Runner’s....insomnia???

jennacole12

Hello all my fellow runners,

I am really struggling with insomnia over the past month. I am sleeping only 4-5 hours a night and am running over 20 miles a week. I don’t particularly feel tired but am thinking I need more sleep based on the amount of energy I am exerting. Also, I run around 6:30 am so it’s not that I am running to late. Does anyone else have this issue or have any advice?? Thank you!!!

Orphia

Are you experiencing stress in your life away from the running?

Are you feeling OK despite the lack of sleep?

I run 50 - 60 kms a week and run at 6 am, and I need 8 hours sleep.

Is it Summer where you are? We often need less sleep when the days are longer.

navdeeprana

Caffeine was the culprit for me. I do not take any caffeine 5 hours before sleeping. Stay Strong.

Strawblackcat

I run at night, but I'm a natural night owl, so going to bed around 3-4 AM is normal for me. I work closing shift at a retail establishment, though (normally 1-9 PM) so my internal clocks meshes well with my work schedule.

If you don't feel tired, then I don't see you as having a problem. Some people need more sleep than others, some people need less.

litoria

It's a problem for me if I'm not eating enough

DX2JX2

Is this new or did frequency increase with your training level? Insomnia has been linked to stress hormones caused by constant overtraining but I wouldn't expect 20 mpw to be high enough to act as a trigger.

I'd check the rest of your sleep hygiene first but if you suspect that your running is a factor try pulling back a bit (either in total mileage or your split of easy/hard miles) to see if that helps.

That said, 4-5 hours per night isn't ideal but it's not out of the realm of normalcy. I know many people who routinely get by on that much sleep as long as they have a night here or there where they naturally 'catch up' on their sleep hours. Some people just do well with less sleep than others - maybe you're one of them.

jjpptt2

Taking a step back... is there an actual problem, or only a possible problem based on what you think you might "need"? You say you don't feel tired...

jennacole12

Thank you all for your comments. I increased my mileage around Jan and Feb and had this same thing happen. I scaled back a bit and slowly started increasing again and it started right back up. I definitely don’t feel tired actually, I feel great all day, I just feel like I “should” be getting more sleep. I think you are all right though and maybe I just don’t need as much sleep as I thought.

apullum

Odd question, but are you pretty sure that you're just getting 4-5 hours per night? I know that some nights I wind up in a weird state where I don't think I'm sleeping, but I actually am sleeping...it's hard to describe. Insomnia is a strange thing.

Other than that, the best solutions I've found are no caffeine after noon, not eating a large meal before bed, a white noise machine, blackout curtains in the bedroom, keeping the bedroom cool/cold, and a low dose melatonin supplement on nights when nothing else helps. I'm not able to take other over the counter sleep medications.

smelliefeet

I can't sleep if I'm not eating enough. I'm also a runner who runs 25 miles a week. I have to up my calories when that happens.