Belgian national soccer striker reveals trick with glasses therapy

Belgian international soccer striker Lois Openda has revealed a special trick. The 24-year-old from RB Leipzig uses a special type of spectacle therapy to better control his hormone production. Before sleeping, he puts on a pair of glasses with yellow lenses. "I use the glasses to allow as little light as possible to reach my eyes," said Openda after the 2:0 win in Mainz on "Aktuelle ZDF-Sportstudio". This filters the light and the production of the sleep hormone melatonin is less affected.

After getting up in the morning, he changes the color to blue. "So that my brain understands that it's daytime," said the striker, who has scored five goals in all competitions this season. This is supposed to allow a lot of light to reach the eye, and the production of the hormone cortisol is boosted.

The "Openda bounce"

On the pitch, the 1.77-metre tall Openda uses another trick. Against the often taller and more robust defenders, the sprinting striker uses the so-called "Openda bounce" - a short bump with his upper body to briefly throw his opponent off balance. This gives him a small head start. "I use that systematically," said the RB pro.