Football’s ‘Sleep Geek’ James Wilson on how he helped guide Sheffield United, Rotherham and Lincoln City to promotion
THE PROMOTIONS of Rotherham, Lincoln and Sheffield United in recent years have little connection at first glance.
But throw in sleep expert James Wilson, and suddenly there is a recurring theme.
Wilson first arrived at his boyhood club Rotherham back in December 2017 with the side languishing in 13th in League One after a seven-game winless run.
Fast forward to May, and the Tykes were celebrating play-off glory at Wembley following a 14-game unbeaten streak.
It’s a similar story with Sheffield United and Lincoln last season, playing his part in their promotions to the Premier League and League One respectively.
Wilson laughs: “Some might say all of their success is down to me.”
It's a joke of course, but one with a sense of truth to it also.
Wilson was drawn towards a career in sleep behaviour after ironically struggling to sleep himself, despite the fact his family made mattresses.
He then teamed up with Finnish company UnikBed, who lead the way in sleep products after working with the likes of F1’s Kimi Raikkonen as well as several NBA and NFL players.
And now, he looks to take football by storm as he gains a reputation for plump pillows followed by promotions wherever he goes.
'SOME SLEEP ADVICE IS REALLY DAMAGING'
He said: “There are other clubs that bring people to talk about sleep, but it’s not that common.
“It’s currently being approached like nutrition – do X, Y and Z and this will fix it. But sleep is different. It’s emotional and lies more towards mental health. The more you force it the harder it gets.
“When I first started at Rotherham, some of the players had come across sleep coaches who said they should all be napping every day. It is not like that.
“It is about the individual. Some sleep advice is really damaging.
“Roger Federer is said to famously have 10 hours sleep and Lionel Messi five hours, but they have the mind set to know what they need to perform well. We are all different.
“Eating vegan food won’t make you like Lewis Hamilton. What they all do is understand themselves better. They are doing things that are working for them.”
Wilson’s process began by putting every single member of staff through body-mapping treatment – including manager Paul Warne.
He said: “I work with the first team squad, but also their partners and children, the support staff, the academy, the community trust and the women’s team.
“You have to try to create a club that sleeps well. It’s not just an exercise.”
Wilson admits he would not have had the success with Rotherham had it not been for the club and Warne’s openness and unique styles of man-management.
It’s a style that allows Wilson to wander onto the training pitch during sessions and casually chat to the players about their sleep patterns – something he prefers to a sit-down seminar.
He can then offer his services through specialised products, such as personalised pillows or mattresses, and sleep tricks learnt during his travels.
Not all of them were initially convinced, however, including a sleep-deprived Warne.
Wilson explained: “He used to complain about waking up and needing 10 to 15 minutes to loosen up and described his body cracking like cornflakes after stretching.
“He was a bit sceptical at first but I provided him with a new pillow and his feedback instant. He said he felt like a new man, waking up and feeling alert.”
The immediate impacts were felt by most of the players too, none more so than parasomnia sufferer Richard Wood, who went on to score twice in their play-off final 2-1 victory against Shrewsbury Town.
Wilson said: “He would sleep walk and act out his job – heading balls in his sleep.
“Sleep walking and talking is common in football. We are embarrassed about it but you just need to understand what the trigger is and for him it was the room temperature.
“It’s not about curing it. If someone says they can cure it then they are lying. You simply get better at it, and hopefully we have prolonged Richard’s career.”
Word spread about Wilson’s work. Former Rotherham midfielder Lee Frecklington told all his new teammates about it down at Lincoln.
While down the road, Sheffield Unitedgot in touch, and a certain Chris Wilder even went to Wilson for some personal sleep advice during the run in to their second-placed finish.
Wilson admitted: “The commonality between all three clubs is they have a similar sort of up and coming manager who understands the importance of working within an open culture and talking about sleep.
“They play good football, but the reason they get promoted is the mentality, and how involved the chairmen and CEO’s are.”
At one of Wilson’s three clubs, one of his biggest success stories came with a foreign player who suffered from sleep paralysis during REM sleep.
It meant he could end up sleeping for 17 hours, missing training and match day meets.
A simple wind-down routine every night did the trick, perhaps saving the player’s career in England.
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Wilson has gone on to prove to be the leading expert in a problem that very few English clubs know they have – so what’s next for the sleep guru?
He pauses, before saying: “If we could hit all the clubs in the Premier League or FA charter clubs, getting into every corner of the game, then my work will be done.”
***For more information on James Wilson aka The Sleep Geek please visit www.thesleepgeek.co.uk***