Column 22, November 2009

Getting a good night's sleep

Sleep… it should come as naturally as our beating heart, yet up to 49% of the general adult population report having brief periods of difficulty sleeping, and 10% of adults have insomnia lasting greater than 2 weeks, such that it becomes a significant problem affecting their lives.

Regular, sound sleep is essential in repairing both the mind and body; therefore it is not surprising that many studies demonstrate deterioration in physical performance when athletes are sleep-deprived, not to mention the effects on work, relationships, libido and health.

Causes vary greatly, and include emotional distress/anxiety, illness, pain, or sleep disorders such as delayed sleep phase disorders.

But how do we know we’re getting enough? After all, some athletes require 9-10 hours at night plus a nap during the day (marathoner Deena Kastor), while ultra-marathon man Dean Karnazes functions perfectly well on four!

Obviously the 8 hours a day goal standard does not apply to everyone! To determine your individual needs, log your sleeping hours in your training diary, and make a note of how you feel/perform throughout the day. This will start to give you a better picture.

10 tips to better sleep for the everyday runner:

1) Stick to a routine.

Aim to go to bed at the same time (weekends included) to help set your biological clock. Building up sleep debt during the week and trying to make it up on the weekend only throws your internal clock out, making it more difficult to fall asleep at night.

2) Turn your bedroom into a sleeping haven.

Dark – use black-out curtains/shutters or an eye mask, as melatonin (the hormone which induces sleep) is reduced when we are exposed to light. This will also help prevent waking when the sun rises.

Cool – 18-19 Celsius is optimal for sleeping

Quiet – if this is difficult to control, I would highly recommend silicone ear plugs

Distraction-free – keep the TV, Laptop, workbooks etc away from the bedroom. It should be a place for relaxation and sleep only.

3) Avoid exercising within 3 hours of bed.

If you find it difficult to run first thing (which seems to have little impact on sleeping), aim to run immediately after work (ie between 5-7), as running too close to bedtime can cause wakefulness.

4) Wind down to bedtime

Avoid activities that stimulate your mind within 30mins of bed. This includes watching TV, working on the computer (or facebooking!) and texting.

Dim lights in the evenings, or use candles to help stimulate melatonin production. If you’re a keen reader, use a special book light and turn the main lights off

Write down any things that are worrying you, or things you need to do the next day, so you can clear your mind.

Try any other techniques you find relaxing; stretching, yoga, music, meditation, breathing, a bath, reading, lavender oil etc, to take the focus off your ‘internal brain chatter’

Set an alarm so you are not waking regularly to check the time

5) Consider you may be over-training

This is a tricky area to quantify, as what is over-training for one, is a rest week for another! ‘Moderate’ amounts of exercise seem to promote sleep, however, for many runners consecutive days of intense 19-21km+ sessions may lead to disrupted sleep.

It also seems that running more than 30km in one session will impair sleep, so don’t expect to sleep soundly after a marathon, no matter how tired you are! Some runners do seem to begin to adapt to increasing mileage without sleep disturbance.

6) Pass up caffeine after midday.

While a cup of coffee in the morning is an acceptable ritual, chugging coffee, Red Bull or other caffeinated drinks to keep you going through the afternoon can keep you up at night.

7) Allow for more sleep when you’re training

Some sleep experts recommend that runners require 1 minute extra sleep per night for every mile run during the week.

Translating to km’s, this would mean those running 50km/week need an extra half hour sleep/night, and those running 150km/wk (like many marathoners) require closer to 90mins extra/night.

8) Become independent of sleeping pills and alcohol

Many sleeping-pills are habit forming and do not actually induce a deep sleep, where repair takes place.

Alcohol, while causing you to drop off quickly initially, often impairs sleep quality. Medications should be the last resort, and for short term use only. See a sleep specialist first.

9) Put you mobile phone on silent

Where possible limit nightly interruptions by switching the phone off or on silent.

10) Napping?

In terms of insomnia causal, this is a bit of a grey area. Some sleep experts feel napping during the day can perpetuate bad sleep habits, confuse your internal clock, and send your insomnia into a chronic spiral.

Most runners don’t have the luxury anyway! Other sleep experts feel a midday nap (before 2pm) can help recovery from training, and prevent insomnia induced by over-training.

You will need to determine what’s right for you.