‘The Olympic Village is one of the toughest places to get a good night’s sleep’
Katarina Johnson-Thompson
View image in fullscreen
Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
A Team GB heptathlete and indoor pentathlete, Johnson-Thompson is a two-time world champion, two-time Commonwealth Games champion and Olympic silver medallist in the heptathlon. In the indoor pentathlon, she is a world champion and two-time European champion. The 33-year-old says she needs a clear head to fine-tune the technical details of her seven events, from hurdles to high jump. Without proper recovery, things get messy. She’s competing in the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10–16 August.
How many hours do you sleep at night?
I go to bed at 10pm and wake up around 7am. I have Sundays off, and on Thursdays I don’t do anything too physical, so on those nights I’m a bit more restless.
Do you track your sleep?
I did for a while with a Whoop band, but I got too obsessed with it, so I haven’t used one for a couple of years now.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
I’ve been trying a kiwi trend I saw online recently. You eat a kiwi a couple of hours before bed because it’s said to contain vitamins and antioxidants that can improve sleep quality.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I use a satin blue sleep mask from Smug. I also recommend a weighted blanket, which stops you from tossing and turning.
How do you stay rested when you’re travelling to compete in different countries?
On the morning you arrive, it’s important to open the curtains right away so your body can adjust to the daylight. Athletes are pretty adaptable when it comes to staying in different hotel rooms. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle. The Olympic Village is probably one of the toughest places to get a good night’s sleep because of the thin walls and cardboard beds.
How do you get a good night’s sleep before a big competition?
In the heptathlon, I do four events on the first day and three on the second. Sometimes there’s only 12 hours between the last event on day one and the first event on day two, so you only get about four hours of sleep. It can feel stressful, but if I’ve banked sleep in the week leading up to the competition—getting 10 to 11 hours a night and topping up with naps—it helps me relax.
What’s your top sleep tip?
The best advice I’ve had is from Steve Peters, a psychiatrist I’ve worked with throughout my career. He says you can’t trick yourself into thinking a competition isn’t a big deal—your body knows it, your mind knows it. So you just have to calm the worrying voice in your head. Before bed, I tell myself, “Now is not the time to think about this.” I set aside time the next morning to worry about the competition—like at 8am while I’m brushing my teeth.
Johnson-Thompson is taking part in a health campaign with Holland & Barrett, which is offering free in-store wellness checks.
—
‘If I’m trying to sleep on a plane, I’ll go on YouTube and play six hours of World War II history facts’
Adam Peaty
View image in fullscreen
Photograph: Ruben Plasencia/The Observer
Peaty is an Olympian with three gold medals and the men’s 50m and 100m breaststroke world record holder, but he’s also a dad. The 31-year-old has to balance 6am starts with the challenges of parenting. That means he’s less focused on strict bedtime routines and more on sleeping deeply once he falls asleep.
How many hours do you sleep at night?
Last night, I got into bed at 8.30pm because we’d just come off a weekend of racing. I was up at 6am this morning. But a lot of people get sleep wrong—it’s not just about how many hours you spend in bed, it’s about the quality of that sleep.
Do you track your sleep?
I wear a Whoop device because it tells me what my sleep cycles have been and how deep my sleep was.I’ve been involved in that. We also have a sports science team that looks at blood biomarkers, including natural testosterone, free testosterone (the kind your body can use easily), melatonin, and magnesium levels—all of which are linked to your circadian rhythm.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
I can use all the sleep tools I want, but it doesn’t matter if I’m eating sweets before bed and filling my body with sugar. I eat about three hours before I go to sleep, so I’m not digesting food while I rest. Staying hydrated is also important. I always keep a two-litre bottle of water next to me in case I wake up during the night.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I use an eye mask to block out light and Loop earplugs. I live in London, and it only takes one loud noise to mess up your REM sleep cycle.
Have you bought any bedroom accessories to help you sleep well?
I use three firm pillows: one between my hips to keep them aligned and support my posture, one for my arm in front of me, and one for my head.
How do you stay rested when you’re travelling to compete in different countries?
If I’m trying to sleep on a plane, I’ll go on YouTube and play six hours of World War II history facts—that helps me fall asleep. For the Olympics, the team brings our own pillows. When I race, I weigh around 95kg, which is a lot of weight on a bad mattress. We also bring our own mattress covers to give the bed more support.
How do you get a good night’s sleep before a big competition?
More studies are coming out about sleep debt and building up sleep. So we try to get two or three weeks of great, consistent sleep before a competition. But I’ve also done amazing sets on just four hours of sleep. It’s more about consistency than perfection.
