Forums >Running 101>Running Routines & Sleep
Hey folks,
I've been digging around for a community to join lately and I came across this website.
I have picked up running as a hobby in the past several months, but only in the past month or so have I started to actually follow a much more concise routine, i.e. run 2-3 days in a row, followed by a day of rest. I generally run between the hours of 5-7pm. I am finally up to about 4 miles now; I would consider this my long run. I normally don't shower until 8 or 8:30 during the evening (hot showers, not cold). I have no background of distance running when I was younger, so this is still relatively new to me.
I notice my sleep is really wacky on days I do run -- it is not as restful, or in some cases minimal. Off days I generally sleep very well. I try to be in bed by 9:30 or 10. Running often does not allow for that for me it seems. I've read that your body core temperature changes when you do cardio and hot showers and needs to be lowered for sleep.
I come across several studies online that do nothing but contradict each other in regards of hot showers before bed & running and just curious of your experiences.
I've grown to love running and really have no issue running before work at 6a or 7a so if a switch is recommended, I'm all for it.
I do track my runs on Runkeeper and here are a couple of tidbits of miles per month over the number of activities:
August 2017 - 20.3 miles
September 2017 - 10.3 miles (got married & honeymoon)
October 2017 - 37.6 miles (i started getting into a better routine here and slowly was able to increase distance). I've noticed a ton of progression with regularly scheduled exercise, but would like to address the issue of sleep as I know it will hinder future performance. I hope to run my first 5k within several months.
I've used the search function on here and wasn't able to find any information discussing this.
Vol
The short answer is that everyone is different, which is probably why you'll see a lot of contradictory studies. And the best time of day to run is the time that fits best into your schedule, so you'll keep doing it. Personally I always run early morning, but plenty of people here run at night and sleep just fine. You might try changing to mornings and see how it works for you.
Dave
Old , Ugly and slow
I do most of my runs in the morning. But when I run late in the evening, after 8 it will keep me up a little longer
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
Mother of Cats
If I run after around 3 or 4 pm, I have great difficultly falling asleep. I always run in the morning for that reason.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
I don't sleep well no matter what time of day I run.
Chief Unicorn Officer
I agree that everyone is different. I run after 6pm except on the weekends (I’ve gone out as late as 8pm) and I sleep like a baby! However, I’ve been an afternoon/evening runner since the days of after-school XC practice back in the 90’s. I was a college athlete and except for team lifting sessions twice a week our practices were all at 4pm or later. So I’m just so used to it that I’ve adapted. It’s possible you can settle in and start sleeping better—you’re still kind of in the early stages of making this a lifestyle, you know?
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
Another afternoon/evening runner. I usually don't have a problem with sleeping unless I am really sore and that has happened even with early workouts.
Does running later change your meal times? And if so, do you think that could be impacting your sleep? For example, if you eat a large late meal, you may be rather uncomfortable when you try to sleep. Are you using any sort of gels/energy drinks/coffee later in the afternoon on the days you run?/ If so, this can really mess with your sleep.
Running tends to mess with my sleep no matter what time of day it is.
Maybe start keeping track of your going to bed routine, bed time, meals, snacks, etc... See if you can find a pattern.
I work a rotating shift and switch days to nights every time I work. I run day or night and never have trouble sleeping. I would suggest switching to morning runs for a while if it fits your schedule.