Cristiano Ronaldo still maintains good physical condition even though he is 39 years old. According to Sportbible, besides nutrition and training, sleep distribution also helps CR7 maintain peak playing condition for many years.
Cristiano Ronaldo has worked with sleep coach Nick Littlehales since his time at Real Madrid, and he always affirms the importance of naps.
It is known that every day, Ronaldo sleeps up to 5 or 6 times, each time lasting about 1 and a half hours and he often sleeps in the fetal position.
After dinner, he usually rests, relaxes and then goes swimming at 10:00 p.m. After that, Ronaldo went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night. His next sleep begins at 03:00 and he wakes up early in the morning like many others. Besides, Ronaldo also takes short naps at noon and afternoon.
According to coach Nick Littlehales, this method helps the body recover better than sleeping for 8 hours at night. He told the Record: “Football has a very demanding (competition and practice) schedule. Many young athletes suffer from insomnia, anxiety, stress and they are always part of this job” “.
Another reason why Ronaldo has to split his sleep is the harsh climate in Saudi Arabia. In the summer, daytime temperatures in Saudi Arabia can reach 45 degrees Celsius, sometimes even 54 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, Saudi Pro League teams often practice later. Even on peak hot days, they have to switch to practicing in the evening. “The biggest difference I noticed in Saudi is the hot climate and having to adjust the training schedule quite a lot”, Ronaldo shared on Livescore when he first moved to this tournament.
That’s the reason why Ronaldo got off to a slow start at Al Nassr. Joined Al Nassr in early 2022, but he went through a difficult initial period and received a lot of criticism.
But from the 2023/2024 season, Ronaldo has returned to his original classy image. The 39-year-old striker scored 36 goals and 12 assists in 37 matches for Al Nassr this season. Although he could not help the club win many titles, Ronaldo’s individual performances have improved significantly compared to the second half of the 2022/2023 season.