—
‘Late kick-offs are a big challenge – your body needs time to calm down before you can rest’
Ezri Konsa
England defender Konsa, 28, helped Aston Villa win the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League and helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals. His sleep schedule is designed to keep him sharp despite a demanding schedule that includes a busy Premier League season, European games, and international matches.
How many hours do you sleep at night?
I usually aim for at least seven to eight.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I’ve always been pretty good at falling asleep, so I don’t use any special gadgets. I do use a Whoop, though.
How do you stay rested when you’re travelling to play in different countries?
We stay in a hotel the night before every game, so I’m very used to it. With jet lag, I try not to think too much about the time back home, because I think that makes it harder to adjust. One of the biggest challenges is after late kick-offs. Even though the game is over, your body is still full of adrenaline, so winding down and falling asleep isn’t always easy. Sometimes your body just needs to calm down before you can properly rest.
What about when you’re under a lot of pressure before a big game?
For me, it comes back to preparation. When you’ve prepared well throughout the week, you feel confident going into the game. Knowing I’ve done everything I can beforehand helps me relax, even before the biggest matches.
What’s your top sleep tip?
Consistency – try to go to bed at a similar time every night.
—
‘I’ve invested in a good mattress that supports my back. It also has a cooling layer so I don’t get too hot’
Emily Campbell
Lifting weights heavier than a baby elephant means there’s no room for error for 32-year-old weightlifter Campbell, who is competing in her third Commonwealth Games this summer in Glasgow, from 23 July to 2 August.An Olympic silver medalist—who is also the first female weightlifter to win six straight European titles—says the sport can be dangerous if you’re feeling sluggish.
How many hours do you sleep at night?
I’m in bed by 9:30 PM and fall asleep between 10:00 and 10:30 PM. Then I sleep through until about 8:00 AM.
Do you track your sleep?
On training days, I fill out a questionnaire in the morning and send it to my coach. It asks things like, “How alert and ready do you feel today?”, “Do you feel irritated or stressed?”, and “Did you sleep well last night?” If I say I didn’t sleep well and I’m feeling irritated and tired, they won’t push me hard that day.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
I have a peppermint and honey tea before bed, and I always take my daily vitamins—usually vitamin D and glucosamine (a natural compound found in cartilage), plus two scoops of creatine.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I’ve invested in a good mattress that’s firm enough to support my back. It also has a cooling layer to help regulate my temperature so I don’t get too hot.
What do you avoid before bed?
Going to bed hungry. If you’re properly fueled, you’ll train better and then sleep better.
—
‘Picking some mint leaves before bed is a little routine’
Henry Pollock
You might think that after taking brutal tackles, Northampton Saints and England rugby player Pollock would be too sore to fall asleep. But the opposite is true. “As soon as I hit the pillow, it’s proper switch-off time,” he says. The 21-year-old is playing in the first Nations Championship this year, which continues on July 18.
What time do you go to bed, and how many hours do you sleep?
On a workday, I go to bed at 10:30 PM and wake up around 7:00 AM.
Do you track your sleep?
I track it most nights on my Apple Watch—how deep it was and how many times I woke up.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
I try not to eat too close to bedtime, because your stomach takes a long time to digest food and your body stays awake. But my last meal is usually something with protein. I’ve been experimenting with a protein shake later in the day, or yogurt with fruit and granola.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I wear earbuds to keep things nice and quiet. If I’m on tour and away from my usual bed, I also wear an eye mask.
What do you do to wind down before bed?
I live with one of the other guys on the team, so we can relax by talking about anything other than rugby. I also have my own herb garden where I grow rosemary, chives, and mint. Picking some mint leaves and having a mint tea before bed is a little routine.
How do you stay rested when traveling to compete in different countries?
When we’re in camp, I take a collagen shot before bed, which helps with relaxation and muscle recovery.
What do you avoid before bed?
I try to turn my phone off about half an hour before and read a book instead.
—
‘We often play at weekends when other people are on a night out. Earplugs are essential’
Amy Jones
International cricketer Jones—one of the most capped players of all time—can go to bed with aching legs after evening matches, like this summer’s ICC Women’s T20.World Cup. As a wicketkeeper, she can squat nearly 300 times during a match—and often ends up pumped full of adrenaline.
How many hours of sleep do you get at night?
T20 matches can run much later than normal working hours, and sometimes our training doesn’t finish until 9:30pm, so it’s harder to stick to a routine, and the adrenaline can keep you awake. On those days, you might still be up into the early hours and then sleep in late. When we’re not playing, I’m in bed by 9pm.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
Some of the girls take sachets of sour cherry juice or gel, which helps with sleep and recovery.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
During one of my first T20 World Cups in the West Indies, I got really into sleep meditation apps. The games started at 8pm, which meant we didn’t get to bed until 2am. I had a lot of adrenaline, so I started using the Calm app. It helped me relax. Some players only sleep one or two hours after games because it’s hard to wind down.
