June 11, 2013

Importance of Catching Zzzs

I had another one of those weekends where I'm just going going going and feeling exhausted when I wake up. I took about 6 naps this past weekend and still feel drained.  After my  vacation (Bonnaroo!!!)  through the end of this week I'm going to work on getting better sleep. I was going to post something else but decided that this was something important to discuss after I realized yet again I was exhausted this morning.  

 On my run on Sunday I felt crappy which is mostly due to the fact that I was just exhausted combined with the heat and humidity.  That's not going to cut it when I start marathon training in a week!

A 2006 Harvard Study found that chronic sleep loss majorly affects our health in a negative way. I am usually getting from around 4-6 hours of sleep lately.  Apparently most people sleep less than 6 hours a night, which can lead to weight gain, higher blood pressure, and suppressed immune system.  Mostly people need at least 7.5-8.5  hours of sleep (and I know I do!).  During sleep the brain is committing new information to memory which is clearly important.  Constantly being sleep deprived also causes weight gain due to altering appetite-affecting hormone levels.  Another obvious effect of sleep deprivation is that my mood is definitely more irritable and less focused.  


For runners, having a weakened immune system leaves you more susceptible to injury and illness, which can sideline your training for weeks ( and is quite agonizing if you've gone through it!).  Also because of sleep deprivation, post-exercise recovery can be impaired and the muscle cells broken down during exercise don't have enough time to get fully repaired.  

So I've come up with a game plan to help me get to bed on time: 

1. Take time to wind down: I had started doing this a few months back but have fallen off the wagon.  30 minutes before bed I'm going to not look at my phone, scroll through Instagram, surf the internet, or watch TV.  The bright screens of electronics suppress our production of melatonin (which makes you fall asleep) by almost  25%! 

2. Stick to a routine: I'm going to try to set a time to be in bed by (say 11:00) to make sure I get a full 7 or 8 hours of sleep.  If I'm still feeling lethargic during the day I'll make it a little earlier.  This means not sleeping in on the weekends also, which I find totally messes up my sleep schedule.  

3. Limit caffeine before bed: I don't think I am overly affected by caffeine, but anyways I'm going to try to not have lots of caffeine in the afternoon or before bed.  I'm loving some decaf Yogi tea at night, especially the Soothing Caramel bedtime flavor! 

yoga-tea-bedtime-caramel
Yogi Tea
4. Finish tasks that are important and put the rest off. Some things I do such as cleaning, surfing the internet, balancing my checkbook can wait until the next day if it's not urgent.  Getting sleep needs to be a priority and so I need to work on my time management in order to loosely stick to a sleep schedule. 


How many hours of sleep do you usually get? Do you notice a huge difference when you get less?


9 comments:

  1. I love Yogi sleepytime tea with the blue label! I think it has SUCH a good flavor and it definitely does help me wind down before bed. I'm so jealous you're going to Bonnaroo!

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    1. It does really make me feel sleepy! I'll be sure to report back-it's my first year going!

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  2. I definitely notice a huge difference when I do not get enough sleep! I am very slow, overly tired (obviously) and my runs definitely slack! I also seem to have a bigger appetite on those days as well! i'm like a bottomless pit.

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    1. Ah I get those bottomless pit days too. I call myself the snack monster!

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  3. I am an at least 6 hours person, although my need is growing GREATER with the baby coming!

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    1. I can imagine! I can't sustain less than 6 for days in a row very long any more.

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  4. I'm a bit of an insomniac. I average about 4 quality hours a night :( I do usually manage to get a decent power nap in the afternoons, which helps a little. On the plus side, running does make me tired, so that can sometimes lead to an extra hour or two.

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    1. I've been averaging 4-I'm a night owl too! I still haven't mastered the power nap with getting the time right-I feel like I always sleep too long.

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  5. Getting enough sleep is always so hard! I'm on a medication that makes me sleepy, but if I don't leave enough time for sleeping before I take it, I still wake up EXHAUSTED. Definitely the biggest thing in my way of being healthier and pushing myself harder in workouts.

    Kudos to you for trying to tackle it!

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