Eat. Run. Sleep. Repeat.
Eat. Run. Sleep. Repeat.
Eat. Run. Sleep. Repeat.
If you are anything like me, this is a pattern that has become a part of our lives. Sure, we probably have other items like “family”, “work”, “leisure” embedded in there, but the core of our running schedule is constant.
Again, if you are anything like me, you are also thinking about both refueling and running pretty consistently. We probably have a formal running/training calendar of some sort – and even if we don’t we have a plan to get out the door and log some miles most days. It’s likely that we are thinking about what we are putting in our bodies in order to maximize both health and training. God knows we aren’t going to get very far without feeling the effects of non-stop fast food refueling.
And then, beyond that, we have the sleep portion. And my guess this is where our planning and scheduling falls flat. Most of us probably plop down onto our mattresses at night with, at most, a desire (or maybe hope) to get a certain number of hours each night. And sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. But doesn’t the fact that we spend a third of our lives in bed really make you think we should be making sleep a part of planning regiman as well? This article from Outside sure does – and Hatch, a company that specializes in “Better Sleep for Everyone” does too. Here’s a little bit about Hatch:
Hi, we’re Hatch — and we’re dreaming up ways to help people sleep better. Our first sleep product, Hatch Rest, has helped more than half a million families get a good night’s rest. And now we’re on a mission to make sleep easier than ever for everyone with innovative, all-in-one products for newborns through adults.
We were recently offered the opportunity to try out a few items from Hatch and we dove right in(to our beds)…
Hatch Restore
The Hatch Restore is a Swiss Army Knife of sleep – combining standard items like a clock and alarm, all the while adding a sound machine, light, and meditation app to the mix. It may not help you open a can of baked beans on a camping trip, but these qualities in the Restore may actually be a little more functional nowadays. And keep you rested better than a stomach full of “cowboy caviar”.
First and foremost, we really loved the ease with the operation via the Hatch app. One of the most confusing parts of new alarm clocks is remembering how to set and edit the settings that you desire. With the addition of a pretty simplistic app experience, we were able to program our smart lamp just as we preferred. We even tried out a few over time until we found the combo that worked for us. I have found it helpful to utilize the sunrise alarm in lieu of those loud, jolt-you-out-of-sleep, options we are usually given. I currently have it set for the lamp to gradually start getting lighter over a 10-minute period to gradually pull myself out of slumber. I love it!
However, if that’s not your jam (everyone sleeps different!) there are other alarm options that can get you up and at them regardless of if you are a light or heavy sleeper. There are nature sounds and white noise if that’s your preference, as well as meditation capabilities and sleep stories (with a free 1 month trial – followed by $49/year) if that works best for you. Sleep with a calming light on the entire night, or have it dim down, and eventually off, after a period of time if that’s the way you want to go. There are a ton of possibilities. Set your own sleep routine!
I also like that this can double (triple? quadruple? octuple?) as a reading light. It has made it much easier to read in bed, both without keeping my wife up with the light overhead, and with a much more relaxing hue without the eye strain.
In an IRB-reviewed clinical trial on Hatch Restore just last summer, there were findings who said that after using Restore for just two weeks:
- 50% exercised more
- 59% felt less stressed
- 24% more energized
Take studies for what you will, but those numbers aren’t at odds with what experts have been saying for years – better sleep equals better health. And it would stand to reason that those numbers above would highlight that people who are committing to sleep assistants like the Restore are, simply put, sleeping better. And isn’t that what we should strive for? I think so.
Hatch Restore
Hatch Rest+
I have three daughters at home and, as many parents can attest to – if your kids aren’t sleeping well, YOU aren’t sleeping well. My 5-year-old is a relatively decent at sleeping most nights, but I would classify her as a light sleeper – one who wakes up at a slightly obtuse sound and is then in our room to tell us allllll about it. So while the Hatch Rest+ we tried out isn’t technically for us adults – in a way it actually is.
Like the Restore, the Rest+ is able to be manipulated through the app – meaning that no matter how many times she thinks that she can get fancy by pressing all the buttons, and mess with the light and volume – I can easily change it back to her sweet spot from my own bed. I can even use Alexa to do the dirty work if I want. The ability to change the sounds (11 different ones), lights (10 colors AND customization), programs (my kiddo likes rain sounds and a soothing light pink light to wind down in the evenings), and even add our babysitter to the fold – all from the app – is quite amazing.
Additionally, if your kiddo needs a little soothing prompting to wake up in the mornings (I WISH my youngest had that problem somedays), there is a gentle “time-to-rise” setting where the little ones can learn when it’s time to wake up (red means stay in bed, green means come out – for example). Even use it as a baby monitor as there is a microphone capability embedded. Overall this is a great option to keep your kids sleeping, and staying asleep, as you catch up on your rest. No joke, since switching over to the Rest+ from a more primitive sound machine, our morning seem to be off on a better foot and I see less of my kiddo in the middle of the night.
Hatch Rest+
Is Hatch and their Smart Lights a necessity for your running and training? No, probably not – we realize that. But if you aren’t sleeping at your optimum level, and your body isn’t getting the self-care it craves, you may just never reach your full running potential. So maybe a little more planning in our Eat.Run.Sleep.Repeat scheduling wouldn’t hurt!
Company: Hatch
Thank you to Hatch for providing us with sample items. Please read our transparency page for info on how we do our reviews.
