Bengaluru: One of the key factors for athletes' good performance is quality sleep. While training and nutrition are vital for success, so is sleep that enables the battered body to recharge for of next day's grind. Tennis great Roger Federer has gone on record saying the key to his success is “11 to 12 hours of sleep a day.”
In fact, even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised the Paris Olympics-bound athletes to not lose out on sleep in their quest for glory.
“Don't get lost in the magnitude of the Olympics because that can break your focus. In the world of sports, practice and consistency are important, but the same level of importance should also be given to sleep. Good sleep is very important for sports or any other field. It is important to sleep free of all stress, don't compromise on sleep.”
So when the emphasis on sleep comes from the head of the state, people in his ministry are going to ensure athletes have comforting nights in Paris. Perhaps, for the first time in India’s Olympic history, athletes will have access to sleep pods and a sleep therapist at the Athletes’ Village that would aid their sleep cycles.
“One of the biggest concerns for most of our athletes has been that, you know, sleep, which is so important for rest and recovery. You go to new surroundings, time zones are different, anxiety of competing in an event as big as the Olympics, so athletes don't end up with adequate sleep,” renowned orthopedic surgeon Dinshaw Pardiwala, who has been appointed as the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian contingent, told the media in an interaction organised by Indian Olympic Association on Saturday.
“If you don't get adequate sleep, then they don’t rest enough. That’s a major concern for their performance on the following day. So we've got a sleep therapist Dr Monica Sharma on board, who's going to be addressing all of these concerns. We've already started the process, about a month and a half ago, wherein many of these athletes are being met. And their concerns are being addressed, which started with sleep therapy sessions. And we are also going to have some sleep pods for helping athletes from the sleep aspect.”
Pardiwala has operated upon several Indian top athletes, including cricketers, said for the first time Indian athletes will have access to a polyclinic with complete facilities available to them 24/7.
“This is the first time that we have a full recovery room and a preparation and rehabilitation room. In the past what was happening was, every Olympics has a polyclinic and that polyclinic has some services like physiotherapy and recovery services. And sometimes, you know, with 10,000 athletes being there in the Village, it's difficult to get slots. So this time, we've got our own India specific recovery room, which will have everything from the best available services.”
Pardiwala said the shooting contingent, which will be competing in Chateauroux which is around 270km from Paris, will also have access to sleep pods.