from caffeinated beverages at night. My rule of thumb is no caffeine after 4 pm. Even if you think you are not caffeine sensitive. Caffeine speeds up the digestive process so at a time when you are wanting to get rest it is working harder.
Tip #5: Count Your Blessings
If you are having trouble falling asleep and your mind is going full steam, one of the simplest things you can do is to make a list of 10 things you are grateful for. Add some deep belly breathing exercise to the mix and you may find that you are asleep well before you reach number 10! If you reach 10 and you are still awake, keep going. Really focus on all the people, things and places in your life and feel the thankfulness. This shifts your focus away from your worries and things you have no control of, to things that bring you happiness which you control!
Tip# 6 Take a High Quality Melatonin Supplement
Unlike sleeping pills, melatonin supplements won’t knock you out or leave you feeling drowsy in the morning. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that your body produces in tissues such as the brain, liver and GI tract. A melatonin supplement supports the body’s natural sleep-and-wake cycles by adding to your natural melatonin production at night. I take Pure Rest by USANA about an hour before I want to go to bed and have found that by bedtime I’m tired and ready to fall asleep.
I have found that intentionally implementing all 6 of these tips has helped me to sleep better at night. I also want to add that I have started sleeping on a foam wedge pillow and have found it helps with reflux and snoring. I think it helps me to stay asleep as well.
Bottom line, we need our sleep to be able to run. You need to look at sleep as an integral part of your training and make getting enough of it a priority!
Please share this post with anyone who might find it helpful. Do you have a tip for falling asleep and staying asleep? Please leave a comment below.
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