Eleven years after winning his last major, Tiger Woods bounced back from obscurity to win his fifth green jacket. After what can only be described as a taxing decade, the 43-year old Woods came from behind to win the Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club in April this year.
Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus was more than impressed with Woods’s performance stating that:
“He came back, he worked hard to get himself back in shape to be able to play. He had to figure out what he had between the five inches between his ears. He had to get that solved to believe that he could do what he did. He had won The Tour Championship the year before. But that’s still only 30 players. He’s not beating a huge field. And he just had to believe it.”
Nicklaus also went on to say that, should his body co-operate, Woods may very well beat his record of winning 18 majors. Despite his recent win, it is hard to forget the preceding period of darkness in both Tiger’s personal life and his golfing career.
A life filled with ups and downs
The period between 2008 and 2107 was one that was marred with injury for Woods. He had no less than 4 back surgeries, experienced issues with his right elbow, injured both his Achilles’ tendons, strained his left MCL, and battled with severe neck stiffness. It was also during this time that he developed a severe sleeping disorder that left him unmotivated and exhausted.
During the lowest time in his life, in 2017, Woods was arrested for DUI in Florida. His toxicology report revealed that he had five different drugs in his system which included Delta-9 carboxy THC, two pain killers, Xanax, and a sleeping pill known as Ambien. Thankfully Woods received the help he desperately needed with his sleeping disorder and chronic pain or things could have turned out a lot worse.
You can’t play golf when you are tired
According to the BedTester.com team, good sleep is such an important part of life that every effort needs to be made to achieve it. For professional golfers such as Woods, sleep is even more important than for the Average Joe. Not only is sufficient sleep necessary to survive a long day on the golf course, but it also has a direct impact on both physical and mental golf fitness. Jack Nicklaus himself spoke of discovering a strategy for playing an exceptionally tough course as well as discovering a pivotal correction in his golf swing while fast asleep. A lack of sleep is, unfortunately, a common occurrence among career sportsmen, especially in the days leading up to big events.
Sound sleep is within everyone’s reach
Instead of taking the route Woods did and risk becoming dependent on pharmaceuticals, there are other ways to ensure a good night’s rest. In between games, matches, and tournaments, sportsman should try to adhere to a regular sleep schedule. As a training schedule changes so too should a sleep schedule. On nights that an early bedtime is out of the question, it is imperative to try squeeze in a nap during the day.
Ongoing research shows that both short-term memory and reaction time improves after a nap of just 30 minutes which is great news for a competitive sportsperson. Other ways to ensure a good night’s rest include sleeping on a comfortable mattress, limiting the use of electronic devices prior to going to bed, and steering clear of alcohol and large doses of caffeine.
Tiger Woods is living proof of the immense importance sound sleep plays in the career and overall well-being of a professional athlete. Without sufficient sleep even the most resilient of sportsmen can lose their competitive edge faster than ever imagined.