For the past 15 years of my career, the quality and consistency of sleep have played a key role in my preparation for training and matches. There is no doubt that sleep is an important function for every human being but for athletes it becomes all the more essential. To achieve peak mental and physical performance in football, sleep has to play a huge part in your daily regime and I have noticed this even more as I have got more experienced. Getting enough sleep isn’t just the answer it’s about the quality of sleep you get. It can sound very boring but going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday is important as it improves your mental well being as opposed to erratic sleep which can make you feel tired and fatigued at certain times of the day. For some players getting a good night’s sleep the night before a game they think is enough. However, the sleep they get during the week is helping their bodies and mind recover so staying up till the early hours watching Netflix or playing computer games isn’t helping their performance on a Saturday. I have pointed out previously I have always looked for that edge and sleep is certainly one of them so I make sure I do my best to get it right. By this I try to avoid bright lights like TV or ipads before bed as this can switch on the mind, instead I opt for a calming routine before bed like books or magazines to promote the wind phase.
The major advantages I have found through getting the right amount of sleep are the mental benefits. If my brain is tired there is no doubt this has affected my performance. On a matchday, especially since I have had children I have always woken up early around 7 am for a 3 pm kick off. However, for me, this is too long to be awake for a peak at 3 pm as when the game kicks off I would have been awake almost 8 hours! So I combat this by having a short nap from 10-11.30 am and this routine has helped me throughout my career as once I have got over the initial grogginess I feel switched on and ready to go and come 3 pm I don’t feel tired. It’s the same for a Tuesday night game with a 7.45 pm kick off; I will wake up at my usual time and then have a nap in the afternoon so come kick off I feel full of energy and alert. My general mood also improves if I have had enough sleep and I find I am a nicer person to be around as opposed to a poor quality sleep where I can feel a bit grumpy the following day and this can affect motivation to get the best from yourself. As mentioned in previous blogs your brain is your biggest tool and sleep enhances brainpower!
NotJustTalent 