{"id":253529,"date":"2026-07-18T10:30:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T10:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/18\/eye-masks-cherry-gel-and-an-afternoon-kiwi-ezri-konsa-katarina-johnson-thompson-and-other-top-sports-stars-on-how-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T10:30:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T10:30:01","slug":"eye-masks-cherry-gel-and-an-afternoon-kiwi-ezri-konsa-katarina-johnson-thompson-and-other-top-sports-stars-on-how-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/18\/eye-masks-cherry-gel-and-an-afternoon-kiwi-ezri-konsa-katarina-johnson-thompson-and-other-top-sports-stars-on-how-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye masks, cherry gel and an afternoon kiwi: Ezri Konsa, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and other top sports stars on how to get a good night\u2019s sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2018The Olympic Village is one of\u00a0the\u00a0toughest places to get a\u00a0good\u00a0night\u2019s sleep\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Katarina\u00a0Johnson-Thompson<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span> Photograph: Martin Rickett\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A <\/em>Team GB<\/em> <\/em>heptathlete and indoor\u00a0pentathlete<\/em>,<\/em> Johnson-Thompson is a <\/em>two-time world champion, two-time Commonwealth Games champion<\/em> and <\/em>Olympic silver medallist<\/em> in the heptathlon. <\/em>In the indoor pentathlon, she is a world champion and two-time European champion.<\/em> The <\/em>33-year-old<\/em> relies on having a fresh head for fine-tuning the varied technical details of her <\/em>seven<\/em> events, from <\/em>hurdles to high jump<\/em>; <\/em>things get<\/em> sloppy without proper recovery, she says. She\u2019s competing in the <\/em>European Athletics<\/a> Championships in Birmingham<\/em>, <\/em>from <\/em>10-16 August<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

How many hours do you sleep at night?<\/strong>
I go to bed at 10pm and wake up around 7am. I have Sundays off and on Thursdays I don\u2019t do anything that physical, so on those nights I\u2019m a bit more restless.<\/p>\n

Do you track your sleep?<\/strong>
I did for a while using a Whoop band, but I got too obsessed with it so I haven\u2019t for a couple of years now.<\/p>\n

Do you eat or drink anything before bed?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve been doing a kiwi trend I saw online recently, where you have a kiwi fruit a couple of hours before bed, as it\u2019s said they contain vitamins and antioxidants that can improve sleep quality.<\/p>\n

Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?<\/strong>
I use a satin blue sleep mask from Smug. I also recommend a weighted blanket, which stops you from tossing and turning.<\/p>\n

How do you <\/strong>stay rested when you\u2019re travelling to compete in different countries?<\/strong>
The morning you arrive, it\u2019s important to open the curtains straight away so your body can adjust to the daylight. When it comes to staying in different hotel rooms, athletes are quite adaptable. It\u2019s not a glamorous lifestyle. The Olympic village is probably one of the toughest places to get a good night\u2019s sleep, because of the paper walls and cardboard beds.<\/p>\n

How do you get a good night\u2019s sleep before a big competition?<\/strong>
With the heptathlon, I do four events on the first day and three on the second. Sometimes there\u2019s only 12 hours between the last event on the first day and the first event on the second day, so you only get four hours\u2019 sleep. It can feel stressful, but if I\u2019ve banked sleep in the week leading up to the competition \u2013 having 10 to 11 hours a night and topping up with naps \u2013 it helps me to relax.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your top sleep tip?<\/strong>
The biggest piece of advice I\u2019ve had is from Steve Peters, a psychiatrist I\u2019ve worked with throughout my career. He says you can\u2019t trick yourself into thinking that a competition isn\u2019t a huge deal; your body knows it, your mind knows it. So you\u2019ve just got to settle the worrying voice in your head. Before bed, I say to myself: \u201cNow is not the time to think about this.\u201d I\u2019ll dedicate time slots the next morning to worry about the competition \u2013 at 8am, for example, when I\u2019m cleaning my teeth.<\/p>\n

