Super Bowl Champion and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen joins the conversation to discuss a critical health issue that impacts lives both on and off the field — sleep apnea. He recounts the pivotal moment that changed everything: a season marked by significant weight loss, declining mood, and reduced performance, culminating in a candid call from his father that prompted an at-home sleep study. The results were alarming — ten hours in bed yielding only eighty minutes of restorative sleep, with over fifty apnea events per hour. Initiating CPAP therapy not only revived his professional career but, more importantly, saved his life.
Super Bowl Champion and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen joins the conversation to discuss a critical health issue that impacts lives both on and off the field — sleep apnea. He recounts the pivotal moment that changed everything: a season marked by significant weight loss, declining mood, and reduced performance, culminating in a candid call from his father that prompted an at-home sleep study.
The results were alarming, ten hours in bed yielding only eighty minutes of restorative sleep, with over fifty apnea events per hour. Initiating CPAP therapy not only revived his professional career but, more importantly, saved his life.
SHOWNOTES:
😴 What happens when a Super Bowl champion discovers his toughest rival isn’t on the field, but in his sleep?
😴 The tough-love call that flipped everything: What did Ryan’s dad say that saved his life?
😴 50+ times an hour without breath… How did one device bring Ryan back?
😴 Why do even elite athletes miss the silent signs of sleep apnea and what clues could you be ignoring?
😴 The simple travel hack that keeps Ryan’s sleep therapy on point anywhere
😴 The headgear-free breakthrough changing how he (and thousands more) use CPAP for good
😴 How better sleep transformed his focus and mood (on and off the field)
😴 The tiny nightly habits—from mouth taping to morning light—that changed Ryan’s recovery game
😴 What’s inside Ryan’s sleep setup that fuels peak performance?
😴 The one step you can take tonight to breathe deeper, sleep better, and live stronger
😴 Check out BLEEP SLEEP: https://suresealcpap.com/sleepisaskill
Use code: SLEEPISASKILL for 10% OFF
SPONSORS:
🧠 If You “Can’t Turn Your Brain Off” At Night…try a quality magnesium supplement that addresses ALL the necessary forms of magnesium that you need to support calming your nervous system and sleeping deeply. Https://magbreakthrough.com/sleepisaskill
GUEST LINKS:
Website: https://suresealcpap.com/sleepisaskill
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DISCLAIMER:
The information contained in this podcast, our website, newsletter, and the resources available for download are not intended to be medical or health advice and shall not be understood or construed as such. The information contained on these platforms is not a substitute for medical or health advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.
Welcome to the Sleep As a Skill podcast. My name is Mollie Eastman. I am the founder of Sleep as A Skill, a company that optimizes sleep through technology, accountability, and behavioral change. As an ex sleep sufferer turned sleep course creator, I am on a mission to transform the way the world. Thinks about sleep.
Each week I'll be interviewing world-class experts, ranging from researchers, doctors, innovators, and thought leaders to give actionable tips and strategies that you can implement to become a more skillful sleeper. Ultimately, I believe that living a circadian aligned lifestyle is going to be one of the biggest trends in wellness, and I'm committed to keeping you up to date on all the things that you can do today.
To transform your circadian health and by extension, allowing you to sleep and live better than ever before.
Welcome to the Sleep As a Skill Podcast. Now, if you can't properly breathe, you can't properly sleep, and if you can't sleep, you can't recover. So full stop. That's just what is clear. And today on the Sleep As Skill podcast, we're joined by Super Bowl champion. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Center, Ryan Jensen, to talk about a topic that changes lives on and off the field, and that is sleep apnea.
Now, Ryan opens up about the season, everything changed for him when his weight plummeted, mood tanked, and a tough love call from his father led to a sleep study and the results were. 10 hours in bed, only 80 minutes of real sleep with over 50 apnea per hour. Now getting on CPAP didn't just save his NFL career, it likely saved his life according to his own estimation and what we know about the research of just how dramatically sleep apnea can impact our overall wellbeing and longevity.
Now beyond that, we'll cover the subtle warning signs most people miss, and the simple fix that helped Ryan breathe easy again. If you or someone you love snores, wakes up, unfresh, or has that thick neck, high muscle build, this episode is your nudge to test, treat, and transform. Now, quick asterisk, that is not the only profile by any means of people that deal with.
Sleep apnea as well as upper airway resistance syndrome. However, those are certainly some clear telltale warning signs for individuals. Now, I don't want to leave you feeling disempowered. I want to really empower you to know that there are so many things you can do to make a difference with this. And if you're someone that says, well, I don't wanna wear that Darth Vader mask stick around.
We are going to talk about. Some practical takeaways and alternatives, including bleep Sleep, who is one of our sponsors because for good reason, because we recommend them as a mask free alternative to just the traditional mask heavy, uh, sleep apnea. CPAP machine. So we also talk about things like mouth taping, what works and what doesn't.
Smarter travel setups with your CPAP or your BLEEP or oral appliances or whatever you might choose to use as your treatment that works for you. Bedroom design wins and the one purchase Ryan says changed his sleep for good, and that is. That bleep sleep mask free option. Now, if you're curious about that tool that made such a huge difference for Ryan's journey, you can check out bleep sleep and use the code.
Sleep is a skill, and there's also a direct link right in the podcast show notes as well. So we're gonna talk about all that and so much more. I think you're gonna be really, really fascinated with his story, but also the success story that lies there because he was able to dive in. Fully well rested into his NFL career and as we pointed to become a Super Bowl champion, and just really amazing things that are possible when we're sleeping well and we're covering well.
So we're gonna jump right in, but first, a few words from our sponsors. If you're listening to this podcast, you're likely looking to improve your sleep, and one of the first questions people ask me about sleep is what supplement they can take. One supplement I've consistently taken for ages is magnesium, specifically BiOptimizers, magnesium breakthrough.
It's an all natural. Supplement that helps reduce fatigue, improve sleep quality, and promote peaceful rest. It also strengthens muscles and improves heart and brain function. Most magnesium supplements aren't full spectrum, but magnesium breakthrough contains an optimal ratio of all seven essential types of magnesium.
Now imagine having the strength and energy to get outta bed every morning, face the day boldly, and maintain that energy throughout the day and into the night. If you wanna give it a try, go to buy optimizers.com/sleep. Skill and use the code sleep as a skill to get gifts with your purchase. And this is a limited time offer, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Welcome to the Sleep is a Skill podcast. We are gonna be talking about a very important topic on our quest to support and optimize our sleep. You can't do much of that if you're not able to properly breathe throughout the course of the night. So we are gonna get into all that and more, including some, you know, innovative and maybe interesting ways that we can deal with and treat things like sleep apnea that people might not even be aware that are out there.
