La Fuente confirmed that this is something that has been worrying him for months, as a World Cup includes unprecedented circumstances. After playing the first two matches in Atlanta, a two-hour drive from base camp, the Spanish national team travels to Guadalajara, then returns to Chattanooga, and on Tuesday leaves its headquarters in Tennessee heading to California.
“Marca” added in its report: The World Championship is also decided by sleep. Because of the vast distances and the almost trans-oceanic flights between the host cities, the teams have identified their most ferocious opponent before they even set foot on the field, due to extreme fatigue and disruption of the biological clock.
The constant movement from one time zone to another constitutes a dangerous trap for the players’ bodies, since “rest is the hidden training that will grant the title,” according to the experts and those responsible for these files that De La Fuente focuses on.
Unlike previous tournaments, the current World Cup, which is being held in three vast countries, requires players to spend almost as many hours in the air as they spend on the field.
Doctors warn that sleep deprivation not only impairs the ability to make decisions during matches, but it also alarmingly raises the risk of muscle injuries, and in a short tournament, any stumble may topple you.
Digitally monitored sleep
Team hotels have turned into small laboratories, as technological progress puts resources in the hands of teams that were impossible not long ago. Through wearable devices, the quality of deep sleep for each player is monitored with extreme precision.
Before going down to breakfast, the coaching staff already knows how well they rest and how they will face a training or match session.
The famous “anti-blue light” glasses and lighting control have become an essential item for players, and their value lies in imposing a strict routine to trick the brain, as melatonin production is stimulated by controlling room lighting, and players are advised to use special lenses while on the move.
Trips are scheduled by the minute
The teams prefer to postpone the return trip and spend the night in the city of the match so as not to break the rest routine in the team’s base camp.
Carlos Cruz, the Spanish national team’s fitness coach, explained: Rest is the basis of performance, it is a pillar, and good recovery is the key to competition.
In the exceptional World Cup tournament, some teams decided to expand their mission by including a sleep coach, as specialists and neurologists in biorhythms provide consultations about eating, flying, and turning off the lights, because this is a version of the World Cup that can be decided by good sleep.
