Most runners obsess over mileage, pace and shoes, but overlook a pillar that can make or break their season: sleep. Sleeping well is not a luxury “nice to have”, it’s part of the invisible training that separates stagnation from consistent progress and new personal bests.
Recent research on marathoners, ultrarunners and elite athletes clearly shows that without sufficient, good-quality sleep, performance drops, injury risk increases and recovery takes longer. Even in amateur running, sleep has become a hot topic in technical talks and health events for runners.
1. Why sleep is a runner’s invisible workout
When you sleep, your body is not “switched off”: it’s working hard so you can perform better in your next run. During deep sleep stages, several key processes for runners take place:
- Muscle repair: micro-damage from long runs, intervals or tough workouts is repaired.
- Nervous system recovery: central nervous system fatigue decreases, which is crucial for high-quality sessions.
- Hormonal regulation: hormones related to growth, repair and appetite are balanced.
- Motor memory consolidation: your brain “locks in” movement patterns and technique, improving your running economy.
- Immune system support: chronic short sleep is linked to more colds, infections and time away from training.
So when we talk about sleep and running performance, we’re not talking about an optional bonus: sleep is a full-fledged part of your training plan.
How many hours should a runner sleep?
General health guidelines recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep for most adults. For runners who train with some intensity (intervals, long runs, strength work), many experts suggest aiming for the upper end of that range, or even a bit more:
- Recreational runners (3–4 days/week): 7–9 hours.
- 10K and half marathon runners: 7.5–9 hours.
- Marathoners and ultrarunners in peak training: 8–10 hours (including night sleep + a short nap when possible).
You don’t need to obsess over a magic number. What matters most is that:
- You wake up most days without feeling completely wiped out.
- Your performance in key workouts is stable and you don’t feel unexplained chronic fatigue.
2. What current science says about sleep and endurance running
Recent studies conducted with marathoners and ultramarathoners provide several takeaways that are highly relevant for everyday runners:
- Poor sleep means poorer recovery. In trail and mountain races, runners with worse sleep quality in the days leading up to the event report higher fatigue, poorer recovery and more post-race discomfort.
- Sleep extension and naps can boost performance. Reviews on sleep interventions in athletes show that sleeping a bit more than usual for a few days and adding short 20–30 minute naps before key sessions help maintain endurance performance and reduce perceived exertion.
- Many athletes race with a sleep debt. In races longer than 24 hours, it’s common for runners to start with less total sleep than their normal weekly amount, which is associated with more pacing errors, more “lows” and poorer fatigue management.
- Stress, travel and technology all hurt sleep. Scheduling changes, early-morning training, screen time at night and pre-race anxiety are among the main factors degrading sleep quantity and quality in athletes.
The bottom line: you can’t just “tough it out” on little sleep. Over time, that strategy backfires: endless plateaus, workouts that feel harder than they should, more injuries and a higher chance of getting sick right when you’re in shape.
3. The most common sleep mistakes runners make
If you feel like you’re doing “everything right” but not seeing the progress you expect, some of these mistakes might sound familiar:
- Going to bed late and waking up early to run: you accumulate sleep debt every day and train with a half-empty tank.
- Heavy phone use at night: blue light and mental stimulation (social media, news, work) make it harder to fall asleep.
- Late coffee or energy drinks: caffeine can remain active for 6–8 hours. An afternoon full of coffee can ruin your night.
- Very intense evening sessions: finishing hard intervals at 9:30 p.m. keeps your body “wired” when it should be winding down.
- Chaotic pre-race routine: changing your schedule, eating late and checking your kit a hundred times often leads to poor pre-race sleep.
Your goal is not perfection, but to minimize the number of nights with short or low-quality sleep, just like you avoid stacking hard workouts back to back.
4. How to build a sleep routine that makes you a better runner
The good news is that, just like you can improve your running technique with specific drills, you can improve your sleep by adopting simple, consistent habits.
4.1. Your weekday “sleep training plan”
- Set a realistic bedtime (and stick to it). Try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, weekends included.
- Reduce screen time 60 minutes before bed. Replace infinite scrolling with light reading, gentle stretching or breathing exercises.
