Shohei Ohtani, a major league baseball player who has attracted worldwide attention since announcing his transfer from the Los Angeles Angels to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of 2023, has publicly stated that "I usually get 10 hours of sleep, with at least 8 hours," and "I plan my bedtime schedule several days in advance," and that good quality sleep is what supports his success.
For athletes who put their bodies through a lot of strain, the most important thing is not just "relieving fatigue through sleep," but also "performing at your best the next day." Otani takes sleep seriously so that he can recover from fatigue and perform at his best the next day.
The most important thing is choosing the right bedding. Everyone's body is different, and the areas that bear stress vary greatly. Baseball players in particular tend to have a lot of tension in their shoulders and buttocks, so a mattress needs to distribute the pressure caused by long sleeps. To do this, you need to choose bedding that suits your body.
Since 2017, when he was a member of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Ohtani has had a sleep conditioning support contract with bedding manufacturer Nishikawa, undergoing 3D scanning and other measurements to customize his bedding to fit his physique. His favorite mattress is the "Air SX" regular mattress, which has a special three-dimensional cross-slit structure that provides point support and flexibly fits the body line. It is highly elastic, making it easy to turn over in bed, yet firm enough to support a large body.
Furthermore, a proper sleeping environment can only be achieved once the right pillow is selected. In Ohtani's case, his build has grown since he moved from Nippon Ham to the major leagues. To properly support his shoulders when sleeping on his side, he needs to increase the height of his pillow. It's actually the pillow that needs to be fine-tuned to accommodate changes in muscle mass.
Another important point is the type of comfort you want to sleep on. When Otani had his Nishikawa custom pillow made, he chose the firm "Binchotan Pipe" pillow, but now he has chosen the soft urethane "Angel Float" pillow. He wants a gentle sleep that gently envelops him from head to shoulders. After customizing each pillow, he always tries it out by sleeping on it to thoroughly determine whether it suits his body.
Otani undergoing a body pressure measurement. He spends about 30 minutes trying out different sleeping positions. Since the height of the pillow changes depending on how the body sinks, the firmness of the mattress is determined first. 
Choosing a pillow. Choose your favorite material from a variety of materials that will help you relax the most.
With his aggressive attitude, Ohtani has also made sleep his ally. He now carries his own bedding with him on tours so that he can sleep in the same environment wherever he goes. He even brought a portable mattress to his accommodations at the World Baseball Classic held in Japan. The trial and error process is never-ending, and he still measures himself every time he returns home to choose the bedding that best suits him at that time. It's all for the sake of optimal performance. Those who control their sleep control the world.
