How much sleep is everyone getting? - Couch to 5K

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How much sleep is everyone getting?

Sortyourlife profile image
21 Replies

Hey! So I’ve just started the program (scheduled to do my second ‘run’ tomorrow)

Just curious as to how everyone is finding sleep.... did you sleep better? Worse? The same? As the program has gone on?

My sleep tends to be pretty broken and I’m probably not getting anywhere near enough tbf.

I’m debating getting up at 5am tomorrow when it’ll already be light enough and hopefully cool enough to do my second run! Either that or go to the gym and do it on the treadmill after work tomorrow.

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Sortyourlife
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21 Replies
Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate

If you are awake, running early is fantastic.

I’ve found lavender pillow spray works well to get to sleep and stay there.

Good luck with the second run!

Fairydust777 profile image
Fairydust777Graduate

Hello! I tend to run in the evening after work and I do find my sleep is better on my “run” days. Probably because my body is so knackered! I run in the morning at weekends and it gives me a massive burst of energy for the day... but then I am so tired by the evening. In the mornings, I tend to get up, dressed and have some water and head out so perhaps I’m still a bit sleepy but I soon waken up! Hope this helps 😊

LoungeLizaard profile image
LoungeLizaardGraduate

I’m the same as fairy dust - I’d rather have that extra 30 minutes in bed asleep. But on the weekends my body clock gets me up slightly later than a work day. Both types of run have the same effect on me.... wiped out in the evenings if I’ve run early, and sleep soundly on school nights that I run....

You just need to find your own rhythm-what works for one doesn’t always work for another........ hope it helps. 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Deant profile image
Deant

My sleep pattern is always out of sync and I’m attending a sleep disorder clinic next month 😞 but I find I’m a morning person so have been running in the mornings....I just completed W1R2 this morning and feel buzzing. Hope yours went well....

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Deant

Yeah i find I’m a morning person too! (I did a year of starting work at 5am and didn’t break out of that when I started uni, I still start work at 5am once a week)

I’ve just got in from my W1R2 too and feel great. Now just to get a shower and head out to work....

Deant profile image
Deant in reply to Sortyourlife

That’s great 😀....have a lovely day. W1R3 on Thursday.....?

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Deant

That’s the plan! 😄

Rumour profile image
RumourGraduate

I am lucky. My head hits the pillow and I am asleep. Almost nothing wakes me, even the massive storm on Saturday night that had local people talking! My sleep patterns are around 3 1/2 hours of deep sleep and the rest light sleep. My wife (xx) has not been so lucky until we started this course. She used to have around 30 minutes of deep sleep, but now is in the 2 1/2 hours range. Feels better for it as well.

As for the early bird runs? We do it all the time. Nothing better than running at our local lakes and watching the mist creeping across the water. Surprising a pair of Herons who fly off from feet away. The rabbitts scattering from us as we pound (?) the paths. Couple that with being nice and cool, ideal time to run.

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Rumour

Ha that’s exactly like my boyfriend! As soon as he’s in bed he’s usually well out whilst I just poke him for a bit.

And yeah I was happy doing my early morning run the other day, think I want that to be my usual time whilst it’s light :)

oldwheezer69 profile image
oldwheezer69Graduate

My Fitbit Alta HR tracks my sleep patterns and my pulse rate which I find very interesting... I definitely get better quality sleep after runs, and since starting the programme my resting heart rate has come down (which I believe is a sign of getting fitter).

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to oldwheezer69

Yeah I only have the Fitbit flex but my sleep is never great, especially with this heat!

It doesn’t track my heart rate, but I do have an Apple Watch which does, but I only really wear it for my runs atm.

Rumour profile image
RumourGraduate in reply to Sortyourlife

We looked at FitBit, but decided that it was too expensive for what it does. We opted for the MiFit band that tracks just about everything. And sub £30 too.

tinyurl.com/ycgtfm7u

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Rumour

Ah I really like the interface Fitbit gives and the challenges you can set up :)

The flex does pretty much everything I want it to do for my normal day to day bits and auto recognises any activity you do (although for these week 1 runs it’s been saying I’m doing ‘aerobic activity’ for a shorter length of time than I’m actually out for, hopefully this will change the longer I’m running).

For everything I want to monitor during a workout my Apple Watch does - heart rate, elevation, a map of where I went kinda thing. The only downside to this is that you have to start the workout manually otherwise none of this gets recorded.

I actually lost my flex a bit ago (just the actual tracker bit) so was looking to see if I wanted a different one when getting a new one for my birthday, but didn’t see the point in getting the second cheapest, it was £80 more and didn’t do a lot else from the looks of it, so I just stuck with the £40 flex.

Kamia profile image
KamiaGraduate

Hiya,

Hope your second run goes well.

I’m finding I sleep loads better and wake up feeling so much more refreshed. My body feels more relaxed/at peace.

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Kamia

Thanks! My second run was good, third tomorrow. I know I can run for 10-15 minutes without stopping on a treadmill but it usually kills me, so figured I’d do this to try and build up the stamina. Its nice to have a set plan and someone telling you what to do. It’s also given me the confidence to go outside and do it too and I’m enjoying it :)

Lydia-jg profile image
Lydia-jgGraduate

I’m never a great sleeper though I do think running helps cut intermittent waking. Think quality of sleep is good but not much of it. Much of my running is after work on a treadmill too, as already rise at 545 for work, sure if you can catch up on your sleep an early run will be good 👍🏻✅☁️

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Lydia-jg

Yeah this is what I’m like atm, I’ve never really had to rely on sleep too much either tbh. And yeah some days I get up at 5:45, some days it’s 6:15 but I’ve done a lot of waking up at 4:30 so it’s a lie in for me! Getting up at 5 the other day was pretty easy tbh, but we’ll see how I feel tomorrow! At least I can go back to bed if I do go early tomorrow :)

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate

Of course it's a bit difficult to sleep when the weather is warm, before my first 20 minute run I could only sleep for about 3 hours as I was a bit worried how it would go, it went well and that night I slept normally, all the other longer runs I slept just normally, don't worry about longer runs, you will be ok.

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to AlMorr

Yeah I’m not too worried about the longer runs, I know I can run 10-15 minutes continuously on a treadmill, but I started doing this to build up the stamina to do it more frequently. Was more just curious how people have felt about their sleep whilst doing this !

Gran4z profile image
Gran4zGraduate

My sleep isn't brilliant, waking up really early, about 05.15 ish and so not necessary I'm retired. Mind you I'm usually shattered by 10pm 🙃.

Sortyourlife profile image
Sortyourlife in reply to Gran4z

Ha same! Usually asleep way before then! 😂

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