Sleep & Performance
by GRP Runner Caroline Williams
Sleep is essential for recovery and can be just as important as getting in hard workouts. It is tough to prioritize sleep, especially with the demands of balancing work, family, and social life, but below are some tips and information to help you maximize your sleep quality.
Most of the information from this post comes from the book Power Sleep by Dr. James Maas, creator of the term 'power nap' and psychology professor at Cornell University.
Architecture of Sleep
There are four stages of sleep - 2, 3, 4, and REM that are distinguishable by brain waves. During a typical night, the brain cycles through each stage. The cycles repeat every 90 to 110 minutes and if you get a full night's sleep, you will go through 4-5 cycles each night. If you're not getting enough hours of sleep, you are not completing the cycles and optimizing your recovery.
If the standard suggestion of sleeping 8 hours per night is not possible given the demands of your life, more sleep isn't always better. Try to set your alarm so that you wake up at the end of a sleep cycle. The body is not designed to wake up out of deep sleep and doing so can lead to daytime grogginess and sleep disorders.
Deep Sleep for Recovery and Growth
Deep sleep is the most essential stage for athletes as it plays a huge role in recovery and growth. During stage 4 sleep (deep sleep), blood supply to the muscles is increased and secretion of growth hormone is at its highest. This stimulates tissue repair, which is essential for muscles broken down after a hard workout or recovery from an injury.
During deep sleep, immune system modulators, such as interleukin and tumor necrosis factor, also increase. This strengthens the immune system and keeps us healthy enough to get our training in.
REM Sleep for Skills & Visualization
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is another essential stage for runners. During this stage of sleep, rapid firing of random neuronal pathways occurs. These pathways hold information that was learned that day and studies have shown that those who spend the most time in REM sleep are the best at grasping new skills.
For runners, skills solidified during REM sleep can include drills, mental preparation, and even tactics learned from racing. Visualizing a race is a form of practice and sleeping on those visualizations helps runners execute their races as planned. During REM sleep, neurotransmitters are also replenished, giving us the mental energy to go out and run.
Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
Most of us are so habituated to lower levels of alertness that we don't remember what it is like to feel wide awake and able to perform at an optimal level. If you want to assess your own level of alertness, you can take the Multiple Sleep Latency test online. In the meantime, some common indicators of sleep deprivation include:
falling asleep as soon as you get into bed (it should take about 20 minutes)
feeling sleepy during non-stimulating activities (driving, listening to a boring meeting, or watching TV)
needing an alarm clock to wake up in the morning
struggling to get out of bed in the morning
sleeping more on the weekends
Establishing a Regular Sleep Schedule
Going to bed at the same time every night and rising at the same time every morning is essential for getting into a good sleep routine. Being consistent with the hours you spend in bed will allow those hours to synchronize with the sleepy phase of your biological clock.
It is tempting to make up for sleep on the weekends, but according to Dr. Maas, "You cannot make up for sleep losses during the week by sleeping in on weekends any more than you can make up for lack of regular exercise and overeating during the week by working out and dieting only on the weekends." Altering your sleep during the weekend will only throw off your biological clock more, making it harder to get adequate sleep during the week.
Using Light Cues to Regulate Sleep/Wake Hormones
We should aim to see the sunlight for at least two minutes in the morning within one hour of waking. This gives the brain a morning cortisol rush, which is natural and primes the body for daytime energy and focus. About 16 hours after this cortisol rush, the body is adapted to secrete melatonin, a hormone that makes us sleepy. Therefore, seeing light in the morning helps us fall asleep in the evening. Even with cloud cover, there's enough photon energy outside to stimulate this cortisol release and going outside on a cloudy day is more effective than artificial light. A great reason for a morning run!
If you feel you could benefit from more sleep (can’t we all!) or believe you’re not performing optimally due to the quality of your sleep, give one or two of these suggestions a try. It could make all the difference!