And we have a very special guest. So really excited to have Ryan Jensen on the podcast. Ryan, thank you so much for taking the time. Yeah, definitely. This is gonna be a, this is gonna be a fun time. I appreciate you having me. Yeah, absolutely. So I know you have many accolades in your life and have accomplished really exciting things and excited to hear on that journey how sleep and sleep apnea has kind of fit into that conversation for you.
Yeah, definitely. No, it's, uh, it's an interesting story on, on how, uh, you know, I got diagnosed with, uh, with sleep apnea and. Um, you know, so it's, uh, something after I got diagnosed that definitely, um, saved my, my NFL career and, you know, potentially, ugh. Um, you know, and honestly saved my life, so. Mm-hmm. It's a, it's a pretty cool, um, thing that, you know, found out having a medical condition, you know, but, um, being able to, um.
You know, treat that medical condition and, and, you know, and talk about it a lot. You know, I've, I've done quite a few articles, uh, through my NFL career about sleep apnea and getting checked. So, um, bringing awareness to it is, is something that's definitely, uh, pretty fun for me. Oh, that's amazing. Well, I'm so glad, Natalie, have you.
And able to discover that for yourself and treat that for yourself, but also get that message out to others 'cause it's so often missed. And what was that process for you to even discover that? Yeah, so, you know, actually I got, I got tested in college. Um, you know, 'cause I was a, I was a big snore. Um, but you know, I did a, you know, in.
Uh, in clinic, uh, sleep study that actually came back as, uh, inconclusive if I had sleep apnea or not. So I kind of figured I didn't have it. Um, although, uh, most of the people, uh, in my family have sleep apnea actually. So, um, I'm like, oh, maybe I'm the, I'm the outlier when it comes to this. So continually, uh, ignored it.
Um, you know, I thought I'd just snored, you know. So actually going into my second year in the NFL, um, I wasn't performing well. I wasn't sleeping well. Um, literally, I, I showed up to training camp in 2014 at about 315 pounds. Um, you know, healthy, uh, for, you know, my position. I play playing offensive line, you know?
Yes. Yeah. Uh, you know, my BMI was great. My, my body fat was really good for being that size. Um, but within, uh, three weeks of training camp beginning, I had dropped down about 285 pounds and my entire body was just a bruise. Wow. And, um, you know, it was, it was kind of a, it's kind of a funny story, you know, talking about it now, but at the, at the time it was, you know, I didn't know what was going on.
You know, my mental wasn't good, my health wasn't good. Obviously, I wasn't performing on the football field. And my parents came out for a preseason game, um, that I played quite a bit in, you know, I didn't play very well. I was mad. Um, but, you know, like my attitude was, was really, you know, in a, in a bad place.
And, um, I remember my dad calling me a couple days after they got home and flat out saying, he goes, I don't know what your problem is. He goes, I don't know if football is, is creating you into this, this, this personality that I don't recognize anymore. Um, you know, you're a complete jerk to your mom the entire time.
Mm-hmm. You were, we were in town and I didn't, I didn't realize it, you know, I was sure, apparently really snappy. Um, and just being, you know, being rude, which yeah. Was something I never did to my mom. Sure. Uh, especially, um, you know, he, so he straight up told me, he goes, you know, if it's football that's cre this.
He goes, I want you to quit. I don't want you to play anymore if it's gonna change you into what you've become. He goes, but I think. You know, just looking at, at your body and what you're going through, and he goes, I, I don't think you're getting good sleep. You know, I think you need to get tested again. Um, so, you know, ended up gonna the, the trainer and I said, Hey, I, I need to get a sleep apnea, uh, test again.
So they set that all up and I actually did an at-home, uh, test, which I feel like, you know, I think being in a clinic is, is good, is good, but I feel like for me, I struggle sleeping in a, in a different bed. Yes. So, you know, I did an at-home test. Um, you know, I had my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time.
Uh, take the test back for me, and within an hour and a half her dropping that test off, I got a call from the doctor saying, you need to come in as soon as possible to get fitted for A-C-P-A-P. Um, so the test results had came back. Um, I was in bed for 10 hours, um, and I accumulated about an hour and 20 minutes of actual sleep.
Where I thought I was asleep, but I was having upwards of 50 disturbances an hour and Wow. That, so life changing information. Ugh. Yeah. So I was, you know, the longest I held my breath while I was asleep, I think was a minute and 36 seconds. Um, um, you know, so went and got fitted for CPAP, went and got, uh, got all that and, you know, started treatment immediately.
You know, and the first couple nights of, of using A-C-P-A-P, that's anybody, for anybody that's ever used a CPA. Yeah, it's really uncomfortable. You know, I had the full nose and mouth mask and it's just a, it's an adjustment to get used to that. And for me, you know, it took me three or four days before I actually slept the entire night with it on.
Okay. And, uh, once I, you know, finally got used to it. You know, had that first true full night of sleep. I woke up the next morning and I was like, how was I living? How was I even alive? You know? That's just how great I felt after one, like real true night of sleep. And love that. Um, you know, from a performance standpoint, you know, actually getting real sleep.
I got my weight back up. Um, you know, back up to that like 3 10, 3 15 range healthy. In about three weeks, which was crazy. Um, so for me, you know, one, obviously not breathing for a minute and a half at a time in your, in your sleep is, is really stressful on your heart, really stressful on your brain. Um, just not good for you, you know?
Um, so once you know, I started getting treated. You know, my attitude changed, my body changed, you know, my mental health, you know, was back in a place that where I normally am. Yeah, well, well, even better than my normal. 'cause obviously I wasn't, I wasn't sleeping, so I was always a little groggy, a little tired, falling asleep in meetings, uh, spacing out all the time.
So, uh, you know, that definitely, uh, was a huge, huge boost for me, uh, getting back healthy and, um. You know, being able to perform at a, at a level that's expected, you know, playing in the NFL, I just wanna say that one. I'm so grateful that you also shared what it was like before and the vulnerability of letting us know of how that was impacting your interpersonal relationships, like with your mom and your and your dad.
And because we see that all the time. I mean, how could you not have it spill into our interpersonal relationships? 'cause we see that that's one of the things, one of the many things that gets hit and you beautifully illustrated cardiovascular health or performance on the field and all these things that are very clear.