Johnson-Thompson is <\/em>taking part in a health campaign with <\/em>Holland & Barrett<\/em>, which is offering <\/em>free in-store wellness <\/em>checks<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018If I\u2019m trying to sleep on a plane, I\u2019ll go on <\/strong>YouTube<\/strong> and play six hours of <\/strong>second world war history facts\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Adam Peaty<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span> Photograph: Ruben Plasencia\/The Observer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peaty might be an Olympian<\/em> with <\/em>three gold medals<\/em>, <\/em>and the men\u2019s <\/em>50-metre and 100-metre breaststroke world record holder<\/em>, but he<\/em> is also a <\/em>dad<\/em>. The <\/em>31-year-old<\/em> has to juggle 6am starts with the trials of parenting. It\u00a0means he<\/em> is less focused on rigid bedtime routines <\/em>than he is on sleeping deeply once he<\/em> has drifted off.<\/em><\/p>\n

How many hours do you sleep at night?<\/strong>
Last night, I got into bed at 8.30pm, because we\u2019d just come off a weekend of racing. I was up at 6am this morning. But what a lot of people get wrong about sleep is that it\u2019s not just the number of hours in bed; it\u2019s the quality of it.<\/p>\n

Do you track your sleep?<\/strong>
I wear a Whoop device, because it tells me what my sleep cycles have been and what sleep depth I\u2019ve been in. We also have a sports science team, and we do blood biomarkers, and look at our natural testosterone, free testosterone [the type easily used by the body], melatonin and magnesium levels, which are all related to your circadian rhythm.<\/p>\n

Do you eat or drink anything before bed?<\/strong>
I can put in place all the sleep tools I want, but that means nothing if I\u2019m eating sweets before bed and filling my body with sugar. I eat about three hours before I put my head down so I\u2019m not processing food while I sleep. Hydration is important, too. I\u2019ve always got a two-litre chug next to me if I wake up in the night.<\/p>\n

Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?<\/strong>
I use an eye mask to block out the light and Loop earplugs. I live in London, and all it takes is one loud noise to ruin your REM sleep cycle.<\/p>\n

Have you bought any bedroom accessories to help you get a good night\u2019s sleep?<\/strong>
I use three firm pillows: one in between my hips to keep them straight, to help with posture and alignment, one for my arm in front of me, and one for my head.<\/p>\n

How do you<\/strong> stay rested when you\u2019re travelling to compete in different countries?<\/strong>
If I\u2019m trying to sleep on a plane, I\u2019ll go on YouTube and play six hours of second world war history facts, and that will help me nod off. For the Olympics, the team will take our own pillows. When I race, I weigh around 95kg, which is a lot of weight on a bad mattress; we take our own mattress covers, too, to <\/strong>give the bed more support.<\/p>\n

How do you get a good night\u2019s sleep before a big competition?<\/strong>
There are more studies coming out around sleep debt\u00a0and accumulating sleep. So we try to get two or three\u00a0weeks of great, consistent sleep before a\u00a0competition. But I\u2019ve done incredible sets on four hours\u2019 sleep. It\u2019s about consistency rather than\u00a0perfection.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span> Photograph: Ilka & Franz\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Late kick-offs are a big challenge<\/strong> \u2013 your body needs time to calm\u00a0down before you can rest\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ezri Konsa<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span> Photograph: Marcel van Dorst\/DeFodi Images\/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

England defender<\/em> <\/em>Konsa<\/em>, <\/em>28<\/em>, <\/em>helped <\/em>Aston Villa win<\/em> the <\/em>2025-26 U<\/em>efa Europa League <\/em>\u2013 <\/em>and <\/em>England reach the <\/em>semi finals of the World Cup<\/em>. His\u00a0sleep schedule is structured to help him stay sharp despite a demanding workload that includes a busy <\/em>Premier League<\/em> calendar, European fixtures and international duty.<\/em><\/p>\n

How many hours do you sleep at night?<\/strong>
I usually aim to get at least seven to eight.<\/p>\n

Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve always been pretty good at falling asleep, so I don\u2019t use any special gadgets. I do use a Whoop, though.<\/p>\n

How do you <\/strong>stay rested when you\u2019re travelling to play in different countries?<\/strong>
We stay in a hotel the night before every game, so it\u2019s something I\u2019m very used to. With jet lag, I try not to\u00a0think too much about the time back home because I\u00a0think that can make it harder to adjust. One of the\u00a0biggest challenges is after late kick-offs. Even\u00a0though the game has finished, your body is still full of adrenaline, so switching off and getting to sleep isn\u2019t always easy. Sometimes your body needs to calm down before you can properly rest.<\/p>\n

