Why did Naomi Osaka change her mattress during the US Open?

One of the actions and habits mentioned in the book "50 Rules for a Strong Mind: The World's Best Mentality" (link) by Coach Sascha Bajin, who trained tennis superstar Naomi Osaka mentally and guided her to become world No. 1, is "investing in sleep." Even if our worlds are different, let's consider what we can do to be our best selves.

Sleep is vital for athletes

Many top athletes today are featured as the face of home products for sleep environments. The reason is undoubtedly that for athletes who are active worldwide, fighting against many rising competitors daily, and achieving results from their regular training, reviewing sleep quality is crucial to drawing out their best performance.

Coach Sascha Bajin says, "Many people compare the performance of multiple models when buying a new TV, but almost no one bothers to research the materials when buying a bed mattress. This is probably because most people don't know the importance of a mattress." Therefore, I will briefly explain mattress materials that most people are likely familiar with.

【Low-resilience mattress】

By distributing pressure according to the different weights of body parts, you can sleep without putting strain on any single area, no matter your sleeping posture. For those who find it difficult to turn over, it can alleviate the discomfort of being unable to move. A weakness, however, is that low-resilience urethane has almost no breathability, making it prone to stuffiness. This is because your body sinks into the soft urethane, and the stuffy material covers your entire body.

【High-resilience mattress】

High-resilience mattresses have a spring-like elasticity and a softness that conforms to the body, while also providing the repulsive force needed for turning over. Moderate tossing and turning during sleep aids in deep sleep and recovery from fatigue.

It's not possible to definitively say whether low-resilience or high-resilience is better, but the quality of the material, individual preferences, sleeping habits, and physical condition can all affect how it feels, and these factors should be considered when choosing a mattress.

So, what happens if you choose the wrong bed mattress?

・For those suffering from neck or back pain, it worsens these conditions = persistent body pain
・Because the pain is constant, the body's strength, which should be recovered during sleep, is not restored = decreased vitality
・Since physical strength is not restored, no matter how much you sleep, you don't feel refreshed = aging
・Distortions that appear from trying to compensate for current pain = chronic pain
・Going to chiropractors or massage therapists for pain relief = financial burden
・The body gets used to an unsuitable mattress over time, so sleep no longer feels like it's causing daily fatigue or decreased vitality = decreased performance
・Decreased vitality, decreased performance, aging = unable to enjoy life 100%

It's a vicious cycle.

Naomi Osaka replaced her mattress during the 2018 US Open

Coach Sascha Bajin states, "One of the keys to success in work is the bed mattress; getting good sleep and recovering physical strength is just as important as the work itself." Naomi Osaka, who already suffered from back pain, had trouble sleeping during the first few days of the 2018 US Open and felt off on the court, making simple mistakes. So, she decided to change the mattress in her hotel room. In fact, at that time, Kei Nishikori was staying at the same hotel and had the same problem, and he also had his mattress replaced, realizing that he couldn't perform at his best on the court otherwise. "No deep sleep, no glory."

"Since you spend one-third of your life in bed, you should pay more attention to mattress selection than when buying a TV or computer." Her coach must have been convinced of Naomi's potential for world No. 1, as she herself understood the importance of "investing in good sleep" to evolve her abilities as a top athlete.

There are many things we want to nail in our daily lives: important meetings, public speeches/presentations, class reunions, children's school visits, and dates. To perform at our best when it matters most, the ability to effectively improve the quality of our daily sleep can truly be called an investment in ourselves through quality sleep.

Reference:

* Asukashinsha - "50 Rules for a Strong Mind: The World's Best Mentality" by Sascha Bajin