We have lots of evidence to support and then we also have evidence to support emotional regularity just to get. Thrown out the window, the ability to even read intentionality behind faces like the meaning. So for body language, nonverbal communication, all those things just really take a hit. So it makes all the sense in the world that people close to you that really know you too, would see the degradation of that and experience that.
And thank goodness that your dad was such a stand for you. Oh yeah. Right. That's amazing. That's who my dad is, you know? Ugh. He's, he's one of those guys, he's gonna tell you how it is and he is not gonna sugarcoat it. Um, which is, which is great. You know, so powerful as a dad, as a leader, that's, that's what you, you want, you know, you don't want people beating around the bush and, and stuff like that.
But, you know, also, you know, I think. Getting treated for CPA or getting treated for sleep apnea. And this not only helps you, but it also helps you know, your wife or your girlfriend or your, your husband, your boyfriend that are sleeping next to you. 'cause uh, my wife used to always sleep with her hand on my chest.
I. And so anytime I would stop breathing, she would feel that I stopped breathing and shake me awake. Oh gosh. So, you know, once I got treated for that, you know, it actually improved her sleep as well, because now she wasn't worried about me. You know, not to, you know, make light of it, but like dying in my sleep.
Yes. You know? Exactly. Yeah. You know, it's, it's, it's great for, for everybody. Oh, I'm so happy because unfortunately we hear these kind of stories all the time where then these things just kind of become the norm and that's just keeps spilling into the reality of that person's life for years and years and sometimes decades, and sometimes never really getting to the root of that.
And for anyone listening too, you know, and this is your diagnosis and like in that severe. Category. So thank goodness, I mean the life changing, like instantly experience once we're able to figure out the C Pap and what have you, and even for anyone that might be dealing with mild, and we hear that all the time too.
People say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got tested and you know, I just have mild sleep apnea, so, but I don't wanna wear the mask. And what, and it's like just mild. Even that is multiple times throughout the hour when you're. I'm breathing. Yeah. Like we still wanna treat that. And especially, certainly of course, just someone like you with the number of apneas that you're experiencing throughout an hour is gonna be transformative, both for your experience of life and your performance on the field.
So, yay. So you, you got that figured out. You, after a couple nights, we're able to now wear the CPAP and what evolved there with your relationship with the CPAP and then testing other things? How did that all work? Yeah, for sure. So, you know, um. I got diagnosed in September of 2014 and, um, since then, uh, for me, you know, obviously it took a couple days, maybe a week to fully get used to having a, you know, A-C-P-A-P having a.
You know, I'm feeling like a fighter jet every night. Yes, exactly. And um, you know, once I got comfortable with it and I started feeling better that I was actually getting good sleep. Um, so that was, man, it seems a long time ago. 11 years. Yeah. Over 11, 11 and a half years ago now. Wild. Um, in that 11 and a half years, I've maybe, besides, you know, the occasional nap on the couch or whatever.
Yeah. I haven't. I had, I've probably only not used my CPAP maybe four or five times, uh, in that 11 and a half years when I go go to bed. And most of the time that was because one, I forgot it was at a hotel or something. Yes. Two, you know, living in Colorado, we have power outages at times. So not having, not having power and stuff like that.
But, um, for me it's just that habitual use of it. Um, because those couple nights that I haven't slept with it, I'm like. Man, this was what my normal life was. You know, before I, I got treated and you wake up groggy, you wake up feeling like absolute, you know? Yeah. Crud. And it's just totally. For me, it's, it's, you know, it's kind of a pain in the butt sometimes.
You know, you're going on a trip, uh, make sure you pack your CPAP, make sure you pack, pack all your supplies. Yeah. You know, it just adds more space to your, you know, your carry on or your, you, you know, that's, I always carry it on. 'cause you know, with the airlines, you don't want 'em to lose your, lose your bag and then you end up without it for a, a day or two.
Um, but you know, it's. It's just one of those things now, it just becomes a natural, um, you know, get your packing list. It's like, okay, you know, you got your CPAP, you got your power cord, you got your, you know, everything that you need. Um, but now it's, you know, it's just, it's just natural and it's just part of the, part of the routine anytime I'm traveling or um, anything like that.
And, uh, for me, what I would highly recommend is, um. For traveling, you know, if you're gonna be gone for just a day or two is, uh, you know, ask your doctor to get your prescription for, uh, a travel CCP pap, which i, I love using. Um, it's just easier, it's smaller, you know, it's that big. Sure. It gets the job done.
Um, so that's something throughout my journey within cpa uh, with within sleep apnea is finding little hacks. So you're not carrying your big CP Pap around everywhere. And, uh, you know, having, having that kind of a, that kind of a thing, um, oh, that's a great success. Just weighing you down the entire time.
Yeah. 'cause over those years, I'm sure you must have been then traveling at different points, traveling a lot and what have you, so that would always become part of the staple of the things that you would be bringing. Okay. Were there other things that you also discovered to make a difference with your sleep apnea?
Like the severity of sleep apnea, or do you feel like it was just kind of set it and forget it with the mask? Where are you at there? Yeah, it was, it was definitely kind of, uh, set it and forget it. Mm-hmm. Um, once I, you know, had the mask, um, you know, obviously for, with my career, I couldn't lose weight, you know, I had to maintain that, that bigger weight.
Yeah, yeah. Um, but now since I've been retired. You know, my playing weight was about, you know, 3 15, 3 20 is where, where I played at and you know, now I'm setting anywhere between like 2 75 and 2 85. So, you know, dropping 40, you know, you know, almost 50 pounds has, has definitely helped. But there's definitely an adjustment within that as well.
Um, you know, I've lost that weight in probably over the last eight months and, um. I was waking up and you know, I would wake up in the morning. I was still sleeping good, but I was just gassy, like my stomach was full of air. Sure. This and that. I'm my God, what is going on? You know? So I started, you know, I got on the old Google machine.
Yes. And, um, I was like, why am I waking up with so much air in my stomach? Mm. And, you know, said I use A-C-P-A-P. Well, since I'd lost so much weight, sure. I need get to adjust my, my pressure. So, you know, again, went on YouTube, I'm not a doctor. So, you know, went on YouTube and, and, um. Figured out how I could, uh, get into the, the physician settings on my CPAP and, um, lowered the, the pressure down.
And since I did that, you know, I'm not waking up with, with gas in my stomach. I'm not waking up, you know, feeling bloated and burping and, and all that. So, um, you know, just little things like that throughout the journey, you figure out the little hacks that, um, are gonna help you, uh, one, sleep better and, and not only sleep better, but wake up not feeling, um.
