Meet the ‘Queen of sleep’ focusing on Winter Paralympic glory

Nina Sparks’ love of sleep is well-known amongst the snowboarding community

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Nina Sparks has dubbed herself the ‘queen of sleep’ as she details the adaptations she has made in order to represent ParalympicsGB at the Winter Paralympics.

Sparks, from High Wycombe, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2021, meaning she experiences fatigue and therefore has to manage her rest far more carefully than the average person.

But her commitment to sleep has paid off as she is set to make history when she heads to Milano Cortina as the first female snowboarder to represent ParalympicsGB.

“I’m known for the amount I sleep! Having MS I get really fatigued, so I have an afternoon nap every day because it helps my body recover and I try to get lots of sleep in the evening as well,” said Sparks.

“It’s especially important when I’m training. We’ve actually adapted my training, so I have time to nap in the afternoons and even when I’m not training it’s important I fit in down time.

“The difference between me post-training before a nap and after a nap is like night and day. I often say I’m like a new woman after a nap because that is how beneficial it is.”

The 35-year-old will make her Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina as part of a five-strong British snowboard contingent.

She competes in the LL2 category having suffered nerve damage in her lower right leg as just one of the ways she is impacted by MS.

Sparks will be the only woman among those five, and the first-ever to represent ParalympicsGB in snowboarding and having hit form at the right time she is aiming to continue an upwards trajectory in Italy.

“Things have only just started to click,” she said. “Literally in the back end of this season I’ve been like, ‘oh okay, that worked.’

“So, I’m still figuring out what works for me. I still feel relatively inexperienced compared to some of the people I’m racing against.

“This season I’ve found the times I’ve been visualising and thinking, ‘right, I need to do this tomorrow, I need to do this tomorrow’, the night before a race have probably been the worst results of the season.”

As she aims to replicate the form she found in her most recent World Cups out in Steamboat, USA, Sparks will be turning back to the familiar domain of sleep to ensure adequate preparation.

And she will be aided in doing so by Dreams who has extended its partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB, reinforcing its commitment to helping Britain’s athletes sleep, recover, and perform at their best.

“There are days when I’ve just gone to bed and I haven’t really thought about anything and those are the times where I’ve actually been able to just go to sleep and turn my brain off,” added Sparks.

“I know that if I try and push through and don’t have a nap it’s going to really affect me. So, I’m better off writing off a couple of hours in the afternoon and going to bed so I’m functioning in the evening.”

As the Official Sleep Partner of ParalympicsGB, Dreams is helping our Great British athletes dream big at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. To find out more, visit: dreams.co.uk/team-gb