Sleep Tips From Pool

I was talking to a coworker a few months back about my problems not getting enough sleep.  He had a suggestion that I wanted to pass on to you all.  Maybe it will help one of us out!

He is a golfer and I related his suggestion to pool.

He said what he does when he can't fall asleep is he thinks of a past golf match.  He added, "because I'm not thinking of actions or what to do, it calms me down and I fall asleep."

I have written before how imagining running out can help our pool game when we can't get to the pool table, but I hadn't considered thinking of a previous pool match to help me fall asleep.  I suppose that is better than counting sheep!

Let me know if this works for you.

Sleep is Key

I noticed the past few weeks that I haven't been getting good sleep.

I usually fall asleep pretty easily, but lately I am staying up an hour or more past my normal bed time.  And I am still waking up in the middle of the night, too.

Why do you care about my sleep patterns?  You prolly don't lol.

But, it makes me glad to know I'm not playing league right now.  The number one most important thing I need to play good pool, to give me a chance to play my absolute best, is the all-allusive SLEEP!

So, since I've been tired lately, I am just thankful I'm not playing league or have any big tournaments coming up.

I actually used to get anxiety when I couldn't go back to sleep or didn't get good sleep because it was so necessary for my game.  If anything, not playing has allowed less anxiety and I actually sleep better with less worry about how tired I might be.

Am I making sense?  lol.

Bottom line:  get some shut eye, folks!  Rest helps.

Less Sleep Is Good, too

"Which is it??"

You are asking yourself:

"Melinda you profess all the time how when you get a lot of rest/sleep before tournaments that you play your best and it's a big, key ingredient for you.  So, now why are you about to talk about less sleep??"

This is why:

I learned almost 15 years ago that I need my body and mind to be awake at least 2 hours before my first match in order for me to perform well.

I was in Vegas and I had a 9am match.  I was exhausted and wanted to sleep in as long as I absolutely could!  I can get ready in about 15 minutes, takes 15 minutes from my room to the playing area in the Riveria, and so I set my cute little alarm for 8:30am.  I thought I was a genesis.  Instead, I was STUPID.

I wasn't awake enough to play well.  I made mistakes.  I didn't have breakfast.  I was still out of it from just waking up.  I was missing balls.  And, I lost.

I was so very disappointed in myself.  I HAD that girl!

But, I hadn't had enough time to wake my brain and body up, so it cost me the match.

On Sunday morning of the OB Cues Ladies Tour a couple of weeks ago, I had set my alarm for 9:15am.  Boy, was I excited to get to sleep in a little more than usual.  Especially since I was also very exhausted from the whole day before playing pool all day (both physical and mental exhaustion).

I happened to wake up around 7:30am to go pee-pee.  As I'm trying to fall back asleep it hits me:  I need to get up by 8:30am!  Not 9:15am.

What was I thinking??

Recalling vividly that slow morning back in 2,000 in Vegas when I wasn't awake enough to play well, I made sure to get up that crisp Sunday morning and get my body moving through the house, even though I was still tired.

I need 2 full hours to be awake to play good pool.  Match at 10:30am, body out of that bed at 8:30am.

And sure enough, it took me a while to "get going" and wake my brain and body up.  I was glad I added time so I would be more prepared to play.

While getting rest and sleep IS key, what is also key is I need to be awake for at least 2 hours to give myself the best chance possible to play well.  Again, something we can control.

*yawn*

Sleep and Pool

For me, the number one key thing for me to play at my absolute best is to GET SLEEP.

It just helps me so much to be rested and feel refreshed.  It helps me physically (of course) feel better and it also helps me mentally.  Getting a good nights' rest has been proven to help our decision-making processes.  And hey!  That's what's important in pool, right?

I haven't slept well in YEARS.  At least, not consistently.

I either wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep for a couple of hours, or can't fall asleep right away and toss and turn for hours.

When I had league several times a week, this would really cause me anxiety.  My teams needed me to show up with 100% dedication and be ready to play well.  But if I was tired, I didn't perform my absolute best.  And, I didn't feel excited to be there because I was exhausted (and thinking about how I needed sleep for work).

So, not getting good rest for a few nights in a row, I was already worried I wouldn't perform up to par for the team.  Actually, I did still play well, but I could have played BETTER and been in a better mood, more smiling, having more fun, playing stronger, etc.  Instead, I would be tired.  And we all know when we are tired to get a little grumpy, too. 

And not getting a good nights' rest even with league once a week, say just Thursday, was still getting to me because I knew it was a domino effect.  By the time Thursday came, I'd be exhausted.

Now, though, I have no worries since I don't play any leagues!  If I don't sleep, I just get it the next night.  I don't fret over it at all, and I just kinda accept it when I can't go to sleep or can't go back to sleep.

I actually now have a feeling of relief when I don't get enough sleep.  Sounds silly, I know, but because I know there's no pressure anymore, it's all just acceptance with no worry.  And, normally I had no choice but to go to league tired.  Now if I'm tired, I just, well, come home after work to rest instead of being out til midnight.

There is benefits to not playing league.  This is a big one for me because of my bad sleep habits.