You know, gasier or bloated or, you know, just kinda like sick to your stomach 'cause you've been getting too much air. So your body's natural reaction is to, you know, you know, swallow that air. So, um, that's definitely another one of those little things that you just kind of figure out on the, on the, on your journey.
Uh, yes. With a c Pap p. That's amazing. Well, and to the point of the different hacks and what have you. So one of the ways that we had gotten connected was one of our sponsors is bleep sleep. And same now I don't have sleep apnea, but so many of the clients that I work with, my husband has sleep apnea.
Your sleep apnea in the conversation. Very much so. And so always looking for innovative out of the box solutions or approaches or supplements. Supplemental things that you can add into your lifestyle to further support your sleep. Often too, we really like to tap into things that people might have no clue that could really be transforming their experience of their sleep and their life.
And I've seen bleep be one of those things for a number of people. How did that fold into your story? Yeah, definitely. So I think it was back in 2019, I believe. Um, Stu, uh, who's the owner of Bleep Sleep. Had reached out to me and, you know, had read my couple articles that I'd, uh, done with, uh, talking about sleep apnea.
And, uh, you know, he was looking for, you know, I don't wanna say I was high profile, but he, he was looking for athletes that sure, that suffer, you know, he is looking, I know talking with Stu, he talked to some baseball players, some football players, some military members, uh, either active or retired. And he just wanted to get a full.
Uh, scope of, of different quote unquote test subjects. Yeah. To see how, how they like things. And I remember he reached out to me and he is like, Hey, I really wanna send you this product. Um, I saw your article on, on sleep apnea and I want you to try this out. And I'm like, alright. So, you know, gave him my address and he ended up sending me this care package with all this BLEEP stuff.
And, you know, showed me the videos of how to use it. But for me, I was so used to having a full face mask and with, you know, with the bleep, they're just stickers that go on your nose. And, you know, I'd always, I'd talk to my, my physician about like, do you think I could go to just a, a nasal mask? 'cause I'm kind of tired of it being all over my face.
Yeah. And he goes, well, with how severe your sleep apnea is, you know, we think you have to wear a full face, which again, not a doctor, but I think there's a big misconception about, um, you know, masks and, and stuff like that. Mm-hmm. Um, because, you know, I had tried, um. Uh, you know, a nasal pillow type mask before.
Sure, sure. And my problem is, you know, your body gets used to a way you breathe. Yes. I, I believe this. And just like with anything, with your, with your habits in your body, like you, you create these habits. Um, well, anytime I would just wear the nose pillow, I would end up breathing outta my mouth and I'd have air coming outta my mouth.
So they're like, yeah, well it's just 'cause your, your apnea is so severe, you, you have to wear a full face. I'm like, okay. So, you know, I got that kind of ingrained in my head and it happened to be over the summer before the season started and, you know, I just, I had these and they were just sitting on my.
Kitchens or on my bathroom sink for like three weeks. Yeah. And you know, Stu kept texting me, he goes, Hey, how do you like the, the mask? And I was kinda getting annoyed. I'm like, I haven't tried it yet. Yeah. You know, I'm, I'm, I, I have my habits, I have my routine. Yeah. I haven't tried it yet. And then finally my wife's like, you know, he sent you, you know, a lot of product.
You probably should at least try it for a couple nights. Sure. So like with anything, there's the learning process behind it. You know, he told me, Hey, you need to get alcohol wipes and, you know, kind of wipe your nose, get the oil off your nose, or, you know, the, the stickers aren't gonna stick. Well, of course, me being lazy the first night I used it, I didn't clean my nose Good enough.
Yes. And they ended up falling off about halfway through the night. Yes. So I said, screw this. Went back to my other mask and, you know. He, he, he had texted me the next day and he is like, Hey, did you use, use the, the dream ports? And I'm like, yeah, I did. But they fell off halfway through the night. He goes, did you follow my instructions?
I'm like, probably not good enough. I said, I probably, I just use a little bit of water and, you know, clean my nose. Thought that was gonna be good enough. You goes, no, you gotta use like a witch hazel or, you know, an alcohol wipe. Yeah. If you're, if you have, uh, you know, sensitive skin, I, I recommend the witch hazel, which is what I use every night now.
Hmm. Um. But then finally, like I, I started, you know, using it more and more and more. And for me, like, I think most people that use A-C-P-A-P can understand this when you have all these straps around your head, and, you know, I got the long hair too, so it gets caught in your hair and it starts pulling your hair, you know, it gets, it gets annoying.
And that's, that's something with, you know, the bleep, you know, this is literally the connector for, um, for the bleep sleep. Uh, dream ports. It literally, you know, you put the stickers on your nose, hook that up, and you don't have anything wrapped around your head. And, um, you know, talking, you know, with Stew about, you know, a lot of that design one, it's just more convenient.
You don't have all these straps and you don't have the lines on your face and Right. And, and things like that. But also, you know, there's a, there's a huge, um. Percentage, and I know stew's big with the military. I did a lot of work with the military. Um, I don't know the exact numbers on, on it right now, but, so don't quote me, but I think it's upwards of 80% of service members have, uh, you know, some sort of sleep disorder, whether, you know, that's, uh, um, not amne.
Yeah. Amnesia or, um, sleep apnea. Well, you know, with what military members go through, a lot of times they don't like having things. Wrapped around their head, wrapped around their face, you know, their, their PTSD, their, you know, that kind of stuff really gets triggered by, you know, having things, uh, compressing their face.
So having something as simple as that, um, is, is amazing for a, a lot of service members that have, that have used it. It's like, I don't, I don't feel confined. I don't feel trapped. And, um, that's something that, uh, for me, um, it, you know, hits close to home. I have a lot of military, uh, members, uh, of my family who are, are, are either retired or, uh, been part of the military in some form or fashion.
So that's where a lot of my passion from that comes from. Oh, I love that. That's amazing. So your journey was one of, once you're able to kind of dive in there and kind of figure out some of the, for all of us, and like the learning curve piece and the navigation of that, once you're able to do that, was it just that freedom then of not having all those, the straps and what have, did you feel comparable as far as the support that it gave you?
Yeah, for sure. You know, again, there was, there was those adjustments. Um, you know, there was times where, you know, I was sleeping with my mouth open and Yes. Just 'cause you know, your, your body's so used to the way you've been breathing for the last, you know, six, seven years while you sleep. Sure. Um, so there was a couple things that I, that I did, um, to try to combat that.
