As the 82-game grind of the NBA regular season commences next week, so will the challenge of getting enough rest for the best athletes in the world.

It’s a battle that is hard to win, as this week’s ESPN story about sleep deprivation among NBA players showed. Getting a healthy quantity – and quality – of rest is one of the biggest physical issues facing every NBA player (click here to read the full ESPN article).

And it’s not just the lifestyle. In fact, that’s not the primary problem, although it will always exist to some extent. Attaining optimal amount of sleep has always been, and will always be, problematic for most 20-something year olds.

But factor in NBA travel variables and it becomes even harder. The relentless travel, arriving at hotels at 3 in the morning after playing a game hours earlier and trying to be prepared mentally and physically for the next practice or the next game isn’t easy.

The Mavericks are no different than all the other NBA teams in this matter. But they have taken steps to give players the very best chance of being well-rested – starting with having the right sleep aids.

Mainly, the right pillow and mattress and sheets matched to each individual player.

Bedgear is the Mavericks’ official partner of the Mavericks, having provided the team with individually fitted items to ensure that each player has 100 percent of their sleep comfort and at least 30 percent of that on the road with personalized travel pillows, etc.

Proprietor Mark Cuban, always on the front end of trying to get a technological advantage, recognized the need to address sleep deprivation a couple years ago and decided that partnering with Bedgear would provide a much-needed service, and potential competitive advantage, for his team.

“As a technology expert, I felt an immediate affinity to Bedgear’s approach to the sleep category and I believe that their emphasis on personalized fit products with the Bedgear Performance Sleep System can result in improved sleep for the players, which will prepare them to perform better, both on and off the court,” Cuban said.

After experiencing the Bedgear personalized Sleep System fitting process first-hand,Cuban was eager to share the experience with the Mavs.

And so, each player has been fitted with personalized sleeping products each season, based on the way they sleep, whether it be on their sides, their back or stomach.

Each player selected their choice of two feels of Bedgear’s performance mattresses, then formed additional performance layers of pillows, mattress protectors and sheets based on Bedgear’s proprietary evaluation of each player’s sleep position and body frame.

And, obviously, most NBA players need customized items to fit oversized beds and bodies.

“Since Bedgear began partnering with the Dallas Mavericks ahead of their 2016-17 season, we’ve been trusted to fill a void within their overall training regimen – sleep,” said founder and CEO Eugene Alletto. “Sleep plays a direct role in an athlete’s speed, agility and reaction time, which are all central to gameday success.

“We aim to help each player maximize however many hours they can dedicate tot heir rest and recovery through our personalized-fit performance bedding.”

All layers of the sleep system are constructed with Bedgear’s patented fabric technologies for air flow and heat- and moisture-management, to help the players get optimal spine alignment and temperature balance, creating maximum recovery at night.

So while there’s not a lot that can be done about the late-night travel and logistical challenges of getting uninterrupted sleep, the Mavericks at least have a system in place that gives them their best chance for achieving blissful rest.

Twitter: @ESefko

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