Testimonials - Sports

BETTER SLEEP, BETTER RECOVERY: DFB RELIES ON INNOVATION ON THEIR WAY TO THE WORLD CUP

Since 2021 DFB, the German national football team has been cooperating with Sleep2perform to improve their players’ sleep quality, hence their recovery rate and performance.

It was during the first COVID-19 lockdown that the management team behind DFB (the German national football team) decided to put extra focus on recovery.

“The concentration of matches for players playing in both the leagues and on the national team is always very high, and with COVID-19 lockdown football players did not have the same access to training facilities. In the trainer and performance team we therefore wanted to offer our players more support with optimizing recovery”, says Nicklas Dietrich, Performance Coach with DFB. He continues:

“We looked into the latest studies on recovery to see what measures are relevant and have a proven effect. We were already working with foam rolling to relax and stretch the muscles, ice baths, diet and nutrition etc., but we had not really focused on sleep as a decisive factor for recovery.
So when reading the article ‘How Brentford became Specialists in Sleep’ in Training Ground Guru, it was obvious that sleep was something we should work with.”

 “We were curious to know more about Sleep2perform and contacted Anna, and from day one the communication was really good. A selection of players took part in a sleep workshop, and we were very impressed with the outcome.”

Finding the Underlying Causes of Poor Sleep Quality Demands Trust

“Anna really knows her stuff. She has the scientific background and knowledge of sleep, but more importantly she has hands-on experience with elite athletes. In other words, she has a great understanding of the life of the players; their odd and late working hours, physical challenges and strenuous matches during the week, and the expectation that they perform their absolute best at every match.

Also, she is fantastic at connecting with the players and quickly gaining their trust. This is so important, as Anna’s work predominantly consists of individual analyses and conversations with the players in order to understand the deeper underlying causes for their sleep quality.”

The conversations between the players and Anna are of course confidential, but form the basis for new strategies, tools and little steps which benefit the whole team and help improve their performance.

“Anna comes up with little changes, which are implemented in our everyday life – adjustments which might seem small but have a big impact.”

Prepping for Championships

When prepping for the European Championship in 2021, Anna joined the German national football team on their training camp in Seefeld, Austria, to talk about sleep and assist with the implementation of tools to a better sleep quality. With the World Cup 2022 ahead, Anna has again supported the team in optimizing sleep routines when being away from home.

“Right now we are getting ready for the World Cup 2022, and Anna has assisted us in making sure that sleep is prioritized as much as possible. With small actions to remind the players how to improve their sleep, we aim to create the optimum sleep conditions when travelling and staying in hotels.”

A Unique Service

“We have no doubt of the benefits which Anna provides our team, and we see our cooperation with Sleep2perform as a sustainable and ongoing process. So far she has also assisted our Women’s national team, and she will be part of our work around Nations League. Until now she has only worked with our A-teams, but it is our future aim to have her assist with our youth teams too.”

 “The service that Sleep2perform provides is unique. Not only is Anna very professional and has the scientific knowledge about sleep, but she also has a great psychological understanding and an amazing ability to really get to the roots of the problems. Furthermore she has a comprehensive understanding of elite athletes. It is fantastic to witness her sense of the players’ life situation and challenges and her ability to get them to open up, which is something you cannot force!”

“Cooperating with Sleep2perform has not only shown us the importance of sleep - through our workshops and progress we are continuously doing the little extra and taking small steps towards improved recovery,” Nicklas Dietrich concludes.  

Nicklas Dietrich, Performance Coach DFB – Deutsche Fußball-Nationalmannschaft

Photo: copyright DFB/PHILIPPREINHARD.COM

SLEEP – A SIGNIFICANT PLAYER IN KEEPING PERFORMANCE AT ITS HIGEST

Thomas Frank, head coach at Brentford Football Club is convinced that focus on sleep has played a significant role in the football club’s current progress and success. 

“Brentford Football Club has cooperated with Sleep2perform since 2016, and we continue the close cooperation because from the very beginning focus on sleep has proven to be a very important part of the players’ ability to perform. In the world of professional football, players are expected to perform their absolute best at every match. To be able to do so we must give our players the best conditions for recovery”. 

“We have a 24/7 approach when looking at their recovery. Besides the daily training this includes looking at their diet, supplements, and most importantly their sleep and sleeping habits. I have always known that sleep was important, but our cooperation with Sleep2perform has made me realize just how important! I would say that sleep is the most significant factor of our player’s performance when it comes to keeping them mentally fresh, focused and improving their ability to concentrate”.