You know, I did the mouth tape and that helped. Yes. But, you know, it's one of those. You know, you got a mustache, you got, you know, facial hair, stuff like that. You know, every morning you're like, ah, you're, you're waxing your upper lip every morning with a, with a mouth tape. Um, but for me, you know, I, I sucked it up for a couple weeks using the mouth tape and it trained my body to go, okay, keep your mouth shut when you're, when you're sleeping.
Yeah. Um, and stuff like that. And then, you know, um. They have the mouth guards. I tried those. I didn't, did not, I did not like that. The personally, I know some people love 'em. Yeah. For me, the, the, the mouthpieces and stuff like that, I could not get. Used to that. So I know I tried that for a couple days. My husband was like that too.
He hated it. Like, just not even a little bit. It was just not okay with it. So, yeah, no. So, um, but yeah, you know, like anything in a journey like this, there's, there's gonna be a little, you know, everybody's gonna be a little different on how they, they react or how they like things. But, um, for me, going from, uh, you know, the nasal, uh, or from the full face to just the, the nasal, you know, I don't wanna call these.
Pillows 'cause they're not Yeah. You know, they're not what, what you think when you think of a, uh, yeah. Uh, CPAP, uh, pillow mask. But yeah. Um, I feel like I, I sleep a lot better, you know, naturally we, we wanna breathe through our nose anyways. Um, so being able to, uh. Adjust to a, a strictly a nasal mask was, uh, was huge for me.
Wow. So were some of the other benefits, just like the ease, like throughout the course of the night to be able to just kind of pull that off if you had to go to the bathroom or whatever? Well, yeah, for sure. Okay. You know, and you know, there's a couple different ways. Um, you know, so I used, I used the Dream ports, which is the original design, and then they, we have the, uh, uh, the Lunar, um, um.
God, what is it now? The lunar Oh, clips. The lunar, yeah, the lunar clipse, which is actually a magnetic, um, system. Okay. Um, I've used those before. I, I like them, but I sleep a lot on my face. Like I, I'm like a, a big face down sleeper. So what was happening with me with those was, you know, they, they would slip a little bit.
I know, uh, Stu has redesigned them. I haven't actually used the, the redesign version yet. Oh, okay. Sure. With a little bit stronger magnet. Um, but for me, I, once you get used to figuring out how to clip. You know, the nose piece in. Yes. Um, with the, with the dream ports, um, you know, it's, it's a little challenging.
You know, you're, you're looking in the mirror and you're trying to figure it out. Yes. But now, um, been using 'em for, you know, four or five years now I can do it without even looking in the mirror. I don't even have to look in the mirror to put it, apply 'em and, and clip it up. So. Wow. Again, it's one of those things, once you get used to doing it, it's uh, you know, becomes a kind of a flawless, uh, flawless thing.
That's amazing. Wow. So great. So then, is that something that you are packing in with that travel CPAP? Just kind of add that right in with there. Well, a lot of the travel CPA Ps have. Um, their own specialty hoses. Mm-hmm. Which is, you know, kind of sucks. So, yeah. Um, the hose that I have for, for my travel, CPAP actually isn't compatible with, um, the, the, uh, bleep sleep, uh, you know, dream port, uh, system.
Okay. So for that, you know, for the couple nights I'll survive just using a, a traditional Yep. Uh, nasal mask, but. If I take my, you know, normal, if I'm gonna be gone for a week or two, you know, I'm traveling, going on vacation, I'll usually take my bigger CPAP just 'cause. It is a little bit better. So yeah, I'm making sure I pack enough, uh, dream ports and, and stuff like that to, to get me through the, that time.
Okay. The difference for you, it just makes all that difference in the world then to not have that big mask and the, and your hair getting stuck in it and all the things. So the freedom from that makes that difference. That and, and your, you know, your daily cleansing of, you know, your, your C, your CPAP, you know, for this, you know, you have your tank that you need to clean, and you have just this little hose and like the, you know, you're not in there scrubbing a full mask and having to soak and take everything apart, and That's a good point.
And things like that. So, yeah. For me, you know, it's the ease of, okay, I take these off into the garbage, can they go and then get a fresh new mask every night is something, um, that I, that I like. 'cause I tend to be a little lazy at times and Yes. You know, not getting uhhuh, not getting things cleaned, you know, daily like you're supposed to.
So. Um, that's definitely something I really, really like about, um, uh, about this. 'cause you know, if you're using a full face mask or even like a nasal pillow and you don't clean it for a couple days, you start breaking out all the oils and, and stuff like that. So it's, um, it's definitely something that, um, I enjoy about it.
Oh, that's such a good distinction too. What a difference that that is. And we do see that too when so many people start kind of like falling behind on the. Cleaning air, you start cutting corners and then you end up inevitably feeling that difference. Oh, for sure. Yeah. So good. Okay. Amazing. And then I know you mentioned too, that you share about this.
You've publicly shared about this, it sounds like, over the years. And have you seen other people in your industry and athletes kind of taking these actions to get tested? Yeah, definitely. I think it's, it's something that I always talk about, um, especially when I was still, uh, you know, still playing with the young guys coming in.
It's like, Hey, you know. You're, you're a big guy. You know, you're 300, 320, 330, 340 pounds. Yes. The odds of you having sleep apnea are extremely high. Not only because your weight, but because, you know, we're so muscular, our necks are so thick. Yes. With, with muscle and stuff like that, you know, when your body relaxes, all of that muscle is just relaxing down on your throat.
And so I would always, I would always recommend, uh, to the young guys coming into the league like, Hey, you know it, it's one night that you can do it at, at home study. Yeah. Get it done. See if you have sleep apnea. If you don't, awesome. If you do right, like just get treated, it'll, it'll change your, it'll change.
It'll help. Elongate your career if you're sleeping well. Because if you're sleeping well, you're playing well, you're playing well, you're gonna stay, you're gonna stay in the league a long, a lot longer. Um, so it, it is definitely something I would, I would push on the young guys, uh, for sure. Um, just because, you know, as an older guy, you know, I was the old head in the, in the room my last couple years.
It's like, I want. You know, I'm coming towards my end of my career. Sure. Like I want to bring these young guys along with me. But you know, you can't do that if you don't. If your health isn't staying. Uh, you know, up the, up the par because, you know, again, you're not getting good enough sleep. Your body's not recovering at night.
