Sleeping well the night before a contest
Table Tennis Discussion
Last updated 2 years ago
Jasper Low Asked 2 years ago
Hi Alois, I have this problem where I struggle to sleep well the night before a league or tournament because I am too excited and tend to overthink about the matches. I always end up not playing at my usual level during the contest. This has happened to me 2 times already and I hope that it doesn't happen again in the future. How do you calm down in the night before a tournament or league?
Alois Rosario Answered 2 years ago
Hi Jasper,
This is often a problem for a lot of people. I think the first thing is to accept that this might happen and also realise that sleep the one night before doesn't necessarily mean that you will play badly. In fact I have heard a lot of players say that they play better when they are tired.
The next thing to do is to start to develop a routine before bed that allows you to wind down and prepare for more sleep.
Thoughts on this question
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Ardak . Posted 2 years ago
Hi, Jasper,
This is also my problem. I have played in many tournaments in a "zombie" mode. Except being nervous and excited, I noticed that one day before the tournament I need to minimize whatching gadgets. What I eat and drink is also very important. Try to eat natural products. Don't recomend meals and drinks in markets which can be stored many months. For example waffles, biscuits, chips, chocolates, cola, energizers etc.
D K Posted 2 years ago
As I read this question,I am glad that I usually tend to sleep so deep that even light and noise cannot wake me up. I need to use extremely powerful sounds as an alarm to wake up even before matches (as there are almost no tournaments I could attend now)
However,as an analytical person,I was always able to go through all known players from the opponent team and mentally analyze them. That gave me a feeling that I am prepared for them,which calmed me down,but also tired my mind to the point where I just fell asleep from lack of mental energy.
In case of tournaments,I was unaware who can I bump on,so I just calmed down by the conscisous thought that there is nothing more I can do to mentally prepare,and I should rather let my mind relax.