World Sleep Day(March 21)
</p><style type="text/css">p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial; color: #323333; -webkit-text-stroke: #323333}
span.s1 {font-kerning: none}
Sleep, as a necessary process for life, is an important link for body recovery, memory integration, and consolidation. It is an indispensable part of health. May you have a healthy body and sweet sleep.
—— Wuyan Zu
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Click the ⭐️ in the upper right corner to bookmark the article and read it anytime, anywhere.
Due to work and other reasons, many friends like to run at night. Indeed, the moderate fatigue after running can improve the quality of your sleep, and sufficient and effective sleep can help your body recover better after exercise. Conversely, if the running schedule is problematic, it will not only fail to improve sleep quality and duration but also cause health 'side effects': the runner's body will not recover, and sleep problems will worsen.
So, how can we avoid the negative impact of night running on sleep?
1. Don't overdo the intensity
The purpose of night running is to have a good sleep, so we must avoid high intensity. Night runs are generally done after dinner, and you should wait at least an hour after eating before starting. If the time is too long, combined with the time for warm-up, cool-down, and showering, it will directly affect your bedtime, which is awkward. Moreover, if the intensity of the night run is too high,it can easily release cortisol and adrenaline, causing hunger and affecting sleep.Therefore, we should reasonably allocate the duration of night runs, ideally keeping it within an hour, with light sweating and easy completion as the intensity standard, without putting too much pressure on ourselves.Generally speaking, the heart rate should not exceed 120 beats per minute after 5 minutes of running, and not exceed 100 beats per minute after 10 minutes. For runners who do not use a heart rate monitor, there is a simple and effective method: if you can speak a sentence comfortably while running, the intensity is acceptable.
2. Don't run too frequently
How often is the best time for night running? Wuyan Zu suggests that 2-3 times a week is generally sufficient. Regardless of whether you have a night running plan, it is best to go to bed at the same time every night. Establishing a regular biological clock is the foundation of a healthy life. This will also provide good psychological comfort for the health of runners.Do not try to make up for lost sleep time on weekends, as this will disrupt your sleep schedule. The biological clock does not distinguish between weekdays and weekends. Irregular routines will greatly reduce the recovery effect of the body after running.
3. Don't run too late
Running, to some extent, will make the body excited and stimulate faster blood circulation, making our sympathetic nerves more active. Therefore, it is recommended to start running earlier, so that we can calm down quickly after running and fall asleep better. This way, our running will not be affected.
Additionally, if it isthe weekend or a holiday, it is recommended to schedule night runs between 5 and 7 PM. Generally speaking, the best air quality of the day is around 5 PM.
4. Don't sacrifice sleep for running
Never miss your sleep time because of running. Regular sleep is more likely to improve performance and bring health than running late at night. If you wake up early to run, you should also go to bed earlier at night. Running can be made up, but missed sleep can cause irreversible damage to the body.Good sleep is also part of our running plan. Sacrificing sleep time to execute a running plan will affect our subsequent training plans and often backfire. Lack of sleep will make you less focused, more prone to injury, and the accumulation of fatigue will lower your immunity, making it difficult for your body to recover to a normal state. Adequate sleep will help your body recover better. If you wake up too early in the morning, you can schedule a 15-30 minute nap,which has a good recovery effect on the body, making it easier to arrange running, and you will feel more relaxed and efficient in the afternoon after a nap.
5. Be cautious with caffeine in the afternoon
A cup of coffee in the morning is a good habit, but drinking a can of Red Bull or caffeinated beverages in the afternoon can make it difficult to fall asleep at night and may affect your running performance. So, avoid drinking caffeinated beverages after 2 PM, as caffeine can stay in your body for up to 14 hours.
6. Pay attention to recovery after night running
After a night run, do not immediately choose to rest, as not doing any recovery actions after running is harmful to the body. Not only will the run be in vain, but it will also cause other health losses. Therefore, after a night run, first choose to do some stretching recovery exercises and replenish water, then take a hot shower. If conditions permit, you can also choose to soak your feet in hot water, which will relax your body, calm your excitement, and help you fall asleep quickly. Additionally,keeping the bedroom cool, quiet, and dark, with a relatively comfortable temperature, will create a good sleep environment. After running, try not to use the TV, computer, or mobile phone before going to bed, as this will make the nervous system more excited and difficult to fall asleep.
Night running is indeed a good choice, especially after a day's work or study. You can not only relieve stress through night running but also have a happy and sweet sleep. With these tips from Wuyan Zu, enjoy your night run and peaceful sleep.
Interactive Topic
That's all for today's sharing,
and finally, our interactive topic:
What time do you usually go for a night run?
Feel free toparticipate in the comments sectionof the article,
and chat with Wuyan Zu. Looking forward to your interaction!