You're, you're, you're gonna be more susceptible to injury on the field. You know, we play a very, you know, violent, physical, demanding sport. If your body isn't recovering how it should be, uh, you're gonna get rundown. And then when you get rundown and you're, you're fatigued, that's when you're gonna start getting hurt.
So it's just something I definitely would preach to the young guys. Oh, so wise too. And to your point around kind of the symptoms and the, the list of things that stand out, that is absolutely a demo. A group of people that are hitting some of those common components that make up someone that might be dealing with sleep apnea.
I was speaking at a event a while back that was all four different. Bodybuilders, especially in the whole room. Yeah. And they were so cutting edge with, so they've got their peptides and their supplements and their protein and the whole thing. And yet sleep apnea was often something that kept getting missed.
And you know, so many of them, the, the large necks, the muscle mass, the, the whole thing. And I was so grateful to see too that for myself and a couple other. Speakers talking about the importance of just testing and to your point, like the ease nowadays, and I know even just a few years ago it often could land as a lot more laborious where you have to go in lab and it was a whole thing.
So I get that. And to your point now, I mean, often you can get, depending on where you go, a test for like 150 bucks or something along those lines. Yeah. In the United States, right. Easy. Yeah, for sure. And I think that's something that's, you know, made it a lot easier. 'cause I remember going into the clinic, I've actually done two clinical, uh, tests.
Okay, sure. You know, and you got all these wires and sensors and you know, you got all these like, how are you supposed to, even if you don't have sleep apnea? Yeah. How are you expected to actually sleep while you, you have all these wires and pro it is just all over your body? Yes. You can't get comfortable if you roll over and one peels off.
They come in and have to re-put it on. It's like. Yeah, at home it's, you know, you put a, at least when I did it, it's been, you know, 11 years since I did it. Yeah. They put a little O2 sensor and a couple little sensors on your body, and that was it. You slept in your own bed, you know, take the test in. You know, the next day and they, they get all the results back, you know, pretty much instantly.
And, uh, you know, they can really give you a good idea of, of your diagnosis, you know, same day, you know, within 24 hours of taking the test. I feel like a lot of times they're gonna have results back and, and get you, uh, on the right track. Yes. Yes, totally. And I'm glad you mentioned too the in lab. 'cause I don't mean to, in the event, 'cause sometimes there are situations where people have so many kind of out of the norm symptoms that then there might be the suggestion for the in lab.
So in case anyone's hearing this and like, ah, I will say that it is shocking too of how. Even if you have a rough night of sleep, even with the surprisingly low amount of sleep, they can usually get a sense, like in your case, even if you get a couple hours in there, you can usually see, okay, this person's being interrupted so many times throughout the course of their night.
Right. So with that, even if people do have to do in lab, there's still, you can remove the pressure on ourselves because they, even if you just squeeze out a couple hours, often we can still get a sense of how is this person breathing or not breathing throughout the course of the night. But to your point too, nowadays, so commonly, at least for respiratory.
Sleep disturbances, like sleep apnea, upper air resistance syndrome, et cetera. These at home can often be a great kind of proxy for what might be at play and then to take those actions. And so I so appreciate you sharing too, because so many people might say, well, I'm not gonna wear the mask. And so it's the end of the conversation, but it doesn't have to be the end of the conversation.
'cause then there can be so many other options like you're speaking to. Sleep or for some people the oral appliance is their best friend. And to your point then, then for some of us then it's, it's not the path. So knowing that there are so many options that are now available, I mean night lays, so like the laser to the back of your throat by there for nasal, for basically radio frequency, for your nasal passageways.
There are just so many things that are, have emerged to help. Make a difference there. Okay, so anything else that we missed before going on to kind of your, how you're managing your sleep with our four questions that we ask everyone. Not that I can really think of. You know, I think a lot of people, you know, even if you, you know, talking about symptoms and things like that, I think, uh, you know, everybody's gonna be such systema, uh, they have, have different symptoms of sleep apnea.
Apnea. Just 'cause you're a s not a snore doesn't mean you don't have sleep apnea. Yeah. You know, there's, there's, I think that's a, a big misconception. Um, yeah. Is like, well I don't snore, I don't have sleep apnea. Well, you know, for me, um, obviously I was a big snore, but there was a lot of, once I started learning more about sleep apnea, there was a, a lot of things that, um, like symptoms of sleep apnea that I didn't know that was the case, you know?
Yes. Uh, one of those things was I was getting up to go to the restroom four or five, six times a night. Exactly. For me, I'm an, I'm, you know, being an athlete, I'm like, oh, I'm just really well hydrated. I need to, I need to get up and go use the restroom. Well, after doing some research on, you know, sleep apnea.
Yeah, well when you get those little mini disruptions in your sleep physically, you might not be awake, but your brain is turning back on. Well, you know, if you're sleeping hard and you wake up, you know, within a couple minutes, what are you gonna do? You're gonna go use the restroom. Yes. You know, your body is, you happen for your hours signaling Yeah.
Yeah. Your body's signaling saying, Hey, okay, it's time to go. Uh, you know, empty the system. Yes. Well, you know, because I was talking with, with my doctor about that. He's like, oh. He's like, you get up to go use the restroom a lot. I'm like, yeah. You know, four or five, sometimes six times a night. I'm getting up to go, uh, you know, go use the restroom.
And he's like, that's a, a, a big telltale sign of somebody that has either sleep apnea or some sort of sleep disturbance because your, your brain is waking up. Yes. Your body necessarily isn't waking up, but that, that part of your brain is saying, oh, we're awake. We need to go, uh, use the restroom. So that's definitely something, um, I've noticed, you know, over the years where, uh, you know, when I'm using my CP Pap, I hardly ever get up in the middle of the night to go use the restroom anymore.
Great. I love hearing that, that, yeah. And it's one of those, it's like even if I, I'm, I'm drinking a bunch of water all day. Sure. It's usually still I, I'll sleep throughout through the night without having to get up and, and, and go do that. So that was, you know, another. I think symptom that might get, uh.
Thrown to the side, it's like, oh no, I just drink a bunch of water. I gotta, I gotta pee a lot. You know? Yeah. But, uh, when in reality there could be a deeper, uh, root cause behind that. I'm so glad you said that. 'cause and so many people might have that misattribution error, where then they start say, oh, well, I guess I got us.
Stop drinking so much liquids. I gotta move it back to hours and hours before bed and all these things when it's just because that's part of what you see. We, oh well, I'm waking up and I'm walking to the bathroom. But that's not necessarily the root. So, so glad that you distinguish that. 'cause we hear that's so commonly and people might miss that they're dealing with.
