Sleep for Runners: How Much You Need and How to Protect It

Runners plan their weeks around mileage, workouts and the long run. Sleep tends to fit into whatever's left. This post covers what the research says about athletes and sleep, how to find your own number, and how to plan sleep around early runs and race season in Denver.

What the research says about athletes and sleep

The most useful overview we know of is an expert consensus on sleep and the athlete, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Walsh et al., 2020). In plain terms, it reports that:

• Athletes often sleep short and broken. It describes "habitual short sleep (<7 hours/night) and poor sleep quality (eg, sleep fragmentation)" as common.
• A night or more without sleep reduces athletic performance.
• Short nights are less clear. The effect of partial sleep restriction over one to three nights "remains unclear."
• Training, travel and competition all affect athlete sleep, along with non-sport factors such as stress.
• One range doesn't fit everyone. A one-size-fits-all target such as 7–9 hours "is unlikely ideal." The authors recommend an approach based on the athlete's own perceived sleep need.

The paper focuses on elite athletes, and the authors say plainly that the research has gaps. It's still a sensible frame for anyone logging serious miles.

So how much sleep do runners need?

There isn't a single proven number for runners. What you can do is find yours:

1. Fix your wake time for two weeks, including the weekend.
2. Go to bed when you're genuinely tired, and note the time.
3. Each morning, log: hours in bed, how you feel (1–5), and how the first mile felt.
4. Compare the nights before your best and worst runs. Patterns show up fast.

If you're regularly under 7 hours, that's the pattern the consensus paper flags as common in athletes, so start there.

Early long runs and the night before

Saturday long runs often start early, before the heat in summer or to beat the crowds on the trail. That's where sleep gets squeezed.

• Move bedtime, not just the alarm. If the alarm moves an hour earlier, bedtime should too, starting a couple of nights ahead.
• Lay out everything the night before: shoes, fuel, water, watch on the charger.
• Skip the late coffee. The Sleep Foundation lists avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed as a basic sleep habit (Sleep Foundation).

Sleep in the run-up to a race

Most people know the night before a race can be rough. We cover that in Can't Sleep Before a Race?. The nights before that matter too. Racing in Denver? See Training in Denver.

One observational study followed runners at the 2013 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. It reports that runners whose strategy was to increase sleep time before the race finished faster (Poussel et al., 2015). That's one ultra-trail race and an association, not proof. But the idea is simple and costs nothing: protect your sleep in the week before, not just the night before.

Planning ahead in Colorado? Denver's Colfax Marathon is Sunday, May 16, 2027, with a 6:00 AM start in City Park (Colfax Marathon). The BOLDERBoulder 10K returns on Memorial Day 2027 (Monday, May 31) (BOLDERBoulder). For a 6:00 AM start, an early wake-up is part of race prep, so practice it on long-run days in the spring.

Training at a mile high

Denver's official elevation is 5,280 feet (City and County of Denver). If you're new here, read Sleeping at Altitude in Denver for what the research says about the first few nights and why water by the bed is a good habit here.

A cool bedroom

The Sleep Foundation puts the best bedroom temperature for sleep at about 65°F, within a 65 to 68°F range, and also lists keeping the same bedtime each night (Sleep Foundation). After an evening run you're still warm, so let the room do some of the work: thermostat down, blinds closed during the day, and breathable bedding.

Your pillow

We're a Denver company, and every MOSO pillow is assembled and finished in Denver.

The MOSO Black Performance Pillow is filled with viscose made from bamboo, blended with bamboo charcoal and tourmaline. The bamboo base is breathable and designed to sleep cool. The bamboo charcoal and tourmaline convert your body heat into far-infrared energy, which you don't feel as heat, and reflect it back to your body. It's a cool pillow.

There's no polyester in the fill or the ticking, and no microplastics.

• Standard/Queen, 18 × 26 in: $109 (2-pack $169)
• King, 18 × 36 in: $119 (2-pack $179)
• Charcoal or Silver

(Sizes from the product page; prices from the store.)

Denver delivery

Between Centennial and Westminster, free same-day hand delivery runs 7 days a week. Orders placed by 1 PM MT are delivered the same day, per our shipping policy. Elsewhere in the U.S., standard shipping is free on orders over $99. New customers: HELLOMOSO takes 10% off.

Get the MOSO Black Performance Pillow →

Keep reading: Sleep for Lifters · Sleeping at Altitude in Denver · Cooling Pillow for Hot Sleepers

— Team MOSO

FAQ

How much sleep do runners need?
There's no single proven number. An expert consensus (Walsh et al., 2020) on athlete sleep recommends going by your own sleep need. It notes that habitual sleep under 7 hours a night is common in athletes.

Do runners need more sleep?
The research doesn't set a separate number for runners. Track your own sleep and how your runs feel for two weeks to find yours.

Should I sleep more the week before a race?
One observational study of ultra-trail runners reports that those who increased sleep before the race finished faster. It's one study, but protecting sleep in race week is low-risk.

When is the Colfax Marathon in 2027?
Sunday, May 16, 2027, with a 6:00 AM start in City Park, per the race website.

Does MOSO deliver in Denver?
Yes. Between Centennial and Westminster, orders placed by 1 PM MT are delivered the same day, 7 days a week, per our shipping policy.