I phoned a contact of mine to ask for his observations. “It’s something we keep an eye on,” he said, “but sleeping pills are what you should be asking me about.”
It might surprise you that athletes turn to sleeping pills so readily, until you consider the reasons why. Some rely on them to suppress the discomfort of injury at night. Some use them to cope with other forms of trauma. Many players simply want to sleep well and long — because it’s established that sleep is integral to recovery and performance. Switching off from the adrenaline generated by competitive matches is often a battle.
Football’s sleeping pills problem: ‘My usage was ridiculous – I was in La La Land’
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/698526 ... s-problem/
He warned that this could actually have the opposite effect intended, as players using sleeping pills were not getting proper recovery sleep.
“I think we are becoming more wary,” he tells The Athletic. “What I found heartbreaking with the Dele interview was that he thought sleeping pills were helping him sleep, but they don’t — they knock you out.