Any sort of sleep disorder. And since there are over a hundred sleep wake disorders, there is a lot of possibility of different things that might be impacting our sleep that just so few of us even realize. So really well said. And we do ask every person that comes on the podcast for questions around how they're managing their own sleep.
And so I know we've already gotten kind of a little bit of a window, but I'm excited to dive into more. So the first one is, what is your nightly sleep routine looking like right now? You know, it's my nightly routine's probably not as good as it should be. Yep. You know? Well, let's, I, I hear that. Yes. You know, it's, it's, it's tough especially having, you know, small kids.
Yeah. Uh, you know, I got a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know, it's, you know, they go to bed at eight o'clock. Yeah. And you know, you need. Mom and dad time decompress after the day. Totally. So, you know, what do a lot of people do? We end up doom scrolling and watching tv and the next thing you know, it's 1130 at night and you're like, oh crap, I gotta be up in six hours.
Yes. Um, but for, for me, uh, what's helped with my sleep is, you know. Mostly before we had kids, we used to always sleep with the TV on. We'd fall asleep watching a show. Yes. And you know, obviously that's not healthy with all the, the light and Yeah, the noise and, and stuff like that. So, uh, for us was definitely.
Getting the TV turned off, we hardly ever watch TV in, in our bedroom anymore, which I think is Sure, um, is great because, you know, you get into the room and that's your, your place to, to start winding down, relax. No more distractions. Um, but for sure having, uh, you know, blackout shades. Um, and we use a, a noise machine.
A sound machine to just get a little bit of that, you know, white noise, um, to help. Just kind of, for me, it's, it's just soothing. You kind of, you know, you have all the little cracks and crunches at your house at night and stuff like that. It kind of, uh, keeps you from, uh, hearing all those things and just kind of setting you into a, a good, a good place.
Oh, that's great. Amazing. Okay, so with that nightly routine, then you've got that nice wind down, and then when you are getting into your bedroom, then now is the witch hazel. And that whole process just sort of like routine, like you don't need to think much about that. Yeah. For, for now, for me, you know, I keep all my sleep apnea supplies, my, you know, my, uh, patches and everything just in my nightstand.
Okay, great. So, you know, it's, you know, you take a shower, you brush your teeth, and now you know it's shower. Brush your teeth, clean your face. Yes. Get in bed. You might, I might sit there for, you know, 20, 30 minutes. Um, just hanging out, relaxing. And then when it's time for bed, you know, throw the, the patches on Sure.
And hook up and, uh, hit the hay. That's great. So really just easy. See, it's not like you need some laborious thing of the, the mirrors or all the stuff to, you can just do it without even thinking about it. Yeah. Uh, I think it's just 'cause I've been using them for so long, you know, I know some of the.
Complaints early on was like, it's just really hard to get the, the hose connected and my fingers, and I'm like, I'm poster child. I have arthritis in my hands. Like I, I can do it, uh, pretty well. Um, that's great. You know, it took me, again, it's about being habitual with it and getting used to it. Um, you know, after a week and a half, two weeks, you know, I, I could do it with my eyes closed now.
So it's amazing. It's, it's one of those things, it's just. It makes life easy. That's great. Okay. I love hearing that. And then your morning sleep routine with the idea that how we start our day can impact our sleep For sure. So, uh, again, uh, having small kids Yes. And, you know, it's, it's, you know, we have to get the kids to school, um, you know, by 7 45 and we live about 35 minutes, uh, from their school.
So we're kind of getting up and it's, it's kind of that. That, that trick of, of how late can I sleep in? Yes. Get up, get the kids breakfast, get the kids packed lunches packed. Which we, most of the time we do the night before. Yeah. But, you know, and then get them in the car. Then it's like, how big of a fight are we gonna have with the kids when they're waking up?
So, you know, for me it's. You know, waking up, um, you know, getting all the stuff off my face and, uh, you know, getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and then going, waking up the kids and, and hoping they're gonna be in a good mood because, uh, you know, we gotta wake 'em up. So, yes. But for sure, uh, as soon as we, we wake up, um, we always raise our shades and get as much, um, sun into the, into the room as possible.
'cause that definitely helps, uh, you know, naturally, you know, the sunlight gets into your eyes, it's gonna naturally kind of wake you up and, and everything like that. Uh, that's one thing I I've found is, um. You know, used to try to, you know, keep the lights off as long as possible, getting dressed, getting ready, and it's just kind of like you're just mumbling along.
'cause you, your body's like, it's dark. Why are you, why are you awake? Yes. But now lifting the shades up and getting, uh, that sunshine in there definitely is one of those, uh, almost like your, your first cup of coffee in the morning. It just gets you going, gets you rolling totally. And, uh, gets you ready for the day.
Couldn't agree more. Yes, absolutely. Okay. So, so that gives us a sense of your morning routine and what might we see visually on your nightstand or in your environment. Yeah. Our, our bedroom is, is, um, you know, very homey. Yeah. Um, you know, but like on my nightstand, I have my phone charger, my CPAP. And a couple, just little decorations, nothing.
Sure. Too crazy. Nothing, uh, wild. Just, you know, very, very calming, uh, very calming space. Um, right. Is, uh, how we wanted to design. We just finished building our, our dream home. Yay. Good. And that's, so that was one of the, the big things is we want our, we want our, our primary suite to be this very. Homey. You walk in and you just immediately feel relaxed.
Mm. And we did that with, you know, all the different selections of the, you know, fur from the furniture to the paint, to, um, you know, the rug. Just like random Yeah. Random things that you wouldn't think would affect your sleep. Sure. But being in a very, you know, clean, put together environment will definitely help.
Um, you sleep better. You know? I couldn't agree more. If things are. Which before we did that, before I kind of started getting into that stuff, you know, the bedroom, you know, it, it was what it was, you know, it kind of was a, a catchall at times. Yeah. And it just got chaotic. And it's like you walk in and, you know, there's stuff in the corner, there's stuff there, there's clothes on the floor.
Um, you know, it's just. Being more tidy has definitely helped, uh, uh, sleeping, you know? I love that. Yeah. I feel like not enough people note that. Like a place that you actually want to go to, that you Yeah. Yeah. Actually enjoy being at. That's great. Amazing. And congrats on the dream home. You just created all that.
Yeah, so we uh, we finished the build, um, the end of March. So we moved in the very end of March. So we've been in now for. Uh, about five months, which has been, which has been great. Oh, that's amazing. Yeah, we just moved here in February or end of February. So kind of similar timelines and loving. It's so nice to be like grounded.
