Sleep coach for GAA | Stop chasing perfect sleep | The 8-hour myth

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Should you always go to bed at the same time? Is eight hours a myth? And why is your sleep tracker maybe doing more harm than good?

With club championships now in full swing, I sat down with Emmett Lynch, a professional sleep coach trained in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, to break down what's actually happening when GAA players can't sleep before or after a big game.

Emmett works with county players, club players and elite boxers through his practice in Derry, and he's blunt about the myths doing the rounds: the eight hour rule, mouth taping, magnesium tablets, obsessive sleep tracking.

His whole approach flips the usual advice on its head. Instead of chasing sleep harder, he tells players to try easier.

In this episode, we also cover:

• The most common issues GAA players bring to him

• Why "tired" and "sleepy" are two completely different things

• The truth about bedtime routines, screens and phone scrolling before bed

• A simple write-it-down method for a racing mind the night before a game

• Controlled rest periods versus naps on match day

• Getting to sleep after a night game full of adrenaline

• Whether elite athletes actually need more sleep than everyone else

• Sleep trackers - are they helping or hurting your recovery?

• The truth about melatonin, magnesium and mouth taping

Whether you're a player struggling to switch off before championship or a coach trying to help your squad recover better, this one is worth your time.

You can follow or reach out to Emmett on his Instagram