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The players at the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League have been playing to a busy schedule and know a thing or two about the importance of rest and recuperation.

With 16 teams per gender playing a round-robin tournament in Rimini, Italy, optimal fitness is a prerequisite. But recovery is also key.

“Gosh, I think need is relative now that I have two kids,” says USA setter Micah Christenson. “But, ideally I’d like to get eight hours of sleep.”

A good night’s sleep is a means of recovering ahead of the next day’s match. Sleep is also essential if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

For some, it’s also an opportunity to dream.

“My biggest dream as an athlete, honestly, is to be the best Micah Christenson that I can be, the best teammate I can be for my team,” says the American. “And I do think that goes hand in hand with results. So, when I’m focusing on being the best me, I think I can help the team in a positive way.”

Italy outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto also enjoys eight or nine hours of sleep a night. He dreams of wearing his country’s uniform at the Olympics and it’s a dream he shares with Camilla Mingardi of Italy’s women’s national team.

These dreams could become reality when Tokyo hosts the Games at the end of July. Italy have qualified their men’s and women’s teams for the competition later this year and will be taking their best players.

Alessandro Michieletto (ITA)

Alessandro Michieletto (ITA)

And what could be more conducive to rest and recuperation and to dreams than the perfect mattress?

A brand steeped in history, Magniflex has been manufacturing and distributing mattresses and rest accessories the world over since 1962. A National Partner of the 2021 Volleyball Nations League, Magniflex also has close ties to sport as a sponsor of the Giro d’Italia since the 1980s as part of its commitment to showcasing the close link between quality rest and a healthy lifestyle.