Players Are Sleeping in Strange Ways During the World Cup, and Sleep Doctors Approve

Blackout rooms, banked naps, and a bedtime that moves with the kickoff clock.

<p>Deep sleep is when the body releases growth hormone and repairs the muscle damage of a hard match, which makes the mattress a legitimate piece of sports equipment.</p>

<p>Team sleep specialists now script it all: cool, blacked-out rooms, screens off before bed, and consistent wake times even after late-night finishes.</p>

<p>The stranger tricks work too. Short afternoon naps can bank recovery, and gradually shifting bedtime helps players whose matches kick off unusually late for their body clocks.</p>

<p>One recovery coach's summary has become a locker-room slogan: you do not get fitter in the gym, you get fitter in bed afterward.</p>