Sleep science in the NBA
By 2009, increasing interest in sleep science and the understanding that recovery time for players was important inspired then-Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers to eliminate the morning shoot-around from his players' game-day routine. [1] The Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers also dropped the routine, while the New York Knicks only practiced it during road games. [1] 2009 also marked when Charles Czeisler, the director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, began working with the Portland Trail Blazers. [5] Czeisler became known as the "Sleep Doctor" in NBA circles. [5] [4]
During the 2009–10 season, the Spurs invited a sleep specialist from Stanford University to teach them how to optimize players' rest. As part of a trial run, the team decided to shift their practice schedule from mornings to afternoons, with the expectation that players would have more time to sleep in the morning. The aim was to provide players with a continuous sleep time of 8 to 10 hours. After the trial, the Spurs reverted back to morning practices. [13] The Spurs organization would, however, continue efforts to help players with their sleeping habits; each season, the team provides wristbands to its players that track their sleeping habits and send them their personal sleep data. [13]
Cheri Mah was also noted by media outlets to assist NBA players with their sleeping. A physician scientist at the University of California, Mah has assisted Stephen Curry with his sleeping habits. [2]
In the 2016–17 season, the Orlando Magic staff began using mobile polysomnographs and wearable devices to measure players' sleep across the season. By the end of the season, they noticed players were obtaining minimal or no restorative REM sleep. [3]
By 2019, many teams had begun hiring so-called sleep coaches to their staffs. [14] Then–Celtics coach Brad Stevens noted that the team speaks "with each player on their roster about maximizing their sleep and planning their routines." [15] Teams also began using technology to help players focus on their sleep, such as a sleep tracking device placed underneath the mattress. [14] However, Chip Schafer, the Chicago Bulls' director of performance health, noted that players' compliance was an issue with the technology. [14]
Effect on player habits
Players' sleep schedules are extremely programmed. Many NBA players have cited mid-day naps on game days as being critical or vital. In 2011, Adam Silver, then the NBA's deputy commissioner, stated "Everyone in the league office knows not to call players at 3 p.m. It's the player nap." [4] The length of naps varies from player-to-player. NBA guard Ty Lawson noted that he sleeps five hours during the night and then takes a three-hour nap during the daytime. [16] Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has stated that while in the NBA bubble, he slept for five hours following shoot-around, and regularly sleeps for two hours prior to games. [17] Murray's teammate, Nikola Jokić sleeps for eight hours at night, [18] though his status as a "non-napper" is considered rare in the NBA. [19] Those players who do routinely employ scheduled naps have been noted to become irritable when their naps are interrupted. [19]
In 2016, Ken Berger of CBS Sports wrote that NBA trainers, coaches, and owners had only then began realizing the devastating impact poor sleep habits can have on a player's longevity and injury rates, as well as an organization's financial bottom line. [8] Some players, such as Danny Green and Rajon Rondo, have noted that early afternoon games disrupt their napping schedules. [13]
Wanting to minimize the effects of travel on his sleeping patterns, NBA forward Tobias Harris was noted by ESPN to travel with an electroencephalogram (EEG) machine. Though having an efficacy debated by medical experts, Harris uses the EEG machine in order to engage in neurofeedback, believing that his daily 45-minute training sessions provide him with data to combat against fatigue. [3] Some players ensure their sleeping is directly preceded by entering amply prepared environments, with LeBron James and Jimmy Butler being cited examples. James has been noted to employ a specific sleeping routine while playing on the road: in hotel rooms, James sets the temperature to between 68 °F (20 °C) and 70 °F (21 °C), shuts off nearby electronics 30 to 45 minutes before settling into bed, and uses the meditation app Calm to play back a field recording of rain falling on leaves in order to soothe him to sleep. [3] [20] Meanwhile, Butler targets nine hours of sleep, beginning at 7 p.m., which he prepares for by drinking herbal tea three hours earlier, avoiding all screen use, and using a cold air diffuser. [21]
