Hello there runners! I hope you are all having a great week of running so far. At first glance the title of this post may not seem directly related to nutrition, but stick with me and hopefully it will all make sense. We all know that sleep is really important for recovery from tough training or racing. What you do within the few hours before bed impacts not only how you sleep (and therefore how your body repairs overnight) but can also set you up for a successful early morning run!
As usual, each person needs to decide for themselves what routine suits them best, so my goal for this article is just getting you to think about your nightly fueling routine to see if your current pattern is helping you function at your highest level. Everyone has a slightly different daily schedule, so your eating patterns may need to be adjusted based on how late you work or when you run during the day. Whatever your routine, however, there should be some consistency in your nutrient timing if at all possible. Ideally you want to try to eat dinner the same time every evening so that your body has a chance to digest before bedtime. For most people, eating their last meal of the day a few hours before bed should allow ample time for the food to empty from the stomach and pass on further down the digestive tract. Eating too much too late can hamper sleep, cause acid reflux, and even contribute to unwanted weight gain.
Like all of your meals your last meal of the day should have a balance of nutrients, though much of the research points to a lighter dinner so that your body is not doing heavy work to break down a high fat or otherwise heavy meal. If you run in the morning, it is especially important to load up on nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens and colorful vegetables to supply nutrients for the mornings efforts. Having a small serving of whole food complex carbohydrates like whole grains or sweet potatoes may also help promote serotonin production which can improve sleep quality. If you run in the evenings, then a slightly larger dinner may be better to ensure enough calories and nutrients for recovery. From a repair perspective, allowing your body a sufficient overnight fast can be beneficial in reducing inflammation because energy otherwise used for digestion and other processes can but utilized to repair tissue and heal the stresses of training.
Though you want to go to bed in a hydrated state, drinking too much late in the day can lead to the need to get up and use the restroom throughout the night impacting the quality of your sleep. A small cup of herbal tea in the evening can be a great way to unwind and help deter you from late-night snacking, but spreading out your hydration throughout the day is a better practice than trying to consume all of your fluids later on in the day to make up for a deficit. I know many of the runners out there do love a nice cold glass of beer, that is also better consumed earlier in the day or evening as alcohol can also disrupt sleep patterns.
What about a snack before bed? If you eat dinner fairly early before retiring for the night, you may want to have a small nibble of something to hold you over before bed. Going back to the topic last week, I know it is common habit among athletes to have a small protein shake before bed to get a boost of amino acids for muscular repair. If you choose to do this, make sure to use a high quality supplement not one loaded with sugars or other inflammatory processed ingredients. There is another contingency that swears by a small hit of carbohydrates (like a small amount of plain potato) to boost those serotonin levels to promote sleep and also prevent sugar cravings. I have actually done that in the past and can attest to improved sleep during the time I made it a habit. I love my potatoes, but prefer to eat them earlier in the day with a meal so that was a short-term experiment. It is definitely very interesting to see firsthand, though, just how much that last bite of the day can impact your sleep.
Personally I am finding I feel better closing up my kitchen earlier rather than later since I tend to get up early in the morning to get going for the day and like to fuel before having to train myself or clients (nobody likes a hangry trainer and nothing ruins a workout for me like a grumbly belly). Having at least a 12-13 hour break between dinner and breakfast the next morning does seem to be a good routine for my body and how it processes energy. I can also tell a difference in my digestion when I am in the habit of allowing that rest overnight. I know bathroom regularity can be a big help in any runners routine. ;)
Figure out what nightly eating patter works best for you, then stick with it! Do any of my virtual running buddies out there have a regular routine that seems to help you sleep well and recover to keep up with the demands of your training?
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