With only a couple of days until The Qatar World Cup starts, Phil Lawlor, Sleep Expert at Dormeo, has analysed how important sleep is to fitness and an athlete’s performance, and has given his top 7 tips how to sleep like the England Nation Team.
Studies show that sleep is not only crucial for athlete’s overall health and wellbeing but is also a key factor in ensuring your best sport performance. In fact, many professional footballers have their own sleep experts to analyse sleep habits and recommend a perfect sleep strategy to ensure optimal shuteye during training and before a big game. For example, Manchester United and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo worked with famed sleep-coach Nick Littlehales to devise a sleep routine including five ninety-minute naps per day, rather than sleeping your standard eight-hour night. Additionally, England midfielder Jack Graelish is also a nap-fan and can often be found snagging a snooze in between training sessions. Meanwhile. His England teammate (and skipper) Harry Kane’s sleep cycle is a more traditional full 7.5-hour night.
Research shows there is powerful link between good sleep quality and duration and performing well in sports and general fitness, therefore, Phil Lawlor has identified 5 powerful links:
- Performance – good quality sleep and duration are key in a professional footballer’s performance. Good sleep quality and duration will affect reaction time, endurance, stamina, and accuracy.
- Recovery – sleep is a crucial component in building muscle, and muscle-repairing ability is an imperative part of injury prevention. Athletes who sleep for at least eight hours a night reduce their risk of injury up to 60%.
- Optimal sleep time – professional athletes need more rest than most – many recommend at least 7.5 hours of shut eye. How much footballers sleep has become a key issue in the modern game, with coaches instructed to treat sleep as being as important as nutrition and physical condition.
- Tailored sleep plan – footballer’s sleep routine depends on their specific sleep needs and therefore each player needs a tailored sleep plan depending on works best for them. Some players may sleep better if they go to bed earlier and others may benefit from regular naps.
- Controlled recovery periods – controlled recovery periods can help performance – this is allocating 30 minutes to yourself, with the sole intention rest and recouperation, i.e., mediation or mindfulness activities. CRPs offer your body the chance to rest and contribute to your overall sleep cycle.
7 expert tips to help improve your sleep and improve your fitness and performance:
- Keep a regular schedule – getting back in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you’ll feel much more refreshed and energised than if you were to sleep the same numbers of hours but at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is important.
- Set a regular bedtime – go to bed at the same time every night. Experts advise trying not to break this routine even at weekends, but we are also realists, and know that we also need to let our hair down every now and again! If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.
- Nap to make up lost time – If you need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping-in late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep wake rhythm, which often backfires and throws you off for days.
- Be smart about napping – while taking a nap can be great, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon and limit it to thirty minutes.
- Fight after dinner-drowsiness – If you find yourself getting sleepy long before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
- Pay attention to what you eat and drink – another important natural factor linked to good sleep is a healthy diet, so you may wish to keep an eye on what food and drink you’re consuming through the day. The first substance that will probably spring to mind is caffeine, which is a stimulant that can keep you awake. It’s present in a lot of soft and energy drinks, as well as coffee and tea, so be sure to avoid these before bed. Sugary drinks and food are also liable to keep your brain hyperactive in the run-up to bedtime, so be sure to cut these out in the evening, too.
- Use a bedtime routine to prepare for sleep – our bodies love routine, and this applies to sleep as well. Start by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, even on the weekends. This way, your body clock will get into a groove that will make falling asleep much easier. In theory, you should begin to feel tired at just the right time each evening. You can supplement this with mini-routines that add even more structure. For example, enjoying a relaxing bath or reading session before you go to bed can put your mind at ease, as well as telling your body it’s almost time to wind down for the day.
