Some advice on how to manage your sleep
By Dr Laurence POLETTI
When you take part in a long trail, where you are going to run for 30, 35 or 40 hours or more, the advice is to sleep for brief periods.
Lack of sleep and tiredness are well known factors which combine to produce a decline of physical return. When the body is in hypo attentiveness, to push oneself and continue is not productive because the fatigue will only aggravate your condition, a brief sleep can then be very profitable for you. This rest will in the end translate into a gain in time. It regenerates one at the psychological and physical level.
Before the race
When to sleep?
One needs to have the longest possible nights in the days preceding the race (8 to 9 hours minimum ideally).
If your race starts in the morning, or early afternoon, you can have a nap for around an hour, or hour and a half, the previous day. If you have an evening start the nap can be on the day of the race.
During the race
When to sleep?
Ideally, one should sleep about every 4 or 6 hours preferably during the following time spans, during which the tiredness settles down more easily and when the body is going to be more susceptible to a period of sleep:
- At night around 23:00 - 01:00
- At night around 04:00 - 06:00
- Afternoon around 13:00 - 16:00
Generally, listen to your body and try to rest when tiredness sets in without waiting for it to become too important. If on the other hand you feel good, it is useless to force yourself to try to sleep.
How long to sleep for?
It is recommended, as for sailors, to sleep for brief periods of 20 or 40 minutes, at least 20 minutes first night and more like 40 minutes the second night. Certain runners even manage with micro-sleeps, 5 to 15 minutes, which are equally profitable. Worth testing during long training sessions.
It is important to listen to your fatigue and to eventually prolong this brief sleep if you feel very bad upon wakening after 20 or 40 minutes. Some people will rest for 1 or 2 hours depending upon their needs.
Conditions in which to sleep
First of all arrange to be woken by somebody reliable, so that you don’t worry about it, or use a watch with an alarm.
It is necessary to settle down comfortably and possibly to change your clothes or you refresh yourself a little if you have the chance. During the day, try to use an eye mask such as those distributed in planes.
Begin by relaxing yourself at the muscular level by using deep breathing techniques.
Understand, nevertheless, that waking up maybe difficult and remind yourself why you are there and be confident in the result of this brief sleep, even if the benefit is not felt at once, sometimes it is only several hours later that you will feel the positive effect.
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