In addition to training hard and eating right, it’s equally important to optimize your sleep environment to ensure you make the most out of your time in bed. Sleep before a race helps provide your body with the energy reserves it needs to tackle every mile and sleep post-race helps your body recover and repair. We’ve created the below tips to help you customize your sleep routine to best suit your individual needs for training, racing and beyond.

Stay Dry and Cool

Temperature makes all the difference to your sleep—this means keeping your room cool, around 67 degrees, and controlling humidity by keeping moisture away from your body with breathable fabrics. When your body gets overheated, you will flip over in order to try to cool yourself down, so sleeping at the right temperature, with bedding layers that circulate and balance your body heat with your room environment, makes it easier for your body to follow its natural circadian rhythm of dropping two degrees at night for cellular rejuvenation, and reduces sensations of restlessness. BEDGEAR’s patented, air flow enhancing fabric technologies work to wick away heat and moisture to help you regulate your body temperature to generate a more comfortable night.

Keep Your Spine Aligned

Spinal alignment is essential for maximizing your recovery while you sleep and it is dependent on choosing the right, personalized products that work for you and support your body’s needs. 30 % of your comfort comes from your pillow and the other 70% comes from your sleeping surface or mattress. This is why BEDGEAR’s personalized fitting process fits you for both your PERFORMANCE pillow and mattress together, for 100% of your total sleep comfort.

Pressure points and the pull of the heavier parts of your body such as the hips and thighs in runners can cause your lower back to torque, compelling you to unconsciously change position in order to get more support from your mattress. Having the right pillow to support the weight of your head, neck and shoulders and even the addition of a leg pillow, can help you stay in one position longer, which will lead to a more restful night.

Stay On Your Sleep Path

It is important not to change any habits before race day such as your sleep position, or your diet to ensure that you perform at your best. While the sleep patterns that occur up to and including two or three days before your race give you the reserves you need to get through your 26.2 mile run, the night or two before can do damage if you are uncomfortable! If possible, travel with your professionally fit PERFORMANCE pillow, so you don’t risk neck strain or tossing and turning from having the wrong gear in your hotel room.

Rest and Recovery!

Make sure you are getting adequate sleep in the weeks leading up to the marathon, as well as after the marathon, so your body can be prepared for race day endurance as well as recover properly. Set a schedule that helps you get to bed earlier and get up earlier, so you will be ready for race day’s early start. It’s important to build a routine that gives you reserves, as pre-race day adrenaline can keep you up, so your marathon strength comes from having a personalized fit sleep regimen as part of your training.

Find your personalized fit with our Pillow ID here: https://www.bedgear.com/pillow-id