- Create a wind-down ritual: a warm shower, preparing your kit for the next workout, writing down three things you’re grateful for… all cues that tell your brain “it’s time to switch off”.
- Optimize your bedroom: dark, quiet, cool (around 18–20 °C) and as free from electronics as possible.
- Give dinner some space: aim for at least 2 hours between your last meal and bedtime, avoiding very heavy or spicy foods.
Think of this routine as your easy run of sleep: it doesn’t feel spectacular, but it’s what adds up over the long term.
4.2. The night before race day: what really matters
One of the biggest myths is that you must sleep perfectly the night before a 10K or marathon. In reality, what matters most is the 3–4 nights leading up to race day. Still, you can stack the odds in your favor:
- Don’t experiment with dinner: eat something you know sits well with you, rich in carbs and easy to digest.
- Prepare everything before dinner: bib, clothes, gels, transport… the less you have to think about in bed, the better.
- Don’t get lost in weather apps and social media: once your plan is set, disconnect and trust your preparation.
- Accept that you may sleep a bit worse: some pre-race nerves are normal. If the previous nights were solid, one slightly restless night won’t ruin your race.
4.3. Naps for runners: when they help (and when they don’t)
Naps can be a powerful tool to enhance recovery and performance, especially during heavy training weeks. Here’s how to use them wisely:
- Ideal duration: 15–30 minutes. Longer naps increase the risk of waking up groggy and make it harder to fall asleep at night.
- Best timing: early afternoon (1–4 p.m.). Avoid very late naps.
- Before key sessions: a short nap a few hours before a long run or a key workout can help you arrive fresher.
- If your night sleep is poor: focus first on fixing your nighttime sleep instead of relying on long naps every day.
5. Jet lag, travel and major marathons: protecting your sleep on the road
If you dream of running the World Marathon Majors or any race in a different time zone, jet lag can sabotage weeks of training if you ignore it. These strategies help you protect your sleep when you travel:
- Shift your schedule a few days before: move your bedtime 30–60 minutes earlier or later each day to approach the local time at your destination.
- Move and get daylight on arrival: light is the most powerful signal for your body clock. Walk, get outside and avoid spending the whole afternoon in the hotel.
- Avoid “sleeping in bits” all day long: if you arrive early, a short nap can help, but try to stick to the local evening for bedtime.
- Plan your arrival with some buffer: for long-haul races, reaching the city 2–3 days in advance gives you time to adjust and stabilize your sleep.
Your goal is simple: toe the start line with minimal jet lag and several reasonably good nights of sleep behind you, even if they weren’t perfect.
6. Warning signs that poor sleep is holding you back
It’s not always easy to realize that lack of sleep is the weak link in your running. These warning signs are worth paying attention to:
- Easy runs feel much harder than they should, even at your usual pace.
- Your heart rate is consistently higher in workouts that used to feel controlled.
- You keep getting colds, niggles or minor injuries without a clear increase in training load.
- You feel irritable or mentally foggy at work and in everyday life.
- Your motivation drops: you keep postponing workouts, doubting your goals or feeling that “everything is too much”.
If several of these sound familiar, your sleep hygiene is probably the first thing to work on before changing your plan, shoes or race goals.
7. Make sleep part of your training plan (and your SnapRace routine)
Sleep deserves its own place in your training plan, just like long runs, interval sessions or strength work. Here are some practical ways to make that happen:
- Set weekly sleep targets (for example, at least 7.5 hours on 5 nights per week).
- Let sleep guide your key sessions: if you slept very poorly, adjust your pace or move the workout to another day.
- Combine physical and mental work: our article on running and mental health (in Spanish) can help you manage stress and racing thoughts that undermine your sleep.
- Don’t forget strength training: a stronger body tolerates load better and, over time, that also contributes to deeper, more restorative sleep. Check out our guide on strength training for runners (in Spanish).
- Use technology as an ally: track your key SnapRace sessions and jot down a quick sleep note. Over time, you’ll clearly see how good sleep lines up with your best workout days.
Think of sleep as a very special long run: it won’t show up as extra kudos on Strava, but it’s what supports everything else. Once you start treating sleep and running performance as a single unit, you’ll see your paces drop, your sessions feel smoother and your love for running grow with every step.