Sleep is your reward. During waking hours, you’re active. You strain your body and mind and deplete your energy. Then during sleep, you process it all. Your body secretes growth hormones to build your strength. Injuries are healed. Energy is replenished. Waste is removed. And even your mind solidifies what you’ve learned. Thus, all your hard work during the day is rewarded during the night. Take your sleep seriously!

For you as a football player, anything that disrupts your sleep, such as irregular hours, anxiety, stress, and especially alcohol, will reduce the benefits of your sleep. Most of your best regeneration is during deep sleep, which happens early in the night. This is why you must take your sleep just as seriously as your performance on the pitch. Because a lot of your performance will depend on the quality and quantity of your sleep. As we are all different, you need to find your own best routine. But everything rests on your sleep. Make it important!