Sleep Running

[baronblaze]

I've never needed much sleep but last week i was only able to get about 2 hours a night. I go to bed about 2 and have been waking before 4 totally alert but shattered. On the 5th night of not being able to sleep i stayed in bed for another 2 hours before deciding to go for a run to try and relax. I decided to do my 3.8 mile route at a comfortable pace. I checked my watch at 2km which is the hardest part of the course as it's mainly uphill. Time of 9.45 min not bad as i felt rotten through lack of sleep. After that i can't remember anything about the run. I normally check my time at 3 other points on the route but i failed to do it. I got home and 'iced-up' forgetting to stretch. At this point i looked at my watch 30.24 secs not good as the target time for the course is be below 30 mins but acceptable as i wasn't going for speed.

I then checked my kilo splits at which point i realised that excluding the 2k time check i could not remember anything about my run which is probably why i failed to do any post stretching.

It was like when you drive on auto pilot, you arrive at your destination but can't remember driving there.

Do any early birds run on auto pilot and not remember anything about it?

Sleep running could become the lazy way to exercise.

[kickibro Graduate]

Can you not do some meditation to go back to sleep? Zombie running isn't for me xxx

[carole01 Graduate]

Wow! After all that lack of sleep I am surprised delirium hasn't reared its ugly head. My husband suffers just like you and unfortunately I do, as his sleep buddy. He has tried hypnosis, meditation and many other methods but to no avail. A daytime nap sorts me out to recover but he can't do this because of work. A sleep expert once told us that that your sleep or tiredness to sleep has a cycle and not to ignore it. If you do, it takes hours before the next sleep cycle occurs. Which may be why you are sleeping at 2 perhaps you are missing your first opportunity of the sleep cycle earlier. Running at that time won't help either not with all the chemicals the body releases after training. Advice from another insomniac: train early evening, eat a large meal and take a long ,hot bath laced with lavender oil. Our bedroom also has fresh lavender in a pot nearest to my husband. Hope this helps and good luck with your running.

[ju-ju- Graduate]

oh you poor thing...lack of sleep is awful...have you tried the Bach sleep pills? I think they are the best...As for the running, I'm not surprised you didn't remember as thats classic sleep deprivation!!! However, I often do an early run ( 5.30/6.00 AM) and I get home thinking,'was that a dream'? as I am half asleep!!!!! I hope you get more sleep soon...??