Summary

• How can a pre-sleep routine help you to get better quality sleep?
• How working to improve your sleep along a scale of "worse" to "better" is all you need - you don't need to fix everything now!
• 11 suggestions for an effective pre-sleep routine
• Check out our Running Coaching Programs in our Online Store

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Full Transcript

[The following is the full transcript of this episode of the BE Fit Coach "Let's Talk Running" show.  Please note that this episode, like all LTR episodes, is usually unscripted and unedited and features Barrie talking about a subject that we believe runners will find useful and interesting.]

Last week we looked at the first part of this 3-part video series about getting better quality sleep, where we started by examining your morning routine. If you haven’t seen that one yet, I would strongly recommend you pause here and watch that one first. I’ll make sure there is a link to the blog post down below this video somewhere.

Yes, it does sound strange that a video series about getting better sleep starts by looking at your morning routine, but this is what sets you up for the day, which ultimately ends with you going to bed. Getting the morning routine right gives you the best chance of getting through the day feeling ready for bed, which is where your pre-sleep routine kicks in, and that is what we are going to be looking at in the rest of this video.

Hi runners, I’m Barrie Evans, the owner and creator of BE Fit Coach where I focus on providing the best quality running assessment and coaching programs that work with you as an individual runner. In the rest of this video, I am going to be talking about how a pre-sleep routine can really help you to improve the quality of your sleep.

Last week we talked about how your body likes the regularity of having a routine time to wake up as that encourages your body to release the stimulating hormones that allow you to start your day.

So, firstly start with your planned wake time and work backwards to determine your go-to sleep time. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you are getting a lot less than that right now, that’s okay. Remember that scale I mentioned last week? Well, let’s start moving you further along the scales towards better. Even adding just 30 minutes to your sleep time can make a huge difference!

Next, I would strongly recommend that you limit your caffeine intake. Even if you feel caffeine doesn’t stop you falling asleep, it will be affecting how deeply you sleep and therefore how restorative your sleep is, which is one of the factors that will affect the quality of your sleep.

Work backwards from your go to sleep time and stop drinking caffeine or other stimulants at least 9 hours before. So, if bedtime is 11pm, that would mean no caffeine after 2pm.

You could try switching to decaff if you really want to drink tea or coffee through the afternoon and evening. I did, and it took me a little time and effort to find ones that I really enjoyed and then to take the time to get used to them. Now I have 2 coffees before my 1pm cut-off and then I drink decaff tea and coffee through the rest of the day.

Third on my list of pre-sleep routine things to consider would be to limit your alcohol consumption. Having more than 1-2 drinks in the evening can also interfere with deep sleep. You may find that it helps you to fall asleep, but the restorative nature of that sleep will certainly be affected if you have too much alcohol in your system.

The fourth suggestion I’d like to make is that regular exercise helps to maintain your normal 24 hr body clock. It can also help regulate your fight or flight system and optimise your hormone levels. For more information on this, check out my previous blog post and video “5 Signs Lack Of Sleep Could Be Sabotaging Your Running”. I’ll also put a link to that down below somewhere for you.

Bear in mind though that very intense exercise later in the evening may make it harder to fall asleep, so plan your training accordingly.

Next on the list at number 5 is eating too much food too close to bedtime can make it hard to fall asleep. So try to keep dinner to a small to medium size and incorporate a blend of minimally processed proteins, carbs and fats to keep you satisfied until morning. Also, having some slow-digesting carbs can help make you feel sleepy. Try to ensure you eat that evening meal about 2-3 hours before bed to reduce the chance of it affecting your sleep.

The sixth item on the list is to keep your fluid intake down later in the evening so that you don’t disrupt your sleep by needing regular trips to the toilet. Getting enough fluid each day is really important but try to get most of your hydration requirements earlier in the day.

The next one is one that has certainly affected my sleep in the past, and that is having a really active mind. Whether that’s worrying about something coming up for me in the days ahead, or ruminating over something that happened earlier that day, they can all disrupt your ability to fall asleep.

To help, I would strongly suggest clearing your head by writing down whatever is on your mind. Make a list of all the things that you need to remember for the next day or the days ahead. Writing a list like this allows your mind to relax because you know you can’t forget anything.

For anything that’s bothering you about the events of the day, try writing a journal. Get yourself a nice plain lined notebook, one that you feel good about writing in - I have to admit, I am a bit of a stationary freak and love buying new notebooks and journals. Then take some time before bed writing down whatever is there for you to write about.

This is a technique that has really worked for me and can significantly reduce my anxiety and worry which at times has been a major barrier to getting a good night's sleep.

Number eight on the list of pre-sleep routine suggestions is to try switching off all electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed. This includes TV, laptops or computers, and smartphones or tablets. These devices can emit a blue light which can interfere with our brains' preparation for sleep.

Next is to consider doing something de-stressing before bed, please note that I said de-stressing and not distressing - two completely different things, the latter of which will certainly not help you get good quality sleep.

Try some reading, meditation, or gently movement such as stretching, yoga poses, walking, or even sex. If you combine this with the previous suggestion of turning off all electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed, it can be a really good way to use that time effectively.

Number 10, is to try and go to bed before midnight. This allows our body to better align with natural light and dark cycles. It has been said that every hour of sleep you get before midnight is worth 2 hours of sleep after midnight.

Finally, you could try setting an alarm to go to bed. So if you know you want to wake up at 7 am and you want to get in 8 hours of sleep, try setting an alarm for 10:30 pm or earlier. When the alarm goes off, turn off all electronic devices and then you’ve got a 30-minute buffer time to unwind.

This can be a great time to do your yoga poses, read, write down your thoughts about the day, or any of the other suggestions that I made previously. Aim to be lights out for 11 pm to get that 8 hours of quality sleep.

Most importantly, remember that you are already on that scale of worse to better, and it’s certainly not about being perfect! All you need to do is start making some small changes that get you moving towards better. Some of these suggestions might not work for you, and others may make a mind-blowing difference to the quality of your sleep. But you’ll never know unless your set the right intention and then start making changes to see how your body responds.

Be kind to yourself and see what differences you can make to your sleep quality by implementing a pre-sleep routine. I’d love to hear how you get on with these suggestions so please drop me a comment, or an email to let me know.

I’ll be back next week with the third and final part of this series on sleep, where I will be looking at some additional bonus ideas to help you get the best quality sleep possible. So until then, bye for now.

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