Why you shouldn’t sweat about losing sleep ahead of race day

It was the night before the Tokyo Full Marathon. Vijay Shukla, 31, found himself too wired to fall asleep as thousands of thoughts raced through his mind. “It was going to be my maiden full marathon in Tokyo and I just couldn’t sleep,” Shukla, who's a Delhi-based coach for elite runners, recalls. With the running season kicking off in India with big races such as the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon – which is slated for October 19 – thousands of runners are probably experiencing the same fear - of missing sleep or getting inadequate sleep – as Shukla ahead of race day. But one night of poor or inadequate sleep pre-race should not be a cause for worry, say running coaches, running veterans and sports scientists whom Lounge spoke to.

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Multiple experts I spoke to for this piece said that there were studies that showed that athletes, particularly those less experienced, often struggle to sleep before competition. This could be attributed to nervousness about performance, fear of the unknown, the pressure to perform well or disruptions in the normal routine such as traveling or changes in diet. For Shukla, who's currently training in Iten, Kenya, it was also the anticipation of the event that made it difficult to relax and fall asleep. 

It’s quite common for recreational athletes to experience poor sleep or a sleepless night before race day, says Preeti Shetty, senior sports scientist (strength and conditioning) at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. “Anxiety, pre-race jitters, and excitement often result in racing thoughts, making it difficult to fall asleep. For many, the anticipation of the event leads to a heightened state of alertness, which triggers the body’s stress response. This can disrupt normal sleep patterns, especially in recreational athletes unaccustomed to pressure situations,” Shetty explains. 

New Delhi-based running coach and performance specialist at FitRabbits, Nivedita Samanta, 38, speaks from experience when she says it is very common to have restless sleep the night before the race. “ We worry about last minute tweaks we might have made in our race prep, we second guess our training, we think and re-think our race strategy, and worry about missing our alarms on race day. Strangely, the more you stress about sleep, the more sleep evades you,” she reasons. 

One night of bad sleep is no cause for concern

Shetty's advice is to put all your worries to sleep because a solitary night of poor sleep on the eve of a race may not necessarily ruin your performance. “A sleepless night before race day is usually not as detrimental as it feels,” she assures. “Research shows that the body can still perform well, even after a night of poor sleep, especially if sleep leading up to race day has been adequate.” 

For recreational athletes, it’s more about consistency in sleep over time rather than the quality of sleep the night before. So, while it’s normal to feel concerned, lining up on race day without sufficient rest is unlikely to severely diminish performance, especially if your training has been consistent. The best possible way to deal with sleep troubles the night before race day is to learn to expect plenty of restlessness and limited sleep, advises Samanta. “Several research studies done on athletes at the highest levels have showed that fatigue resistance, oxygen demands and leg turnover are not affected by one night of poor sleep. Basically, the fatigue you feel is more psychological than physiological. Therefore, the more you focus on the bigger picture of simply relaxing, the easier sleep will come,” she says.

Lack of sleep primarily affects cognitive functions, such as decision-making, reaction time, and concentration, which are crucial in endurance sports. “An athlete might be less able to pace themselves or react as quickly to environmental changes. Physical effects include reduced stamina and an increased perception of exertion, meaning an athlete may feel tired earlier than usual. However, these impacts are more noticeable if sleep deprivation is chronic rather than limited to just one night,” says Shetty. And if sleep trouble isn’t chronic and limited to just one night pre-race, adrenaline, excitement, motivation and the competitive atmosphere of a race can help compensate for short-term sleep loss. 

Strategies to get good sleep before race day

The key to managing lack of sleep before a race is to prepare for it. “The most effective strategy is to try to get at least 7.5-8.5 hours of good sleep through the week leading up to the race,” says Samanta. This is called “banking” sleep and can help mitigate the effects of a poor night’s sleep. This strategy enables your body to compensate for a single night of bad sleep. Gagan Arora, celebrity trainer and founder of Kosmic Fitness in Delhi, suggests practising to sleep early a week before the race. “If you generally sleep at 11pm and decide to sleep at 8pm the night before the race, it won’t work. I prefer practising an ‘early sleep and wake-up time’ a week prior as part of my race day strategy,” says Arora. 

Instead of fretting over lost sleep, when you line up on race day remember that the goal is to focus on enjoying the event rather than fixating on potential setbacks. 

Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and the co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness.

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