Our guest on Episode #80 of the TGG Podcast is the world-renowned sleep expert Anna West.
She works with teams competing in the Premier League, Champions League and the World Cup.
Her methods have helped change the way that football thinks about sleep and recovery.
In this Episode, Anna told me how she came to work in football, about the work she does with clubs and players, and also debunked some of the common myths about sleep.
SHOW NOTES =>
0:00: Introduction
1:36: How did you first get involved in your line of work? Entry into elite sport and football
06:07: How important is sleep for athletes?
08:40: Sleep quality, not just quantity
10:45: Monitoring and sleep anxiety
12:44: The challenge of night-time kick-offs
14:06: The magic eight hours?
17:33: How do you work with a club?
26:02: Good sleep starts in the morning
27:01: Debunking sleep myths: Mouth taping
34:03: Working individually with players. Emi Marcondes case study
37:57: Universal truths: eating & sleeping before you go to bed, room temperature, napping, caffeine.
49:23: Mechanics of a night’s sleep
52:51: Looking at your phone/ social media before bed
55:38: Effects of alcohol
57:58: Advice on caffeine
59:56: Working at the World Cup
1:02:08: Sleeping tablets
1:07:14: Ambitions for the future
