How NBA Star P.J. Washington Uses Sleep as His Secret Weapon

Eighty-two games. Constant cross-country travel. Late-night tip-offs. Daily practices and workouts. The NBA season is relentless—and to keep up, today’s players know recovery isn’t optional. It’s essential.

That’s why more and more players are treating sleep as a pillar of their performance plan, not just an afterthought. When you’re pushing your body to its limits day in and day out, the quality of your sleep can determine what happens on the court.

For Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington, sleep isn’t just a competitive edge—it’s his secret weapon.

“As a professional athlete, having a personalized sleep system is crucial to my performance and recovery, and BEDGEAR keeps me at my best. Their Performance® bedding helps me stay cool and sleep deep, so I always wake up feeling recharged and ready to put in the work.”

– P.J. Washington | Dallas Mavericks Power Forward

For P.J., sleep has no offseason. He treats it with the same intensity he brings to the weight room, to practice, and to game day. And just like on the court, the gear he uses makes all the difference. His personalized sleep system from BEDGEAR is designed to support his recovery, manage his temperature, and improve his sleep quality night after night. Because he knows when he hits the sheets, he’s not just winding down for the night, he’s winding up for tomorrow.

“P.J. embodies the mindset of a modern athlete—he understands that what you do off the court is just as important as what you do on it. Sleep is the most essential element of recovery—not just for professional athletes but for all who are looking to take their game to the next level.”

 
– Eugene Alletto | BEDGEAR Founder/CEO

Don’t Sleep On Sleep

As renowned neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Walker famously put it, “Sleep is the greatest legal performance enhancing drug that few athletes are abusing enough.” He notes that superstars like Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, and LeBron James routinely clock around 12 hours of sleep per day—often 10 hours at night, plus a 2-hour nap. The message is clear: more sleep isn’t laziness—it’s strategy.

“Sleep is the greatest legal performance enhancing drug that few athletes are abusing enough.”

– Dr. Matthew Walker | Neuroscientist

This isn’t news to the NBA. Many teams now prioritize sleep as a core part of their recovery programs. For the past eight seasons, BEDGEAR has served as the Official Sleep Partner of the Dallas Mavericks, outfitting players with personalized Performance® bedding designed to support optimal recovery through the physical and mental demands of the season.

Recover Tonight, Rebound Tomorrow

During sleep, the body gets to work—repairing muscle tissue, replenishing energy stores, and balancing the hormones that impact everything from reaction time to resilience. Deep sleep is when growth hormone peaks, fueling recovery at the cellular level. Without it, even the most finely tuned athletes start to break down.

And science backs it up. In this Stanford University study, basketball players who extended their nightly sleep to around 10 hours saw measurable performance gains, including faster sprint times and a 9% boost in shooting accuracy.

On the flip side, sleep deprivation has been shown to increase injury risk and delay reaction time, which are two things no pro can afford.

And the effects don’t end there. Sleep can directly influence the outcome of a game. 

This study of over 25,000 NBA games found that teams tend to play better when their body clocks are ahead of local time—like when a team from the East plays a late game on the West Coast. West Coast home teams won nearly 10% more often in these matchups. Why? The body’s natural circadian rhythm affects alertness, reaction time, and energy output.

While travel and time zones aren’t always in your control, your recovery is. That’s why getting high-quality sleep whenever you can—especially after long flights or late nights—is essential. With BEDGEAR, it's not just about the amount of hours you sleep, it's about optimizing the hours you do get.

For athletes and everyday active individuals alike, building better sleep habits—and having the right sleep gear—can be a game-changer for recovery.

Keeping Cool with BEDGEAR

But it’s not just about the amount of hours you sleep, it’s also about creating the optimal conditions for recovery. Research indicates your core body temperature needs to drop slightly for your brain to reach the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep. But after hours of movement, inflammation, or just everyday stress, cooling down can be tough. When you overheat at night, it isn’t just uncomfortable—it can interrupt your REM cycles and prevent the kind of deep sleep where real recovery happens.

That’s why more people are turning to sleep biohacking. By making small changes to your environment and nightly routine, you can optimize your sleep and set yourself up for maximum overnight recovery.

Here are a few simple ways to start sleep biohacking tonight:

• Go to bed a little earlier
• Cut back on screen time before sleep
• Keep your bedroom cool and dark
• Upgrade to bedding that’s personalized to how you sleep and what your body needs

Choosing breathable sheets, a cooling pillow, and a mattress that helps regulate your temperature can make a noticeable difference in your sleep quality. It’s not just for pro athletes. Whether you're training for your next big moment or just trying to get through a busy week, how you sleep affects how you feel the next day.

That’s the idea behind BEDGEAR. Just like athletes rely on the right gear to stay cool and focused during the game, your bedding should put in the work to help you recover and recharge while you sleep. P.J. Washington uses the BEDGEAR Performance® Sleep System because it’s built with breathable, moisture-wicking, and instant-cooling materials that help him stay comfortable through the night and ready to win tomorrow.

Sleep Like P.J.

“For anyone serious about rest and results, BEDGEAR is a game changer."

– P.J. Washington

P.J.’s choice for overnight recovery starts with the M3 Performance® Mattress. The first of its kind, the M3’s innovative modular design lets him personalize the firmness on both sides of the bed—so he and his wife each get the individual comfort and support they need. What makes this mattress ideal for a professional athlete is its cool-to-the-touch cover and breathable support layers that simultaneously manage heat, relieve pressure points, and promote proper spinal alignment—essential elements that help P.J. recover fully between demanding games.

Quick Look:

• Modular Design
• Personalized Firmness on Both Sides
• Instant-Cooling Ver-Tex™ Cover