“We have all experienced the effect of periodic sleep deprivation – for instance when you have small children or are under a lot of stress – and know how exhausted and overwhelmed you feel when you do not get enough sleep. Our players have to perform every 3-4 days, so it is essential that they have a good quality of sleep. And for me as their head coach, it is also important that I am on my toes and rested to be able to pass on positive energy, motivate and make good decisions”. 

“Working with Anna West, Sleep2perform is a very positive experience. Personally she has helped me understand the importance of a fixed circadian rhythm, meaning that I go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (with only very few exceptions). She has been very successful in gaining the players’ trust and confidence, which is necessary to get an insight into what influences their ability to sleep and their sleep quality.
Depending on the individual player’s needs, Anna has weekly, biweekly or monthly talks with the players. She analyses their sleep and together they look at what the reason for the poor sleep quality might be and whether there is an imbalance in their life. Together they find ways and tools to improve the sleeping habits.  All talks are of course private and confidential, but on a regular basis she and I have a talk to make sure that things are going well and to discuss what/if actions need to be taken”. 

“Although it can be very difficult, we always try to measure whether new initiatives pay off – in this case we have no doubt! The sleep coaching has had a great influence on the performance of each individual player and it has definitely moved their ability to train and perform better”.

ONE NIGHT OF BAD SLEEP DOES NOT HAVE TO STRESS ME ANYMORE

Christian Nørgaard, 26 years old, has played with Brentford FC since June 2019. When joining the club, he immediately started working with Sleep2perform to learn more about his sleep, and how to improve it.  

“For me it has been a game changer to focus on sleep in a tangible and databased way. Having a sleep and well-being coach connected to the football club is just the right thing for me”. 

“Anna knows her stuff and is really good at making sleep quality concrete. I can normally feel if I have had a good or bad sleep, but with the help of Sleep2perform, I now have tangible proof and basic tools to work on my sleep”.

“I was handed a sleep monitoring device when I came to the club, and had my sleep measured for about two months. The data confirmed how I experienced my sleep, so the real game changer for me has been all the talks and mental work to understand what influences my sleep”.

“I tend to have problems falling asleep the night before a match. I speculate a lot, and the many thoughts keeps me awake. Until working with Anna, I would punish and blame myself for the sleepless night – being sure that if I had slept badly, the rest of my day would be ruined. But after working with Sleep2perform, I have learned to accept one bad night and not be angry with myself. This has made me more relaxed and as a consequence improved my sleep”.

“Working with a sleep and well-being coach has taught me to focus on getting good sleep habits; habits which prepare my body for sleeping. For example, I take a warm bath in the evening, always bring my own pillow, drink a cup of hot tea and make sure to air the bedroom in the evening”.

“Anna has really helped me mentally. She has a positive energy which is very motivating, and our talks every three weeks about my sleep quality and state of mind have been very helpful”. 

I ALWAYS WANT TO DO MY BEST AND A GOOD SLEEP HELPS ME REACH THAT GOAL

In 2018, Emiliano Marcondes signed with Brentford FC. Not long after, he got injured, which had a negative effect on his sleep. With the help from Anna West, Sleep2perform, Emiliano learned to focus more on his quality of sleep, which was very important in order for him to recover. 

“I have worked together with Anna for two years now, and it has really been beneficial to understand my sleep.” 

“At the beginning of the project, I had my sleep monitored for Anna to get insights in my sleep pattern and sleep quality. After analyzing the data, she detected that I only got very little deep sleep, even though I felt as if I had slept all night.” 

“We had a weekly talk about what influenced my sleep pattern, i.e. my diet, exercise and mental state, and Anna gave me different tools to help me improve and focus more on my sleep. For example clearing my thoughts before going to bed.”

“When I got injured the quality of my sleep was affected. I was alone in a foreign country with focus on football 24/7. All of sudden I could not play, and I did not have my friends or family close by. This caused a lot of frustrations which had impact on my sleep. Now that I could not train as much, energy accumulated and my body did not feel really tired. Combined with excessive thinking, this led to difficulties falling asleep and superficial sleep.”

“I have been injury-free for a year now, but I still use the sleep tools that Anna has given me. For instance, I keep a note book on my bedside table, where I write my thoughts, good and bad, and draw inspirations for my tattoos. And I try not to use my mobile phone and other electronic devices before bed time.”

