NU.NL: Strategize your sleep for the 3AM Netherlands vs. Morocco

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The Netherlands meet Morocco in the World Cup round of sixteen in the night from Monday to Tuesday, with kickoff at 3:00 in the morning Dutch time. The article works through a practical question: can you watch the match and still get some real rest, and if so, how. Two specialists are consulted, sleep expert Bert Lenaert and neurobiologist Lucia Talamini.

Their first observation is that simply turning in early rarely does the job. Lenaert attributes this to sleep pressure, the drive to sleep that builds up over the course of an ordinary day. When that pressure is too low, you either lie awake or wake sooner than you meant to, although waking early happens to be useful this time. The recent heat does not help matters. Talamini advises against staying up the whole night, since the body spends the next day in a mild inflammatory state and holds its temperature less reliably. Younger people cope better because they carry more of an energy buffer, but she is clear that the practice is unhealthy for anyone.

Both experts still see room to manage the night sensibly. Lenaert recommends shifting your wind-down routine earlier, since sleep responds strongly to habit and familiar cues. Talamini suggests that people who fall asleep easily go to bed sooner and then wake themselves on purpose, ideally about half an hour before kickoff, sitting upright with the lights on so they are not pushing through the game half conscious. Once it is over, the better move is to go back to bed and steer clear of caffeine, alcohol, and heavy food, which keeps the rhythm closer to normal. If the match stretches into extra time or penalties and finishes near 6:00, neither expects many people to fall asleep again. Their parting advice is not to wrestle with it. If sleep will not come, get up calmly, do something relaxing, and let it return on its own.

Takeaways

Going to bed early on its own tends to fail, because the sleep pressure that lets you drop off has not had a full day to accumulate. Both experts discourage a complete all-nighter, since it leaves the body mildly inflamed and worse at regulating temperature, and that cost applies even to people who think they tolerate it well.

For those who sleep easily, the workable plan is to turn in earlier and set an alarm for roughly thirty minutes before kickoff, then sit up with the lights on so you are genuinely awake for the match. Afterward, returning to bed and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and heavy food protects the following night, whereas sleeping in very late tends to disturb it.

If sleep refuses to arrive, the advice is to stop fighting it: get out of bed, do something quiet, and wait for it to come back rather than lying there frustrated. A nap later in the day is fine as a backup, provided you keep it under two hours so you do not strip away the pressure you need for the next night. Night owls and older adults are the most likely to struggle, so anyone with the option might reasonably take the day off.