LONDON – Manchester City striker Erling Haaland says he sleeps with his mouth taped shut as part of an intense night-time regimen aimed at maintaining his superb form for English football’s treble winners.
The Norwegian international follows an unusual routine in the evening that includes the mouth tape and wearing blue light-blocking glasses for three hours before going to bed.
The 23-year-old, who won the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) Players’ Player of the Year award on Tuesday, spoke about his nocturnal habits in an interview with YouTuber Logan Paul for his Impaulsive podcast.
“I think sleep is the most important thing in the world. To sleep good, simple kind of things like blue (light)-blocking glasses, shutting out all the signals in the bedroom, I think that is really important,” Haaland said.
“You should try and tape your mouth. I sleep with it. Doing a lot of things is not good but doing small things every single day for a longer period really pays off.”
He said that the reason for taping his mouth was to maximise breathing through the nostrils, while exposure to sources of blue light, such as electronic devices, can affect sleep.
The striker also regularly uses a sauna, adding: “I have it (a sauna) at my home so I try and do it not every single day but almost every day. Sauna, steam room.”
Haaland’s sleep ritual is clearly working as he scored 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions in his debut season with City, helping the club win the Champions League, the English Premier League and the FA Cup.
His 36 Premier League goals last term are record for a single season in the competition.
Haaland has also previously revealed that his diet of cow’s heart and liver, as well as a drink made of milk, kale and spinach, helped him on the road to success.
In a documentary called Haaland: The Big Decision that was aired in August 2022, he showed off huge chunks of heart and liver from his butcher, saying: “You (people) don’t eat this, but I am concerned with taking care of my body. I think eating quality food that is as local as possible is the most important.”
Besides his milk drink, he consumes water that has gone through a complicated filter system.
“The first thing I do in the morning is to get some sunlight in my eyes – it is good for circadian rhythm. And I have also started to filtrate my water a bit. I think it can have great benefits for my body,” he said in the programme.
The perfect diet? Haaland consumes 6,000 calories per day in order to maintain peak physical condition. AFP