“I have always concentrated on doing my absolute best. After focusing more on both my diet and my sleep, I feel much better both physically and mentally. I feel more connected to my body.”

“My work with Anna, Sleep2perform, has made me realize how important sleep is! Having her as a sleep and well-being coach has assisted me in finding a better life balance.”

GETTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MY SLEEP HELPED ME TO A BETTER BALANCE IN LIFE AND IN SPORTS

Mads Bech Sørensen, 21 years old, came to play with Brentford FC in 2017 – about the same time the club started cooperating with Sleep2perform. This has helped his mental and physical well-being immensely
 

”I came to Brentford FC from the Danish football club Horsens three years ago. Some months after my arrival in Brentford, the club started their project with Anna and Sleep2perform. The aim of the project was to make us aware of our sleep quality and how a good sleep could help us perform better.”

“It has helped me a lot to work together with Anna, because by analyzing my sleep, it became obvious to me that I mentally did not feel well and for that reason did not get enough quality sleep.”

“Coming to Brentford, England, at the age of 18, moving out of my parents’ house and saying goodbye to my friends and network in Denmark was not that easy. I felt my life was unbalanced and I had a lot on my mind. Taking a closer look at my sleep and discussing this with Anna made me more aware of my worries and how they affected my sleep, and hence my well-being.”

“Sleep2perfom has provided us with devices to monitor our sleep. Anna downloads and analyzes the data and then we have a monthly chat to talk about, how we are. In the period of time when I felt very unbalanced, and hence had problems sleeping, we would talk more often, which really helped.”

“I really appreciate the cooperation with Sleep2perform and Anna. She is very flexible, which means that you can have your talks with her whenever it is needed. Based on your sleep, you talk about all the factors, like diet, worries, health etc. that influence your sleep.” 

“She has also provided us with some excellent, basic tools to help us sleep. For instance how to clear my head before going to bed – and I also know now to put away my mobile phone or other screens at least 30 minutes prior to my bedtime.

I have learnt to optimize my sleep and hence my whole well-being.”

A HEALTHY SLEEP PATTERN HAS GIVEN ME MORE ENERGY

Ellery Balcombe, 20 years old, has played with Brentford FC since he was 8 years old. Having a sleep and well-being coach affiliated with the football club has had a very positive effect on his level of energy and performance.
 ”Before working with Anna and Sleep2perform, I would nap a couple of times during the day. As a consequence, I had difficulties falling asleep at night and I would be awake until very late. Come morning it was hard for me to get up. I felt very tired, which made our morning training quite strenuous for me.”

“I have worked together with Anna for about two years now, and the focus on my sleep pattern has given me a lot more energy throughout the day.”

“Main learning has been not to nap during the day, so that my body is tired and ready for sleep in the evening. Also, I do not use my phone before bedtime, and if I do not feel sleepy, I take a hot shower to relax my body and mind.” 

“My work with Sleep2perform has consisted of long talks about my state of mind and personal life. I had a period of time which was difficult for me and where I was not in the best place. Here talking with Anna helped me understand how this affected my sleep, and she coached me to try to change my mental state.”

“Having a sleep and well-being coach has been beneficial for the whole team, and it has definitely left me feeling more energized.”

MAXIMIZING OUR PLAYERS’ CAPABILITIES THROUGH SLEEP

Brentford Football Club began their project with Anna West, Sleep2Perform back in 2016. Ever since Sleep2perform’s consultancy has been a consistent part of the performance optimization strategy. The club wanted to maximize the players’ performance on field by taking measures off field. Working together with Sleep2Perform on improving and getting insights into the players’ recovery and sleep, they have managed to do just that.

The results speak for themselves; since the cooperation with Sleep2perform started in 2016, a great amount of involved Brentford players have been sold. The heightened awareness and improved recovery and sleep have definitely been contributing factors, if you ask Chris Haslam, Head of Athletic Performance at Brentford Football Club:

“We are a smaller football club which does not have unlimited finances. Thus our philosophy at the club is to focus on doing the basics incredibly well, in order to achieve maximum results. I truly believe that quality sleep is the biggest fundamental tool a player can use, besides training, in order to reach their peak performance on a daily basis.

