According to Statistics Canada, 3.3 million Canadians express having difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep - that’s one in seven people across the country....that also means a lot of half asleep Canadians.
Below are some sleep tips to help runners and new runners get into a good routine, and cross the finish line at a time that they've always dreamed of achieving.
The BMO Vancouver Marathon is just around the corner, and Dormeo Canada, leading mattress brand are encouraging fans to up their sleep game, so they put together helpful sleep tips before the big race.
- Sleep is as important as your workouts. The average person needs around seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
- If you find yourself dozing off during the day, relying on caffeine to stay awake, and immediately falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, you’re likely low on sleep. Listen to the cues from your body before this happens. It could result in fewer injuries when training/working out.
- The less sleep you get, the lower your human growth hormone levels will be. This will result in slower recovery from workouts or minor aches and pains. Your risk for injury could increase if you don’t get enough sleep.
- Sleep on your side. This is the healthiest position for sleep, and the best for your spine. Out of 500 people surveyed by Dormeo in Canada, 73% sleep on their side, 16% sleep on their back, and 11% sleep on their stomach.
- Wear cotton. Yes - 85% of those surveyed are most comfortable in comfy cottons. From the survey, men prefer sleeping in the nude (32%) more often than their female counterparts (19%), while flannel, silk and ‘just socks’ lagged further behind.
- Embrace the cold. Before heading to bed, have a cool bath or shower to help lower your body temperature. Out of 500 people surveyed by Dormeo in Canada, 1/3 (32%) said overheating is their biggest bedtime frustration.
- Cotton everything. Treat yourself to 100% natural cotton fiber sheets. As you perspire during the night, natural fiber sheets breathe and absorb moisture.
- Stick to a regular bedtime. Resist temptation to stay out (especially on warm summer evenings) as this can confuse your body and its circadian rhythms. For insomniacs, keeping to a bedtime routine is vital.
- Clean mattress, clean breathing, better sleep. Keep your mattress clean, free of dust mites and other allergens by using a mattress cover.
- Back to work after running a marathon abroad? Set incrementally earlier bedtimes and wake-up times to make it easier for the body and mind to adjust.
- Chill out. Do three to four calming activities before bed, that are exactly the same every night. The daily repetition cues your body that it’s time to sleep.
- Shut down, unplug. Don’t stay up late to do work. Research shows that staying up 17-19 consecutive hours is similar to having a blood alcohol level over the legal limit. Wake up early and start fresh.
- Take notes. Put a notebook beside your nightstand to write down things you think of before bedtime. This can prevent you from worrying about remembering your ‘to-do’s’ for the next day, or getting up to check emails.
- Listen to your body. How much you run impacts how much sleep you need.
- Research has linked moderate exercise to higher-quality, more efficient sleep.
- Sleep deprivation doesn't necessarily affect things like muscle contractions, speed and power, but it affects your willingness to perform (i.e. Your body just doesn't want to do it).
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