'cause we had been in like a high rise, which was nice for the sunrise and sunset and stuff. But like for everything I talk about around certain cian rhythm and train men and the mor to be able to be indoors, outdoors all the time, like it's just, ugh. So amazing. Oh yeah. Yeah. And that's, that's the best thing about our, our house too, is.
You know, from our primary bedroom, we have, you know, access to our, our front deck where we have our rocking chair and just yes. Place to sit and love that. Just being a, a fully, uh, southern exposed, uh, home. You know, so you wake up in the morning and that sun's coming up and it's just, it's beautiful. Yeah, it's amazing.
Oh my gosh. That's amazing. I know. Well, we love Colorado, so who knows? Maybe we'll be at Neighbors down the road because we have literally looked into Colorado at some point. Or maybe even like, I don't know, the summers or something. 'cause it's just, yeah. So beautiful. Love that. Okay, amazing. And then the last question would be, so far to date, what would you say has made the biggest change to the management of your sleep?
Or said another way? Biggest aha moment in managing your sleep. Yeah, I, I think, you know, the obvious answer would be, you know, getting tested for sleep apnea and Totally, yes. And, and treating, um, you know, getting that treated for me using the CPAP. Um, but there's just, there's a lot of other little nuances that, um, I've kind of learned through figuring out sleep.
Sure. One, um, one of the biggest things is your bed. Yeah. You have to find a bed that yours. You absolutely love. And for me, you know, I was very young in my career, you know, making good money, but not making a ton of money. I went and spent $12,000 on a, on a mattress. Mm. And I still have that mattress to this day.
And it's gonna be this, it's gonna be a very sad day when it finally gets worn out. Yeah. Because they don't make that, that style of mattress anymore. Hmm. But, um, definitely. Finding what's, what's comfortable for you? Uh, so for me, um, the bed, uh, a pillow, like finding a really comfortable pillow that's gonna, you're gonna be comfortable in.
Um, another thing that's really helped me, um. Uh, don't use it as much anymore. Um, I used it a lot when my body was really sore from, from football and the snap, but was a really nice weighted blanket. Oh, great. Yeah. So like for me, using like a weighted blanket would help me, uh, prevent, you know, the, the, um, active legs during the night.
Oh, sure. The twitching, restless legs. Sure. Yeah. Restless leg syndrome and stuff like that. So having a weighted blanket was something that was really, Hmm. Uh, helpful and, and getting good sleep, especially when I was, you know, essentially torturing my body, uh, playing, playing football. Yes. Um, but you know, like, my kids are the same way.
They love their weighted blankets and they use, they use those, um, quite a bit. Um, you know, kids are restless usually anyways. Um, but we're, we're very lucky with our kids. They, uh, they love their sleep, you know. Oh, I bet it's, uh, it's nice. My, my 5-year-old will still take a, uh, if, you know, if we have the time, she'll still take a two and a half, three hour nap in the afternoon.
So it's just like, it's perfect. That's great. Oh, amazing. Well, I so love that clearly you've valued and invested in. The difference that getting great sleep can make and committed to being able to get the best sleep that you are able to achieve. So that's amazing. Not everyone gets that message ever, let alone in their athletic career and able to help bolster their results with their ability to actually recover each night with, especially with your.
Kind of list of things that your body is going through during those periods of time. I mean, to be able to properly recover is just, I mean, talk about getting the edge is incredible. So for an athlete, but then also just for the rest of your life as a parent and you know, oh yeah. Husband and all of it.
You know, if you're, if you're not getting good sleep, you're not gonna be your best version of yourself. So it's. Uh, you know, trying to get that, uh, in front of people is, is definitely, you know, whether you're a, you know, a nine to five, uh, you know, office, uh, job, or if you're, you know, a laborer, you know, work in construction, working road work, like if you're not getting good sleep, like you're, you're not gonna optimize.
Your yourself in that, in that aspect of, of your life. So yeah. Um, that's, that's one thing I'm always, uh, telling people is like, spend money on your sleep because you spend so much percentage of your life sleeping. You might as well invest into that to get yourself, you know, the best rest you can. So, you know, during your, your wake hours, you can.
You can go, you know, go to work, and as soon as you get done with work, you're just not exhausted and ready. You know you can go do other things that you enjoy in your life. Oh, I couldn't agree more. I mean, exactly. And to your point, a third of our lives on average, 26 years are spent to sleep, and yet we're not opted taking much of a look at all at that.
So it's so valuable and so important. And I'm just so, I mean, I'm sorry that it got to the level that it did for you, but I'm also grateful that. You're able to take that action and as quickly as possible, then rectify that, and then keep building and iterating on optimizing that. So amazing. Amazing. And for those that don't know my story, I went through, you know, a period of insomnia about a decade ago that completely changed the course of my life.
So I've also seen what life looks like when you're not sleeping well and it is not pretty. So underscoring the difference. To your point that it makes not only for yourself, but for other people in your life. Just incredible. So I so appreciate you sharing and sharing. Vulnerably really just makes such a difference for people.
So how can people follow you, check out bleep sleep and all the things? Yeah, definitely. So, um, my Instagram is Redman 7 7 1 5 and then, um. Uh, you can go to, uh, uh, bleep sleep.com, uh, to get all your information, uh, also available on Amazon. Um, I, I highly recommend it if you're on the, on the fence about trying it, it, you know, it looks like something new.
Um, just give it a shot, you know, that's the, that's a nice thing. We have that, you know, a 30 day starter pack, um, that you can get on Amazon or you can get off the website. Um, I know a lot of insurances now are actually covering, uh, cost of supply. So check with your insured to see if. Um, you know, they can get you, your, your, uh, supplies for, uh, your C Pap, um, covered.
So, uh, you know, just give it a shot. You know, it, it's a little weird at first, but it's one of those things once you get used to and you get into the routine, it's uh, it's life changing. Ugh. Couldn't agree more. So well said. Well Ryan, thank you so much for taking the time and you're just making such a difference for people sharing about this such an important legacy.
So really, really acknowledge you and more to come. Keep us posted. I know you're often, I think you're on the face right on on the BLEEP website. You know, it's amazing. So we'll keep following your journey, but really wonderful. Really appreciate it. Definitely. I appreciate you having me. Thank you. You've been listening to The Sleep Is a Skill Podcast, the top podcast for people who wanna take their sleep skills to the next level.
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