Christoph von der Malsburg is a sleep coach and works together with various competitive athletes and Bundesliga clubs to solve sleep problems. His partners include Niko Kovac and Domenico Tedesco.
In an interview with SPOX and GOAL explains von der Malsburg why the topic of sleep is still too little important in professional football and why it can make a difference.
He also talks about how to deal with snoring teammates, what difference the sleep rhythm can make in the Champions League semi-finals and describes how to get a professional with sleep problems back on their toes at short notice.
Mr. von der Malsburg, what do you think about at night just before you go to sleep?
Christoph von der Malsburg: Nothing. If everything goes well, I concentrate fully on my breathing and try not to think about the office anymore.
How do you do it?
From the Malsburg: I try to take care of the most important things during the day. Many people no longer care about their issues when they are awake, but rather postpone their tasks and then get into a kind of carousel of thoughts in bed. Instead, however, one should try to accept that the problem is unlikely to be resolved before sleep. It is important to me that I can lie in bed and just let go.
Sleep coach from the Malsburg: “Sleep is not a sexy topic”
You have been concerned with human sleep for eight years. Why are you so fascinated by this topic?
From the Malsburg: I wanted to do something that challenges me and has to do with people. But above all I wanted to change something. I’ve worked in management for almost two decades, looking for something that is challenging. The subject of sleep is difficult in this respect because you don’t represent yourself with it, for example with fitness or nutrition. Sleep is not a poser topic, you don’t post a selfie on Instagram from sleeping. Sleep is actually not a sexy topic, although it is extremely relevant and plays a major role in competitive sports. Sleep is actually a training session. It is precisely at this point that I am interested in rethinking and dissolving these ways of thinking, because it is an exciting and at the same time difficult task.
You pass on your knowledge to various professional athletes. Why are you doing that?
From the Malsburg: I’ve been a fan of Eintracht Frankfurt since I was a child. I then had one or two points of contact in professional sport and after a few conversations I noticed that professional sport hardly deals with sleep. That totally amazed me. As a result, I then got in touch with Domenico Tedesco and Niko Kovac, who also took up this topic directly. Individual athletes usually try to optimize their way of life completely, but in football it is still very tough.
Training sleep – is it even possible to generalize that?
From the Malsburg: Yes, to the extent that everyone sleeps. The temporal structure and the amount of sleep vary, but everyone sleeps in the same rhythm. Humanity has been sleeping for 150 million years and will continue to do so until it no longer exists. In addition to breathing, nutrition and exercise, sleep is the most important issue in order to exist in principle. And if we want to be healthy, we also have to sleep well.
Still, sleep is not an issue that you tell your friends about.
From the Malsburg: Exactly. In my opinion there is a mistake in sport because it is often said: ‘They shouldn’t sleep, they should run.’ This gives you the impression that sleep is something boring. After all, nothing happens, it’s dark, we look bad, we smell, we have our mouths open and our hair is certainly not done. And when we see people sleeping in the subway, they’re losers. We don’t say: ‘Wow, respect – he’s sleeping!’
“If you don’t sleep, you won’t get healthier”
What would have to happen for this to happen?
From the Malsburg: Sleep becomes sexy when a Ronaldo, a Federer, a Lindsey Vonn or a Robert Lewandowski say they are sleeping. Then the topic gets attention because they are top athletes who have shaped the news world for years. Personally, I try to draw further attention to the topic by teaching football teachers or visiting different forums. No matter how well people eat and exercise, if they don’t sleep they won’t get any healthier.
What practical influences does sleep have in professional sport?
From the Malsburg: Let’s stay with football. Athletes are all clocked differently in their 24-hour rhythm. For example, if a team is in the Champions League semi-finals and there is a penalty shoot-out around 11 p.m., then different players have had a complete melatonin distribution for three hours. Means that the body is already going down and following its biorhythm. If you take all of these factors into account, there is a lot that can be optimized. But even in some German teams that play at European level, nothing has been done yet.
