Runner’s....insomnia???

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jennacole12
jennacole12 Posts: 1,167 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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!!!

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  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    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
    navdeeprana Posts: 473 Member
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    Caffeine was the culprit for me. I do not take any caffeine 5 hours before sleeping. Stay Strong.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
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    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
    litoria Posts: 239 Member
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    It's a problem for me if I'm not eating enough
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    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
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    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
    jennacole12 Posts: 1,167 Member
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    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
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    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
    smelliefeet Posts: 71 Member
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    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.

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