Working with Anna West from Sleep2Perform gives us the possibility of getting thorough insights on each individual player’s recovery. She has easily gotten their trust and made this rather scientific based work field practical and understandable for them. Thanks to Anna, we have experienced a great shift in awareness! Today, the sleep and recovery focus is incorporated in the whole organization, and everyone in the team, including administration, is on board and understands the importance of a good night’s sleep.

We have worked with another sleep and recovery specialist before, but it did not work out. It was way too little orientated on “how to” for our players and the specialist was too focused on selling his products. Therefore, many players were skeptical and had set up barriers when we introduced Anna and Sleep2Perform. But through the individual sessions with each player, she has managed to convince them and get them to understand their sleep cycle. Now, all are very open to the theme and know that monitoring their sleep is a way for us to make them better and to maximize their performance.

I highly recommend cooperating with Sleep2Perform if you want to achieve marginal gains and thorough insights in recovery. You get access to scientifically based data, presented in a practical and understandable way. At Brentford Football Club we now know exactly how important a good night’s sleep is and what tools to use to ensure a proper wind down.”

FOCUS ON RECOVERY AND SLEEP TO IMPROVE OUR PERFORMANCE

Lars Weibel, Director of the Swiss national hockey team, will improve the team’s performance by focusing on their sleep. Due to Corona, the project has been postponed till next year, but the goal is to have sleep and recovery play a major part of the players’ training.

“I have always been convinced that sleep is a fundamental thing for the well-being of everyone, whether you are a manager or a top athlete.”

“Anna, Sleep2perform, did a workshop about sleep and recovery at my previous work with EV Zug. This was really interesting and stuck with me. So when I started my job as Director of The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, I contacted her to do a project with our national hockey team in order to improve the performance of our players through a better sleep and recovery.”

“With Covid-19 we have had to postpone our sleep project till next year, but Sleep2perform will be responsible for coaching our players about improving and focusing on their sleep.”

“As we do not have unlimited budgets, it is important for us to see how we can optimize the performance of the players in general.”

“We, of course, want our players to be the best, the fastest and the strongest, but there is a natural limit to how much you can push them.” 

“They already have a full training schedule. Not to mention, that throughout a season they play a lot of games with both the national team and their own local clubs. Therefore, to improve their performance and keep them healthy and fit, we choose to focus on a proper recovery and using sleep as a performance enhancer.”

“Anna is experienced with working with top athletes. She conveys the message and information about sleep and recovery in a very interesting, clear and positive way. We are really looking forward to continue our cooperation in the new year, so we can prepare our national team in the best possible way for the IIHF World Championship.”

SMALL CHANGES WITH BIG IMPACT

For the Danish golf player Marcus Helligkilde working with Sleep2Perform has resulted in an increased level of energy. His new focus on sleep has improved his training, especially when it comes to the last part of the daily 3-10 hours training session, where he would normally feel exhausted. The focus on sleep and a good sleep hygiene has had a very positive effect not only on his training and form, but also on his recovery and daily level of energy.

”I immediately said yes when my coach suggested doing a sleep study with Sleep2Perform. It sounded really interesting and I was looking for new ways to optimize the quality of my training. 

As a golf player I train 3 to 10 hours every day, and the last couple of hours can be really exhausting.  But thanks to a better and well-structured sleep my recovery has improved, and I no longer have problems with the long training hours. 

For 3 months the quality of my sleep has been measured by a little sleep monitor. The data have been analyzed by Anna West from Sleep2Perform. Together we have talked about how to improve my sleep cycle. After the first measurements Anna was able to determine that I needed a strict sleep routine. She also gave me some basic advice on how to improve my sleep. For example, I now only sleep in skin tights to keep my body temperature just right. I also make sure to keep my bedroom dark and at a room temperature below 18°C. A couple of hours before I go to sleep, I make sure to put my mobile phone away. 

As soon as I had a sleep routine I felt my level of energy rise. I would wake up feeling rested before my alarm, and I would feel really energetic – also for the last hours of training. My recovery improved in a way that allowed me to occasionally stay out late with my friends without having to worry that it would affect my performance on the green the next day. 

You do not have to be an athletic to benefit from a project with Sleep2Perform. On the contrary, I recommend everyone to have their sleep examined. Anna makes the analysis and data comprehensible, simple and tangible. She does not tell you what to do, but provides you with a lot of ideas and input on how to improve your sleep in order to get more quality time in your everyday life. She pushes you, if you do not progress as planned, but in the end you always know that the responsibility is yours – and yours only!”