What about when you\u2019re faced with a lot of pressure before a big game?<\/strong>
For me, it comes back to preparation. When you\u2019ve prepared well throughout the week, you feel confident going into the game. Knowing I\u2019ve done everything I\u00a0can\u00a0beforehand helps me relax, even before the biggest\u00a0matches.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your top sleep tip?<\/strong>
Consistency \u2013 trying to go to bed at a similar time every \u00a0night.<\/p>\n

\u2018<\/strong>I\u2019ve invested in a good mattress<\/strong> that supports<\/strong> my back. It also has\u00a0a cooling layer so I don\u2019t get\u00a0too hot\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Emily\u00a0Campbell<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span> Photograph: Xinhua\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lifting weights that are heavier than a baby elephant<\/em> means there\u2019s no margin for error for <\/em>32-year-old weightlifter <\/em>Campbell, who is competing in her <\/em>third Commonwealth Games<\/em> this summer<\/em> in <\/em>Glasgow<\/em>, from<\/em> 23 July to 2 August<\/em>. The <\/em>Olympic silver medallist<\/em> \u2013 who is the <\/em>first female weightlifter<\/em> to win <\/em>six consecutive European titles<\/em> \u2013 says the sport can be dangerous if you\u2019re feeling lethargic.<\/em><\/p>\n

How many hours do you sleep at night?<\/strong>
I\u2019m in bed by 9.30pm and fall asleep between 10pm and 10.30pm. Then I will sleep through until about 8am.<\/p>\n

Do you track your sleep?<\/strong>
On my training days, I fill in a questionnaire in the morning and submit it to my coach. It has questions like, \u201cHow alert and ready do you feel today?\u201d, \u201cDo you feel irritated or stressed?\u201d, \u201cDo you feel like you slept well last night?\u201d If I\u2019ve said I didn\u2019t sleep very well and I\u2019m feeling irritated and tired, then they\u2019re not going to hit the freak on me that day.<\/p>\n

Do you eat or drink anything before bed?<\/strong>
I have a peppermint and honey tea before bed, and I always take my daily vitamins \u2013 usually vitamin D and glucosamine (a natural compound in the body found in cartilage) and two scoops of creatine.<\/p>\n

Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve invested in a good mattress, <\/strong>which is the right firmness that supports my back. It also has a cooling layer to regulate my temperature so I don\u2019t get too hot.<\/p>\n

What do you avoid before bed?<\/strong>
Going to bed hungry. If you\u2019re fuelled properly, you\u2019ll train better, and then you\u2019ll sleep better.<\/p>\n

\u2018Picking some mint leaves before\u00a0bed is a little routine\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Henry Pollock<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span> Photograph: David Rogers\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You might think that after battling brutal tackles, the <\/em>Northampton Saints<\/em> and <\/em>England rugby union player<\/em> <\/em>Pollock would be too sore to fall asleep. The opposite is true. \u201cAs soon as I hit the pillow, it\u2019s proper switch-off time,\u201d he says. <\/em>The <\/em>21-year-old<\/em> is playing in the <\/em>inaugural<\/em> <\/em>Nations Championship<\/em> this year, which continues <\/em>on 18 July.<\/em><\/p>\n

What time do you go to bed, and how many hours do you sleep at night?<\/strong>
On a working day, I\u2019ll go to bed at 10.30pm and then wake up around 7am.<\/p>\n

Do you track your sleep?<\/strong>
I track it most nights on my Apple Watch \u2013 how deep it was and how many times I woke up.<\/p>\n

Do you eat or drink anything before bed?<\/strong>
I try to avoid eating too close to bed, because your stomach can take a long time to digest it and your body\u2019s going to be awake. But my last meal is usually a protein hit. I\u2019m playing around with having a protein shake towards the end of the day, or yoghurt with fruit and\u00a0granola.<\/p>\n

Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?<\/strong>
I wear <\/strong>earbuds to make sure it\u2019s nice and quiet. If I\u2019m on tour and I\u2019m away from my normal bed, I\u2019ll wear an <\/strong>eye mask as well.<\/p>\n

What do you do to wind down before bed?<\/strong>
I live with one of the other boys on the team, so we\u2019re able to wind down by talking about anything other than\u00a0rugby. I have also got my own herb garden where\u00a0I\u00a0grow rosemary, chives and mint. Picking some mint leaves and having a mint tea before bed is a little\u00a0routine.<\/p>\n

How do you <\/strong>stay rested when you\u2019re travelling to compete in different countries?<\/strong>
I\u2019ll take a collagen shot before bed when we\u2019re in camp, <\/strong>which helps with relaxation and muscle recovery. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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