This post comes courtesy of my lovely wife, Ellie!
I admire Audrey. One good, two-kilometer run and she is out for the entire night. She wobbles into the apartment, jumps up on the couch, and is literally OUT. So peaceful, so content. (At least she looks content. She may be quietly plotting revenge against Jon and me for making her run so much lately. Who knows?) But anyway, it seems so easy for her, in general, to fall asleep and stay there.
Granted, I can sleep anywhere. I can sleep in cars, on airplanes, in airports collapsed on top of my luggage, as well as in tents, on bare floors, even in school gyms while preteen Girl Scouts play basketball (there was even a time when my two best friends played Life ON TOP of me while I snoozed. Legit. Game board and everything.) . . . and now this is starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book. But it's great! I love the versatility of being able to conk out where I please. That is, if I could conk out in the first place.
Lately [read: about a year now] it's been really hard for me to get to sleep. Because of that, when I feel really tired, I pounce at the opportunity to get some restful, delicious sleep. That means I am sleeping at weird hours for bursts of time with no discernible pattern. How does that affect my fitness routine? you ask. Well, for example, on Sunday I had planned to go to the gym Monday evening. But as Sunday night wore on, I realized there was no way I was falling asleep before 12:00 a.m. So I sat on the couch and watched a really weird Canadian show on SyFy until about 2:00 a.m. At about 7:30 the next morning when I woke up, I knew it was going to be a long day. I came home from work and puttered around, I think I may have possibly taken Audrey on a nice walk (days blur together when you sleep weird hours!), and came home from the walk around 6:30 p.m. After eating dinner, I was tired. I settled in on the couch and could feel the heaviness of sleep taking over. So I did. I slept. Only for an hour that time, though. But it was so restful!
I woke up Monday evening knowing that I would not be going to the gym that night and shifted my workout plans to the next day. Somewhat content with that, I enjoyed the rest of the evening at home. But then I couldn't sleep again. And so it continued like this the rest of the week. I think feeling tired is a pretty common reason why people don't get out and exercise. Staying home after a long day is just too tempting, especially in the wintertime when it is freezing out and no one wants to go anywhere.
So I'm working on staying awake through the whole day and sleeping only at bedtime. If it weren't for Jono pushing me to get out there in the wintry air and run with Audrey, I would have been a really lazy bump on a log all week (instead of just a sleepy, kinda-lazy bump). And I am very grateful to him for that. When Jono does push me out for an evening run with Audrey, I feel much better knowing that I got a workout in. Though it hasn't helped my sleep issues all that much (yet!), it does make me feel better to know that I didn't push my workout plans to the perpetual "next day."
Even though I can't figure it out right now, I am hopeful. Maybe in a few days or weeks the workouts will help tire me out more and get me ready for bed, just like Audrey. I bought Sleepy Time tea hoping that some natural herbs and spices will help me out. And I am weaning myself off coffee too, which has been rough. I guess it's a type of cleanse. Out with the bad and the sleeplessness, in with the good and the restful night's sleep after a nice workout that I've been craving.
You know, this post hits the nail right on the head. One of the biggest reasons I stay in is I feel real tired from not sleeping well, or from a long day at work. It is so hard to get over that hump, to go out and do it. Especially when that hump seems to be there each and every time you try to accomplish your goals.
I am glad you have been so willing to let me push you out the door, it feels so great to get our late night runs in together =)
I enjoy it, too . . . even though I sometimes get grumpy about having to leave the warmth of the blankets on the couch to go do something productive. 🙂
How late in the evening are you running though? Maybe you need to get out a little earlier, then the exercise WILL give you the desired night of sound sleep. If you go out too late, it actually revs you up for a while, which could be why you are finding it difficult to fall asleep. Just a thought… try inching back in increments until you hit on the optimal time.
Yeah, I think you’re right. Even yesterday I was so amped up from doing laundry (surprising that it gave me so much energy . . . ) that I didn’t fall asleep until 3:30. I think you’re on to something. I remember reading an article about getting restful sleep and it mentioned giving your body the signals that it’s time to go to bed. I have trouble winding down—obviously, ha ha—so I think using the proper cues (not running at 11:00 p.m., not trekking up and down the stairs with laundry baskets until 1:00 a.m., etc.) will be useful. Jon and I are hoping to hit the pavement today around 6:00, so we’ll see if I pass out on the couch come 11:30!
Thanks for the tip, Mama!