Week One: 25m
Week Two: 32m
Week Three: 18m (I blame THON.)
Week Four [as of Wednesday]: 8m
...Promising, huh? I should be reading Runner's World for tips or googling marathon plans, but right now- finishing homework and studying Spanish nonfinite verbs- all I can think of is going to sleep. I love running, but just the thought of my 6-8m tomorrow is making me tired.
Did you know that the number one factor in an America's rating of their day-to-day happiness is... *drumroll*...SLEEP. (Nina Jablonski PhD and Anthro Dept. Head) Maybe that's why I feel so down and out. I got eight hours- EIGHT- of sleep last night, but according to contemporary research that won't start affecting me until tomorrow. That's right, messing with your sleeping schedule and cutting hours can keep affecting you days later. Recovery lags after that.
Considering the influence of changes to one's sleeping patterns can last up to five days- I'm still tired from THON.
Maybe sleep should be up on the top of my to-do list, instead of squeezed in with whatever is left over. It even boosts your metabolism, getting over seven hours a night does. And even a nap of 20-30 minutes is enough to jump start your mind mid mid-afternoon slump.
I'm considering just clicking the hibernate button on my screen and going...to......
Unfortunately, sleep is undervalued and underutilized on our driven lifestyles. Sleep restores, and yet we deprive ourselves of it to get ahead. (This post reminds me that we can be more efficient if we sometimes simply stop and make sleep a priority. Thanks!)
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you do it. I need my sleep too, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to work up the motivation to run at 6am every morning if my life depended on it. Kudos.
ReplyDeleteYou need to sleep so you can practice your times and miles for your marathon! Yes, sleep seriously is the key to how your day is. Too much can make us more tired too little makes us cranky, etc. Especially at this weird hour it makes me want to go back to bed!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I will admit, the last sentence made me chuckle... Earlier this week, I was stumbling on the internet, and I found this site about Einstein's sleeping habits. He slept for 30 minutes every 4 hours (which is a total of 3 hours a day). This is known as "Uberman's Sleep Schedule." The first week is very rough, but eventually your body doesnt get enough REM sleep, so your brain gets tricked during the 30 minute sleep periods and goes into REM sleep right away! I guess overall, throughout the day, you end up getting about 2 hours of REM sleep, which is more than most people get on a normal night of sleep. This is a crazy concept, but it is very interesting. You should check it out! haha
ReplyDeleteOh, THON... Apparently the sleep deprivation comes AFTER the fact? THON wipes you out and pre-Spring Break assignments finish the job. It's an accomplishment just to get in as many miles as you have. Let's. Go. Kate.
ReplyDeleteSleep is such an important part of our day and unfortunately so many young people aren't getting an adequate amount of sleep. Thanks for the interesting facts, I didn't know messing with your sleep schedule could affect you up to five days later. Interesting.
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