A Lifelong Habit of Sleeping with the Television On
Former Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo Alavés winger Ibai Gómez has detailed how a complete overhaul of his daily schedule, diet, and light exposure—shifting away from a long-standing habit of sleeping with the television on—has dramatically transformed his nightly rest and daily energy levels.
Speaking on the podcast Los fulanos, Gómez explained that he relied on the television as a makeshift sleep aid during his playing career. It was a habit born out of difficulty turning off an active, nervous mind, especially on榴 the eve of matches. He would frequently go to sleep between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., relying on background noise and light to calm his thoughts before finally drifting off.
«Yo me dormía con la tele puesta y yo lo que decía era que la tele para mí era un somnífero», Gómez remarked during his podcast appearance, detailing how the display acted as his main tool to disconnect from nocturnal stress.
Managing Pre-Match Tension and Late-Night Anxiety
The former player admitted that pre-match tension made resting particularly difficult.
«Yo soy una persona muy nerviosa, antes lo era más incluso y me costaba dormir», he noted, adding that his mind would race the moment his head hit the pillow ahead of competitive fixtures.
Consulting Sleep Science Experts with Marcos Llorente
That nocturnal routine shifted when Gómez and former teammate Marcos Llorente began consulting various professionals to alter their habits. Recognizing that elite athletes often rely on specialized guidance, Gómez pointed out that their approach stemmed from learning directly from experts in fields like circadian biology and sleep science.
Aligning Meals and Light Exposure with Solar Cycles
Among the most significant adjustments was a radical change in meal timing. Rather than eating late into the night as they had during their playing days, Gómez and Llorente adopted a strict schedule aligned with natural daylight. «Ahora solamente nos alimentamos con horarios de luz», Gómez explained.
Beyond restructuring mealtimes, the daily routine began incorporating principles of circadian biology, including deliberate exposure to natural light at dawn and dusk. Gómez emphasized that synchronizing daily activities with natural solar cycles brought about a fundamental improvement in his quality of sleep.
Witnessing the sunrise and sunset and aligning his schedule accordingly completely transformed his nightly rest, Gómez noted, characterizing the outcome as a profound personal transformation. He noted that waking up well-rested fundamentally alters how he approaches each day, providing an immediate boost in energy and focus.
The Realities of Rigid Work Schedules
Despite championing the benefits of circadian alignment, Gómez acknowledged that these rigorous lifestyle modifications are far from accessible for the general public. He explicitly recognized his own privileged position as a former professional athlete, noting that rigid work schedules make similar adjustments impossible for many workers.
«El gran porcentaje de la sociedad no se puede permitir hacer esto», Gómez said, pointing specifically to shift work and overnight employment as insurmountable barriers for much of the workforce. Rather than prescribing a rigid blueprint, he suggested that individuals should simply test whatever modifications fit within their personal circumstances.
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