'You can’t go from competitor to sleeper instantly. You need a 20 to 40 minute transition ritual.' - Dr. Anna West
Sleep may be one of the most natural things humans do - but for elite athletes, it’s often one of the hardest.
Matches finish late, adrenaline lingers, travel disrupts rhythms, and the pressure to perform can make 'switching off' feel impossible.
So we built The Sleep Reset Protocol - a simple framework inspired by athlete routines and expert insights.
Ollie Pope’s honesty says it all. Ahead of the Ashes, he said that sleep can be challenging during a cricket series, especially when you’re mid-innings.
"If I’m not out overnight, I really struggle to switch off," explained Ollie. "You’re excited for what the next day might bring. Even if you’re physically tired, your mind stays awake. So I’ve needed a proper routine just to wind things down."
That tension - physically drained, mentally wired - is common across sports.
What the sleep experts say
Sports sleep psychologist Dr. Anna West, who has worked with Premier League teams and Olympic programmes, explains:
"Athletes often think recovery means doing more - more stretching, more ice, more massage - but the real key is down-regulation. Your brain needs a runway, not a switch."
These are Dr West's three biggest recommendations:
1. Create a pre-sleep identity.
"You can’t go from competitor to sleeper instantly. You need a 20 to 40 minute transition ritual."
2. Control light like it’s part of your training kit.
"Screens are the biggest sleep inhibitor. Even 10 minutes less exposure helps."
3. Expect your mind to wander.
"The goal isn’t to stop thinking, it’s to slow thinking."
Inside the Sleep Reset Protocol
This is a blueprint adapted from athlete routines - but it's usable for anyone:
1. The cool-down Shift (10–15 mins)
- Breathwork or light stretching
- No high-stimulus conversation or content
- Option: warm shower to trigger temperature drop
2. The light drop
- Overhead lights off
- Lamps or warm-tone bulbs only
- Screens face-down, notifications off
3. The brain off-ramp
- Read something low-stakes (fiction works best)
- Or use a 'brain dump' - three lines on what you’re thinking about tomorrow
4. The sleep snack
- A small protein-carb snack can stabilise blood sugar
- Herbal tea if it’s part of your routine
5. The anchor times
- Wake and sleep within the same 45-minute window
- Even on rest days
For athletes, recovery starts before sleep.
Former heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis-Hill put it perfectly in an interview about her own sleep challenges:
"Recovery isn’t just what you do after training - it’s what you set up before you go to bed. If my sleep wasn’t right, nothing else clicked the next day."
The bottom line
Rest used to be passive. Now it’s planned - sometimes as carefully as training itself.
This protocol isn’t a hard regime. It’s a way to give your mind the same structure you give your body, and to build a routine strong enough to handle the pressures of performance.
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