How do you get a good night’s sleep before a big competition?
When we’re playing, we move between different cities and hotel rooms. In the English summer, our games often fall on weekends, so while we’re trying to get ready for an international match the next day, other people in the hotel are out partying or on holiday. It can be very noisy, so earplugs are essential. I use Happy Ears ones. You never know if you’ll get a hard hotel bed or a soft mattress until you arrive. It’s a bit of a lottery. Sometimes we’ve had to sleep on the floor if the mattress was too soft.
What do you avoid before bed?
Caffeine is a big one for me, so I try not to have any coffee after 3pm.
‘I like to have a bath – I find it a good way to de-stress. I usually add Epsom salts.’
Harriet Dart
View image in fullscreen Photograph: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images
Getting into a good routine is challenging for British tennis player Dart. The season runs from January to November and involves regular long-haul travel for nearly back-to-back tournaments. The 29-year-old is heading to the Prague and US Opens this summer after playing at Wimbledon.
What time do you go to bed, and how many hours of sleep do you get at night?
I’m in bed by 9:30pm to 10pm, sometimes earlier depending on how training went. If I have a match in the evening, say after 7pm, I’ll shift my schedule. I purposely go to bed quite late and wake up later so I’m not too tired for the match.
Do you track your sleep?
I don’t, but when I train, the first thing my coach asks is how I slept that night.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
I always have a mint tea; it relaxes me and helps with digestion.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I wear a silk eye mask. When my mind is more active, it seems to help me shut down. I like it to be completely pitch black when I sleep, so it’s useful when I’m travelling. I can use it on planes and in hotel rooms that have more light. I have blackout blinds at home.
What do you do to wind down before bed?
I like to have a bath – I always find it a good way to de-stress. I usually add Epsom salts. I used to meditate before playing, but I found it made me quite sleepy before matches. So when I’ve been struggling to sleep, I use meditation techniques like breathing and body scans, which make me really sleepy.
How do you stay rested when you’re travelling to compete in different countries?
Jet lag is always really tough. If I’m adjusting to a different time zone, I do most of my training at the start of the day and take short, 20-minute naps to give myself a boost. Everyone reacts differently to travelling. I swell a lot on planes, which can stop me from sleeping, so I wear compression socks. I also make sure I eat more on my recovery days so I’m really building myself up and feeling good.I try to keep the same temperature wherever I stay, just to have some consistency.
How do you get a good night’s sleep before a big competition?
With experience, I’ve gotten pretty good at compartmentalizing. I try not to think about matches until the actual day, or until I get to the venue, because it’s just extra stress you don’t need. I also remind myself that some of my best results have come when I haven’t slept much. I wouldn’t say it’s sustainable, but for one or two matches, it’s fine. The adrenaline takes over.
View image in fullscreen
Photograph: Ilka & Franz/The Guardian
‘I don’t give space for emotions to creep in. I’ll also watch a really easy show like The Office.’
—Tom Dean
View image in fullscreen
Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
The training schedule for triple Olympic gold medalist freestyle swimmer Tom Dean is intense: four hours in the pool and two hours in the gym most days. That kind of plan requires a lot of rest to keep it going, so his bedtime is carefully timed. He’ll be competing at the Commonwealth Games.
What time do you go to bed, and how many hours of sleep do you get?
My lights are out before 10pm, and my alarm goes off at 6:30am. The only time this changes is when we travel for competitions. World championship and Olympic finals can run late. You might not race until 10pm or 11pm. I’ve been at world championships where I raced late in the evening, then had medal ceremonies, doping control, and physio. By the time you get back to where you’re staying, eat, and deal with the emotional impact of everything, it can really mess up your sleep schedule.
Do you track your sleep?
I had an Oura ring, which was great, but I lost it at the Paris Olympics. Now we’ve been given Polar Loop monitors, which give sleep scores for our physiologists.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
If I don’t have a big meal right before I sleep, I’ll wake up hungry—usually around 3am—and have to get up and go to the kitchen to make something. Before bed, I go for full-fat Greek yogurt with fruit, granola, peanut butter, nuts, and seeds. Sometimes I add a packet of sour cherry juice. It’s about 600 calories. Some days I eat between 6,000 and 6,500 calories total.
What do you do to wind down before bed?
I strongly believe in not spending any time in my bedroom unless I’m sleeping. I relax in my living room, reading or watching shows, and only go into my room to sleep. I always try to sleep in a cold room with the window open.
How do you stay rested when traveling to compete in different countries?
For the first three days after you land, you can’t take a nap. That’s a rule I stick to no matter what. When it’s daytime, it’s important to get daylight. You can use caffeine to help. We’re told to drink it in the morning until midday for the first few days.
