Sleep problems in hockey: ‘Health is not so important that you change the game plan’

What do Dario Simion, Fabian Heldner and Calvin Thürkauf have in common? They all play in the Swiss national team, in the National League and have sleeping problems. The reason is the same for all three players: many games in a row, thoughts circling in the head and caffeine.

It is no longer a secret that many ice hockey players have sleep problems. While people used to resort to sleeping pills, there are now more alternatives. Nevertheless, sleepless nights are still as much a part of hockey players as skates and sticks.

One wrong move on the ice can affect not only the game, but also the sleep of the hockey players. What follows is something everyone has probably experienced: you roll around in bed, turn over the pillow, and stare into the darkness. Another sleepless night. While most people can go to bed earlier the next night, ice hockey players have to perform on the ice again.

“Unfortunately I have to wait longer after the matches because I can’t fall asleep. “I’m really having a hard time,” says EVZ striker Dario Simion. Lausanne defender Fabian Heldner has a similar story: “I know I don’t even have to try. There is no point.”

A lack of sleep also means a lack of regeneration. The ice hockey players have to play three times a week, usually two games on the following days. “The game plan has a big impact on sleep,” Heldner continues. He doesn’t think these double rounds are optimal for regeneration. Lugano captain Calvin Thürkauf also has the same problem: “We have one of the longest travel routes and that affects my sleep.”

Thürkauf immediately gives an example. If they compete in Geneva, they’ll be home around 3 o’clock after the game and have to be back on the ice by 11 o’clock, he says, adding: “It’s hard to sleep.” EVZ striker Dario Simion has a similar situation. “During doubles rounds I have to sleep as quickly as possible and that is sometimes difficult,” he says.

The double rounds, also called back-to-back games, are not conducive to health. “The back-to-back matches are not optimal from a medical point of view,” says Beat Schwegler, team doctor at EV Zug. Due to the insufficient chance of regeneration, the risk of injuries is greater.

But not alone. Response times will be extended, so there will be significant limitations, Schwegler says. “With a longer reaction time, you may no longer be able to avoid a check, or the goalkeeper may suddenly no longer be able to hold the puck that he would have held the day before.”

Weekend games and the Sunday games at 8 p.m. are mainly about money and marketing. “Health is not so important that you change the game plan,” Schwegler continues. Willi Vögtlin, who has been making game plans for the National League for 26 years, only sees change in sight if the clubs change the current parameters.

Developing a game plan is not that simple: Vögtlin creates the preliminary plan with the help of a mathematician and software and then sits down with all the club representatives, i.e. the CEOs of the 14 National League clubs. “The CEOs know they have to generate revenue from their clubs,” he says. In other words, money comes before the player’s relaxation.

In order to make the game plans, he must also adhere to an important criterion. There may not be two home games in one weekend. There is still intensive exchange between the clubs with the longest travel times. But Vögtlin says: “I treat all clubs the same.” Once the game plan is in place and the new season starts, the players’ sleep problems also begin.

Vögtlin also hears again and again about sleepless nights. “Depending on the travel distance, which is usually a lot shorter than in other top competitions, that is the downside of the privilege of being a hockey player.” However, there is little sympathy between the lines.

The ice hockey players were also able to get some sleep along the way. But very few people succeed. At least on the way back. Heldner, the Lausanne defender, sleeps on the road, but never sleeps on the way home. Thürkauf from HCL thinks the same: “If we lose, it is difficult to fall asleep in the car.”

Dario Simion, on the other hand, also sees positive sides to traveling. “The long journeys make me tired and when I get home I fall asleep straight away.” But it is important not to have a long power nap in the afternoon. Otherwise you will have difficulty falling asleep at night. A vicious circle.

The EVZ team doctor currently does not prescribe sleeping pills. “Players today are more looking for alternatives,” he says, adding: “It used to be common to take a sleeping pill.” Schwegler recommends relaxation exercises or only going to bed when you are really tired.

Despite sleep problems, the matches continue to take place on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. In the NHL there are road trips or multiple home games in a row. But in Switzerland that is impossible. Vögtlin says: “Switzerland is a small country.”

In other competitions, such as in Sweden, there is only a match every other day. Heldner and Simion would also prefer such a mode. Zug striker Simion thinks: “If there are no back-to-back games, I sleep longer in the afternoon, so it’s not so bad if I can’t fall asleep as quickly in the evening.”

The Lugano forward wants to stick to the game plan despite sleep problems. “We would rather have more matches than train for a week for just one match,” he says. From a medical perspective, Beat Schwegler has a solution: “If you start the games a few hours earlier, the effects of caffeine and snus as an extra boost after 10 p.m. are significantly less.”

But this is not a solution for the league at the moment. “That is not an option at the moment because the playing times are based on years of positive experience,” says Vögtlin. And as for the double matches on the weekend: “The league representatives want double rounds for economic reasons,” said the planning boss. This will certainly remain the case in the near future. (aargauerzeitung.ch)