Nothing Wrong with a Nice, Cold Run

Everyone is complaining about the super chilly temperatures. I knew it would be cold, but I figured it would be a good opportunity to fit in a quick outdoor run - and I was right! I had to take my car to the shop after class today (according the the mechanic, it's "broken"...surprising, right?) and instead of walking back I figured, why not run? It was only about a mile, but I figured I'd take advantage of a solid running opportunity since I have to leave for work soon. I also figured it'd be important to start getting adjusted to running in colder weather. For anyone who isn't used to running outside in the cold, it can be tough getting used to the coughing and breathing difficulties that come with cold weather running. It's worth it when you feel that endorphin rush later though!

This isn't related to running, but I learned some really interesting facts about sleep today in Physiological Psychology! First, did you know dolphins sleep on one side of the brain at a time? How cool is that? I imagine it'd be a super efficient way to multi-task if humans could do it. The most interesting things I learned were about REM sleep though. I've always been fascinated with sleep and dreams, so this section of Physiological Psychology has been especially interesting to me. REM sleep, when you typically experience dreams, occurs at about the same time every night, in the early morning hours. So here's a scenario: you go out, party, drink some, get back around 3-4am and have to be up for work at 6am. Do you go to sleep or just pull an all nighter? If you've actually experienced this situation, you may have found that if you get a few hours of sleep it makes all the difference in how your body feels when you wake up. That's not necessarily because you got sleep (technically, you're still moderately sleep deprived), but because you experienced REM sleep. REM sleep deprivation is actually worse than sleep deprivation in general. So next time you wonder if you should just stay up all night, take advantage of those very few hours of sleep - your body and mind will thank you the next day.

Posted in: cold weather, dreams, physiological psychology, running, sleep