How do you get a good night’s sleep before a big competition?
I try to stick to routines, like packing my bag the night before or going through my race plan and the next morning’s timeline in my head, so I don’t give space for emotions to creep in. I’ll also watch a really easy show like The Office, or play cards with the other swimmers to take my mind off the competition.
What do you avoid before bed?
I don’t drink alcohol. In my off-season, if I had a beer, I’d definitely feel it in my sleep. I also stay away from processed foods as much as I can.
View image in fullscreen
Photograph: Ilka & Franz/The Guardian
‘I listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory every night for the first 10 years of my life—now I always have to listen to something when I go to bed.’
—Alex YeeScreen Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Team GB’s Yee is the most successful Olympic triathlete ever, winning silver at Tokyo 2020 and gold at Paris 2024. Last year at the Valencia marathon, he became the second fastest Briton to run the distance, behind Mo Farah. Even with a grueling training schedule of over 40 hours of running and cycling each week, the 28-year-old struggles with sleep—he often wakes up at night with racing thoughts. He’s preparing for the World Triathlon Championship Series in London on 25 July.
What time do you go to bed, and how many hours do you sleep a night?
I usually go to bed at 11pm and try to get about seven and a half hours of sleep.
Do you track your sleep?
I normally wear a Coros watch, and when I’m competing, I do daily monitoring with our national governing body, which tracks our sleep, how ready we feel to train, and our hydration score. But day-to-day, I’m pretty relaxed about it.
Do you eat or drink anything before bed?
I take cherry juice around competitions and when I’m doing a lot of long-haul travel. It’s full of antioxidants, and if you’re trying to get sleep between multiple days of competitions and aim for pure recovery, it’s a game-changer. They claim it gives you 30 minutes more deep sleep per night, and I can see a difference when I take it. I also take collagen throughout the day for bone and tendon health. I’ve tried different magnesium supplements, but I didn’t notice a difference personally.
Do you use any gadgets or sleep aids?
I don’t know if it’s because I started going to bed with an audiobook when I was younger—I listened to the first chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory every night for the first 10 years of my life—but I always need to listen to something when I go to bed. I prefer voices, so I’ll usually play a podcast, an audiobook, or a YouTube video.
Is there anything you avoid before bed?
You should hydrate effectively, but not let it cut into your sleep by waking up to go to the bathroom. So I try to avoid fluids for the last 90 minutes before bed.
How do you get a good night’s sleep before a big competition?
The things that affect a race the most are emotional stress and cortisol levels. You don’t want to use up a lot of emotional energy going into a race and then end up exhausted at the start line. One thing that causes that emotional exhaustion is getting frustrated by trying to sleep and not being able to. So I try to stay calm about my relationship with sleep and understand that two days before a race, it probably won’t have much of an impact. It was something we all had to adapt to quickly at the Paris Olympics. We had to wake up at 3am to find out if our race was going ahead because of the water pollution in the Seine. So during that time, you just had to try to stay as relaxed as possible, understand that everyone was in the same boat, and remember that it’s all about how you respond to getting too little sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the tips from athletes like Ezri Konsa and Katarina JohnsonThompson covering eye masks cherry gel and the afternoon kiwi
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Why do athletes like eye masks so much
They block out light completely which tells your brain its time to produce melatonin This helps you fall asleep faster and stay in deep sleep longer
2 What is cherry gel and do I have to eat it
It usually refers to a tart cherry juice or gel supplement You drink or eat it not apply it to your skin Its packed with natural melatonin and antiinflammatories
3 Why eat a kiwi in the afternoon
Kiwi is high in serotonin and antioxidants Eating one about an hour before bed can help you fall asleep 3540 faster and improve sleep quality
4 Do I need to buy expensive branded sleep gear
No A basic silk or padded eye mask a bottle of tart cherry juice and a regular green kiwi work just as well as expensive athlete versions
5 How long before bed should I use these tips
Eye mask Put it on when you turn off the lights
Cherry geljuice Drink it 3060 minutes before bed
Kiwi Eat it 1 hour before you plan to sleep
Advanced ProblemSolving Questions
6 My eye mask keeps slipping off What do athletes do
Look for masks with an adjustable strap and a contoured cup shape that doesnt press on your eyelashes Athletes like Ezri Konsa often use masks with a wider headband to prevent shifting
7 Can I use cherry gel if I have acid reflux or diabetes
Acid reflux Proceed with caution Tart cherry is acidic Try a lowacid cherry extract pill instead of liquid
Diabetes Check the label Many cherry gels have added sugar Look for unsweetened tart cherry juice or a sugarfree supplement
8 Is the afternoon kiwi a specific time or just any kiwi
Its a specific timing strategy Eating it 12
