Sleep hygiene: Tips, advice & secrets on improving sleep from athletes
According to the NHS, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
Given that athletes in elite sports can be constrained in their schedules, sticking to strict sleep routines can be very difficult.
This means that as much consistency as possible can be maintained even on the road.
Remi is a physical therapist with sleep expertise, who has worked with England’s men’s national team in football and rugby, and he supports the Ineos Grenades Cycling Team.
Their approach, he said, is to manage sleep in elite sports the “gold standard”.
“In a group stage of the Tour de France, cyclists will be about 20 different hotels in a 22-day period,” he said.
“Every biker has his own dehumidifier, his own mattress, his own duvet and his own pillow as a travel bag. The team traveled with it, and Soigneur continued to move forward, preparing their rooms for the athletes 22 days before arriving every day.
“The reality of other team sports is to do the basics as much as possible, such as having athletes travel from home with eye masks and their own pillows.”
