sport news Will Stuart reveals he has started taping his MOUTH while sleeping trends now
Will Stuart has revealed that his extreme commitment to England’s new sleep science techniques left him waking up in a panic in the early hours – due to having his mouth taped shut.
The Bath prop is the senior tighthead in the Red Rose squad on this tour of Australia and he is also renowned as a champion sleeper in the ranks.
But the 25-year-old has embraced methods designed to improve the benefits of nocturnal rest, even though it caused initial anxiety.
Will Stuart reveals he has been taping his mouth while sleeping to show his commitment
It was during the pre-tour training camps when England brought in a sleep scientist to address the players and Stuart has taken on even the most uncomfortable advice in the pursuit of a marginal gain.
‘I’ve started taping my mouth for sleeping,’ he said. ‘You tape up your lips so you make sure that you nasal breathe when you’re sleeping. It’s very good, actually. It's supposed to be a lot more efficient oxygen intake.’
When met with an incredulous request to confirm that this is not a wind-up, and that he really does tape his mouth before going to bed, Stuart added: ‘Yeah, yeah. It is weird at first.
The 25-year-old has embraced methods designed to improve the benefits of nocturnal rest
'You wake up in the middle of the night a couple of times like “what the f*** is going on”? You’re gasping for air, especially with a blocked nose.
‘But you don’t get that feeling – especially when the air con is on in your room – of waking up with your mouth feeling like you've been dragged through the desert.
'You don't get that and you feel a bit more awake. So it’s better, but it is hard to get used to.’
The use of tape in this way was just one approach Stuart adopted after the sleep scientist’s visit. Most of the other recommendations were more mundane.
Most of the other recommendations that Bath prop Stuart has embraced are more mundane
‘A lot of the stuff was about winding down for an hour before sleep,’ said Stuart, ‘and she wasn’t too happy with two or three-hour naps after training!
'There was a lot of stuff about caffeine intake and making sure your bed is primarily used for sleeping rather than sitting on it snacking or watching TV. She hated watching TV in bed.
‘There were a lot of little things which were easily changeable and I’ve started trying to do them.
'No phones in bed was one thing. Any blue lights before going to sleep is pretty bad, she said.
'The recommended nap time was specifically 27 minutes or something like that, but if you go above 27 minutes, make sure it’s 90 minutes, so you get a full sleep cycle.’
Stuart certainly managed a few full sleep cycles on the flight from London to Perth last week – a total of 12 hours in fact. But he is not the only prop with a knack for dozing off.
Stuart is not the only prop with a knack for dozing off, as Mako Vunipola also loves to sleep
‘Mako (Vunipola) is probably up there as well,’ he said. ‘I’ve roomed with him before. I don’t think we spoke for about three days, we just slept. It was a couple of deep sleepers.’
The last week has
