In an embryonic position, i.e. ringed in like a fetus in the womb, Christiano Ronaldo lies down in his freshly made bed every day — every five hours, for exactly 90 minutes. There are more difficult imaginations than this, of the Portuguese superstar settling down in his luxurious bedchamber with flawless appearance.
Behind this is not Ronaldo's extravagance, but his sleep coach Nick Littlehales. A Briton whose vita is as spectacular as Ronaldo's overhead kick in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Juventus Turin. Once working as a manager of a mattress company, he now teaches top athletes, such as Christiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton, how to sleep.
Top teams such as Real Madrid or Manchester United are also advised by Littlehales on performance through sleep. The example of CR7 shows that he represents his very own views.
“R90 Sleep Recovery Program” is the name of the philosophy, which calls for a paradigm shift in our sleep patterns: Instead of 8 hours a day as usual, people should complete 35 sleep cycles of 90 minutes each.
In addition, there is a strict division into morning and evening types as well as calming rituals before falling asleep. According to Littlehales, sleeping position (not on the dominant side — right-handed people on the left side and vice versa), a darkened, cool bedroom and fresh bed linen every day are also essential for perfect deep sleep.
What may basically work quite well for professional athletes is much more complicated for amateur players, as not every employer can come to terms with it if their employee says goodbye to the land of dreams two three times a day for 90 minutes.
What should be undisputed, however, is the importance of sleep and its effects on the performance of athletes. These are primarily recovery functions that are not possible during the day and are therefore made up for during rest at night. Basically, the body then uses these phases to react to previous stress with the appropriate regeneration processes.
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In addition to these positive effects on our musculoskeletal system, our sleep also has an effect on the neuronal level: While we rest, the knowledge we have learned is stored.
Our brain then processes the day again — this not only affects knowledge, but also psychomotor processes. This means movement sequences that we have learned during the day and can now consolidate.
And our immune system also regenerates during deep sleep. This is fundamentally important for its daily immune responses against various types of infections.
The older you get, the more important it is to get enough sleep to give your body enough time to regenerate. You can find out more about soccer in old age here.
One person who needs to know is Peter Breitfeld. At Fenics, a base for rehabilitation and athletic training, he coaches top athletes in the training sector. The fact that the best training work is reduced to absurdity without adhering to sleep and rest phases is always linked to educational work for athletic training: “Competitive athletes must be relaxed, concentrated and perform in top shape — sleep times and biorhythms play a not insignificant role. ”
No intensive exercise less than two hours before falling asleep
Always go to bed at the same time
Don't eat right before bed
Introduce bedtime rituals (e.g. reading before falling asleep)
Switch off cell phones and electronic devices
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