{"id":9933,"date":"2026-02-28T08:01:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T01:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=9933"},"modified":"2026-02-28T08:01:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T01:01:44","slug":"home-ground-disadvantage-how-sleep-and-travel-could-impact-the-matildas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/home-ground-disadvantage-how-sleep-and-travel-could-impact-the-matildas\/","title":{"rendered":"Home ground disadvantage? How sleep and travel could impact the\u00a0Matildas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On paper, the Matildas should have a major advantage playing on home soil for the upcoming Women\u2019s Asian Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, from a sleep and travel perspective, they may be fighting a hidden disadvantage despite Australia hosting the tournament, which runs from March 1\u201321.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because most of Australia\u2019s squad is based overseas, many flying from the top European leagues in England, Italy, Germany and Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s unpack the challenges they face and how travel impacts these athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@aleagues\/video\/7608429073626385686\" data-video-id=\"7608429073626385686\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@aleagues\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@aleagues?refer=embed\">@aleagues<\/a> <p>The Matildas have the chance to snap a \ud835\udfcf\ud835\udfd4-\ud835\udc32\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2b Asian Cup trophy drought on home soil! \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udfc6 Ahead of the 2026 edition kicking off, it&#8217;s time to look back at Australia&#8217;s record in the tournament. <a title=\"builtintheninjaaleague\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/builtintheninjaaleague?refer=embed\">#BuiltInTheNinjaALeague<\/a> <a title=\"matildas\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/matildas?refer=embed\">#matildas<\/a> <a title=\"womensasiancup\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/womensasiancup?refer=embed\">#womensasiancup<\/a> <a title=\"footballtiktok\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/footballtiktok?refer=embed\">#footballtiktok<\/a> <a title=\"fyp\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/fyp?refer=embed\">#fyp<\/a> <\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - A-Leagues\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7608429165829753622?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; A-Leagues<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How flying impacts sleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The human body runs on an approximate 24-hour internal timing system known as the circadian rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This body clock regulates when we feel alert, when we feel sleepy and even how well we perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, when a team travels from Southwest or Central Asia to Australia, the players may shift forward up to 6\u20137 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take, for example, the Iranian national team, almost all of whom play in the local domestic league. For staff and players travelling from Tehran to Brisbane, their internal body clocks will still think it\u2019s the middle of the night when it\u2019s morning in Brisbane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result is jet lag: a misalignment between the internal body clock and the new time zone, which generally resolves at about one day per time zone crossed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jet lag results in disrupted sleep, daytime fatigue, slower reaction times and reduced concentration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In travelling to Australia, nations such as Iran and Uzbekistan will cross five or more time zones, others such as Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea will face only minor shifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Matildas, Japan and South Korea have many players arriving from various European countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Matildas have the most overseas-based players of any squad (closely followed by Japan). The Australians have 23 players arriving into Perth from all different locations: 13 from England, four from Sweden, two from Italy, two from Germany, one from the United States and one from Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The distance of travel matters. Long-haul flights can disrupt sleep even before jet lag begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes often struggle to sleep on planes due to restricted movement, cabin pressure, dehydration and unfamiliar conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They can suffer what is known as travel fatigue, which is different from jet lag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So some teams will arrive in Australia only sleep-deprived (travel fatigue, minor shifts), and some will arrive both sleep-deprived as well as circadian-misaligned (jet lag).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Direction matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The severity of symptoms and rate of adaptation largely depend the direction of the flight and the individual variation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Travel to Australia can take up to 30 hours in the less favourable eastward direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put it simply, recovering from eastward travel usually requires people to shift their sleep and wake up earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Physiologically, this is harder than travelling west because advancing the body clock affects the body more than delaying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why some players adapt faster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone responds to travel in the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adaptation to time-zone change is moderated by chronotype \u2013 natural preferences of the body for sleep and wake activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Morning types (larks) feel alert early and are ready for bed earlier while evening types (owls) prefer later schedules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These differences are important because morning types may adapt better to eastward travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evening types often struggle more because they must fall asleep earlier than their biological preference. Exposure to bright light at the wrong time (such as scrolling on a phone in a brightly lit hotel room) may further delay adjustment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why screening players\u2019 natural sleep patterns before a tournament can help staff individualise plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experience counts. Players who regularly compete in international tournaments are repeatedly exposed to long-haul travel and rapid time-zone changes where overtime they often develop different behavioural strategies to help reduce the severity of jet lag symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DS2zdgMjV-D\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DS2zdgMjV-D\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DS2zdgMjV-D\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Sportblits (@sportblits)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sleep banking and light exposure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the simplest and most effective strategies is something called sleep banking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the week before departure, players can deliberately extend their nightly sleep by 30\u201360 minutes. This creates a buffer against the inevitable sleep loss during travel and competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research shows this can minimise performance declines and speed-up recovery later, especially when going into periods of disrupted sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In short, we can\u2019t eliminate jet lag but we can prepare for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once in Australia, timing becomes everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The timing of light exposure after eastward travel becomes ever more important. Evening light should be limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Short daytime naps (20\u201360 minutes, ideally early afternoon) can reduce fatigue without impairing night-time sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Caffeine can be helpful but only when timed carefully: a sneaky late-afternoon coffee may impact subsequent sleep and potentially delay adaptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sleep as a competitive advantage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In tournament football, sleep should be viewed as a performance variable that underpins both preparation and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes\u2019 sleep is commonly disrupted after competition, particularly night games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a tournament context, this creates a compounding problem: one poor night can carry into subsequent matches via reduced recovery, impaired mood and vigilance, and altered physiological readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multi-match schedules, short turnarounds, late kickoffs, unfamiliar beds and heightened cognitive arousal can all compress sleep opportunity and reduce sleep quality at the very time when athletes need it most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal isn\u2019t perfect sleep \u2013 it is consistency and protecting one\u2019s sleep opportunities. Teams must make sleep a priority and stop stealing it through poorly timed meetings, recovery sessions or media obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prioritising sleep and recovery could be the difference between falling at the group stages of the tournament and pushing deep into the final matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/michele-lastella-2594576\">Michele Lastella<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/cquniversity-australia-2140\">CQUniversity Australia<\/a><\/em>; <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/dean-j-miller-808724\">Dean J. Miller<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/cquniversity-australia-2140\">CQUniversity Australia<\/a><\/em>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/matthew-driller-1178769\">Matthew Driller<\/a>, Associate Professor, Sport and Exercise Science, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/la-trobe-university-842\">La Trobe University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/home-ground-disadvantage-how-sleep-and-travel-could-impact-the-matildas-276059\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On paper, the Matildas should have a major advantage playing on home soil for the upcoming Women\u2019s Asian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[63],"class_list":["post-9933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup.webp",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup-300x169.webp",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup-768x432.webp",640,360,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup-1024x576.webp",640,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup.webp",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup.webp",1280,720,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup-825x575.webp",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup-590x410.webp",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/international\/\" rel=\"category tag\">International<\/a>","tag_info":"International","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFC-womens-asian-cup.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9934,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9933\/revisions\/9934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}