"I have always tried to get 6-8 hours of proper sleep" - Sreesanth, Gautam Gambhir on importance of power naps

Former Indian cricketers S Sreesanth and Gautam Gambhir recently opened up on the importance of having proper sleep and how it helped them compete well as athletes.

Apart from having six hours of proper sleep, Sreesanth also advised having 'power naps' for players while travelling, which get them the 6-8 hours of daily sleep that they need to remain fresh.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda in a discussion alongside Gautam Gambhir, here's what S Sreesanth had to say about proper sleep (5:22):

"I haven't been able to maintain a good sleep cycle because of late-night flights. But I have always tried to get 6-8 hours of proper sleep. You need proper deep sleep of six hours and then that balance two hours can be in the form of power naps when you're travelling in car or flights."

Gautam Gambhir also agreed with Sreesanth about the concept of power naps during flights, adding (6:20):

"Yes I have taken power naps on flights 90 percent of the times. You're already cut off from the world in that period and it is important for you to get recharged to be able to work efficiently."

Further in the discussion, Gambhir opened up on his marathon knock against New Zealand in Napier in 2009 that helped India save the Test match. He recalled how important sleep was for him overnight, asserting (6:57):

"I had batted for so long that I was exhausted and definitely I got good sleep during that time. Waking up and sleeping at the right time made me fresh and I was up for it as I knew I had to bat on Day 3, Day 4 & Day 5 as well."

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Gautam Gambhir on managing jetlag

Gautam Gambhir believes one of the major challenges when players travel overseas is the jetlag and the sleep cycle that gets affected due to it. He believes it is important for everyone to get into the sleep cycle of the respective time zones and explained the process he used to go through.

On this, he stated (7:28):

"When you go to West Indies, Australia or New Zealand where the time difference is a lot, you try and sleep and wake up according to their time. I remember when I was in New Zealand, as soon as we landed, I went for a run as I wanted to make myself so tired that I would sleep and wake up according to their time. If you don't change your body cycle, then the jetlag will be on for a longer time."

Weighing in on the topic, Sreesanth added (8:04):

"We were in West Indies and we went on a run almost immediately after landing because after a long flight there is a tendency to sleep off. But it's important to do the running and then have a good meal and then after a warm bath you sleep as per their time. I have worked with a number of sports psychologists as well and this really helped in maintaining good sleep."

India have sealed top spot in the 2023 World Cup league phase after a massive 243-run win over the Proteas at the Eden Gardens last Sunday.