Run to Win

Anne at Complete Running has recently written an article about how to get a good night’s sleep, especially before a big race. She lists a few points, not all of which I agree with. She does mention that it is important to get sleep two nights before and not the night before a race, which I do agree with. Sleep generally affects you about 36 hours later, so the sleep you need for a marathon tends to be a couple days prior and preferably the full week prior.

The full list with my responses:
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A study has found that kids who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight than their peers who do get enough sleep.

The researchers found that children who got less sleep were more likely to be overweight and have higher body mass index measures than those who got more sleep, even when factors such as race, ethnicity and parents’ income and educational level were considered. The study noted that sleep experts recommend that children ages 5 to 12 sleep for 10 to 11 hours a night and adolescents sleep for 8 to 9 hours. But the researchers said children in the study at age 7 on average got less than 10 hours of sleep on weekdays and at age 14 got 8.5 hours of sleep on weekdays.

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There are three types of people in regards to sleep, and in my experience they are fairly well proportioned one against another. There are people that sleep too much, there are people that sleep too little, and there are people who get the amount of sleep that their body needs.
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Most people will not eat before going to sleep. Two common reasons for this is because the person may not sleep as well, or because they are trying to lose weight and do not want to eat something and not have an opportunity to burn off some calories before going to sleep. You do not really need a lot of calories to sleep, after all.

For active people, though, you do want something in your stomach when you go to sleep. Not a full course meal, obviously; there’s no need for that. But a light snack such as a piece of bread or an apple an hour or 30 minutes before going to sleep can lead to better sleep and can make it easier to get up in the morning. If I do not eat before going to bed, I tend to wake up with stomach cramps in the middle of the night. If I try to run in the morning without eating first, I won’t get a mile before I will be completely exhausted.

Your mileage may vary with this tip. Everybody’s body is different, and your body may not like eating right before you go to sleep. There is only one way to find out, though, and it is a good thing to know.

A good tip for sleeping well is to not fall asleep in front of the television, or even to watch your TV directly before going to bed. If you actually fall asleep in front of the television, then chances are pretty good that you are in an optimum position for sleeping. You are probably sitting or lying on a couch with your body contorted in some fashion. This can lead to neck strain, and if the television is still on your sleep will be fitful from the outside stimulous. Bright lights and concentrating on the babble box can lead to eye strain, especially if all you do is close your eyes and snooze right afterwards. The same can be said to some extent for looking at a monitor in front of your computer right before bed time.

I have found that I sleep best if I look at a magazine or read a book for 15 minutes to an hour before going to sleep. I will lay in bed and read until I begin to feel my eyes drooping, whereupon I shut off the light and settle in. If I watch a movie right before going to bed, then my head is usually still full of loud noises and bright lights and I have trouble both falling asleep and staying asleep.

One of the best workout tips that I can offer is adopting a regular sleep schedule. Our bodies have great internal clocks and will generally let us know when we should be awake, when we should be hungry, when we should be hungry or thirsty. One of the best ways to maximize the benefits that your body gets from exercise is to go to bed at the same time every night, and to wake up at the same time every morning. This is not to say you need to get 8 straight hours of sleep; your body may require only 5 or 6 hours of sleep per night. The important thing is going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. This has the following benefits:
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The Health and Fitness blog talks about a New York Times article that tries to debunk the myth that you should not exercise directly before sleeping.
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