Did you know that today is World Sleep Day?
World Sleep Day is an internationally recognized event created by World Sleep Society to raise sleep health awareness among researchers, healthcare workers, and the general public. The importance of getting a quality night’s sleep continues to gain attention as more studies show the correlation between sleep, good health, and longevity. And yet for many of us, present company included, sleep can be tough to come by.
I’ve written a couple of posts over the years on the topic of sleep and in honor of World Sleep Day, I’m re-sharing my post on how to “Sleep Like a Runner” for this week’s Fit Five Friday. (This post was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated)
Sleep Like a Runner
As runners, we spend time on training plans – focusing on building mileage and improving paces. There’s an effort to cross-train and do strength work. Some runners embrace their rest days while others begrudgingly will give their legs need a break. We focus on our nutrition, fueling, and hydration. But there’s one critical aspect that many of us may not be giving enough attention to…sleep!
Lack of proper sleep can really impact your ability to focus, think clearly, and your overall mood — and if you’re a runner, this lack of sleep can have a huge impact on performance and recovery.
During sleep, growth hormones stimulate muscle growth and repair, bone building, and metabolism – all helping with recovery. Sleep deprivation slows the release of growth hormones, and when these hormone levels are down, cortisol (stress hormone) levels are on the rise. Too much cortisol in your system can also disrupt your body’s ability to recover properly. Lack of sleep can also impact glycogen storage – clearly a big deal for endurance running.
So I’m teaming up with Casper to provide some tips to help you Sleep like a Runner!
This last point is a big one for me! Using technology before bed has been linked to an increase in stress levels. I know personally, it can be hard to turn off my phone or step away from my laptop. If you find yourself tethered to your electronic device, try to power down a little bit earlier each night until you can get to at least 1 hour before bed technology-free.
Disclosure: Thanks to Casper for this graphic. I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions expressed here, as always, are my own.
Do you prioritize your sleep?
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